Dialect Variant or Word-Order Error in a Karbi Grammar Item
Ms. Engtipi is marking item 7 of a 10-item Karbi grammar test. The item is worth 2 marks and asks students to write the Karbi sentence for 'The book is on the table.' The marking key gives the standard form with the locative postposition after the noun. A footnote says the eastern dialect variant of the postposition is also accepted. Student A writes the equivalent of 'on table book is,' placing the locative marker before the noun, as English does. Student B writes the equivalent of 'table-on book is,' using the eastern variant listed in the footnote. Student C writes the standard postposition but omits the copula, producing a verbless fragment. The teacher must score the three scripts, decide whether B's variant deserves full marks, and explain the difference between a dialect variant and a word-order error. The class has 34 students, and 11 used A's preposed pattern, so the teacher also wants a five-minute re-teach before the next test.
1. Score Student A and Student B on item 7 and explain the grammatical principle.
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Student A: 0 out of 2. Karbi places the locative postposition after the noun, not before it. A's 'on table' copies English preposition order; the marker is preposed, so the target structure is absent. This is a word-order error, not a dialect choice.
Student B: 2 out of 2. B places the postposition after the noun and uses the eastern variant that the marking key explicitly lists in its footnote. The structure is correct, and the variant is accepted by the key. Full marks are therefore appropriate.
The principle: a dialect variant is a different accepted form of the same grammatical slot; a word-order error puts the marker in the wrong slot. B's sentence has the postposition in the Karbi position; A's does not. The teacher should not treat 'different from the standard' as automatically wrong, but should also not accept an English-order pattern just because it is common in the class.
2. Student C writes the standard postposition but omits the copula. What score and feedback should C receive?
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Score: 1 out of 2, if the item is designed to test the locative postposition. C has produced the target postposition in the correct position, so the specific grammar point is present. But the sentence is a verbless fragment, so it is not a fully correct sentence. Awarding 1 recognises the target structure and records the separate completeness problem.
Feedback: 'You have the locative marker in the right place-good. Now add the copula so the sentence is complete. Say the whole sentence aloud and check that it has a predicate.' If the item's rubric says 'the whole sentence must be correct for any mark,' then C would score 0, but that should be stated in advance. The teacher should apply the rubric consistently rather than inflate or collapse the mark after seeing the scripts.
3. How should the teacher treat a dialect form that is not in the footnote but is used consistently by a student from the eastern area?
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Distinguish 'difference' from 'error.' First check the prescribed grammar and the department's accepted variants. If the form is systematic, intelligible, and used consistently by the student, it is a dialect feature, not a random mistake. In a composition, do not penalise it as a language error; in a grammar item that explicitly tests the standard written form, mark according to the key and note the variant in feedback.
The teacher should also avoid using the standard to embarrass the home variety. A useful line is: 'Both forms are Karbi; this test asks for the written standard form, so use that here.' For the 11 students who used A's preposed pattern, the re-teach should contrast English preposition order with Karbi postposition order using physical objects, then have students say the correct pattern aloud before writing it.