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"English language Grammar Arabic speakers"
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Prosody Trumps Orthography in Second Language Phonology: The Case of Consonant Gemination
This paper examines the understudied phenomenon of consonant gemination in the pronunciation of English among Levantine Arabic learners of English (LA learners). The very few studies that touched on gemination among LA learners attributed gemination to spelling in the target language (English). This study challenges this analysis and demonstrates that gemination is primarily a phonological phenomenon that is triggered by first language under-represented structural rules as well as Universal Grammar (UG) markedness principles. Data were elicited through semi-structured interviews with three groups of LA learners. Contrary to previous studies (on other phonological aspects), which argue that interference errors decrease over time, findings show that gemination is attested across all groups of LA learners and persists even among advanced learners. Results show that interface phenomena involving more than one phonological level pose a great challenge to second language learners.
Journal Article
An Analysis of the Errors in English Writing Among Saudi Undergraduate Students
This study investigates writing errors among Saudi undergraduate students at an empirical level of analysis. The main aim of the research is to comprehend the theme of writing errors exhibited by undergraduate students in a country where the dominance of the native language, i.e., Arabic, is quite high. The English language is now widely used as the primary mode of communication worldwide, both personally and professionally. The prevalence of English across networking areas has been further amplified by internet usage. This study seeks to understand the fluency of students from a country where proficiency in their native language is typically sufficient for success. The study employs a quantitative approach, utilizing convenience sampling to gather data from 271 undergraduate students through a structured questionnaire. The study identified three types of writing errors: grammatical errors, sentence formation errors, and conceptualization errors. A strong correlation was observed among these errors, with sentence formation errors being the most frequent. Demographic analysis revealed that reading English books and engaging in English-language audio and video activities can reduce sentence formation errors. Incorporating such co-curricular activities into the English curriculum may mitigate writing errors. Additionally, supplementary classes, especially those offered by private tutors, were found to reduce conceptualization errors. These classes should be tailored to help students conceptualize ideas in English. The three identified factors contribute to the theoretical framework and provide valuable insights for future research in similar areas.
Journal Article
The Treatment of English Idioms in English-Arabic Smartphone Dictionary Apps
Researchers are more concerned now about the kind of information and consistency online dictionaries provide. This paper aims to study the treatment of English idioms in smartphone applications of English-Arabic dictionaries. The sample of this paper consists of five smartphone applications of English-Arabic dictionaries in the App Store. Eighteen English idioms were sampled based on their commonness in the English language. Oxford Wordpower Dictionary (English-English-Arabic) and Oxford English-Arabic Online Dictionary were used as references to compare the kind of information provided under each idiom. The data were analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. The study revealed that, out of five English-Arabic dictionary applications, none of them provided results for all the sampled English idioms despite their commonness. The qualitative analysis revealed that the majority of the sampled dictionary apps provide information, such as pronunciation and definition in Arabic and English. The study concluded with highlighting helpful features in these apps which conventional dictionaries lack, such as interactive voice search, history, favorites and image search.
Journal Article
Testing for proficiency effects and crosslinguistic influence in L2 processing: Filler-gap dependencies in L2 English by Jordanian-Arabic and Mandarin speakers
This study expands on previous research into filler-gap dependency processing in second language (L2) English, by means of a replication of Canales’s (2012) self-paced reading study. Canales, among others, found that advanced L2-English speakers exhibited the same processing behavior that Stowe (1986) found for native English processing: On encountering a filler, they posited gaps in licensed positions and avoided positing gaps in grammatically unlicensed island positions. However, the previous L2 studies focused on advanced-level L2 proficiency and did not test specifically for first language (L1) influence. The present study compares two groups of intermediate-level L2-English speakers with contrasting non-wh-movement L1s, Jordanian Arabic and Mandarin, to investigate the effects of L1 influence and individual differences in proficiency. Our results provide evidence that at intermediate level, too, L2 filler-gap processing adheres to grammatical constraints. L1 did not affect this behavior, but proficiency effects emerged, with larger licensed filled-gap effects at higher proficiency.
Journal Article
Fluency in L2: Read and Spontaneous Speech Pausing Patterns of Turkish, Swahili, Hausa and Arabic Speakers of English
Language learners’ actual speech performances constitute an essential aspect of studies on second language learning and teaching. Although there is ample research on fluency and pauses in English, current literature does not touch on this issue from a multilingual perspective by comparing both read and spontaneous speech performances. In this descriptive study, the researchers investigated pausing patterns with 40 Turkish, Swahili, Hausa, and Arabic speakers of English. For the read speech fragments’ elicitation, the participants read out a short story, and for spontaneous speech, the data was gathered through structured interviews. In total, 4007 pauses were measured through Praat, and the findings obtained from the data were analyzed using multiple regression and several multivariate analyses of variance. The findings revealed crucial insights into the nature of fluency research in terms of (a) speech registers, (b) positions, (c) conjunctions, and (d) mother tongues.
Journal Article