The ultimate goal of most second language learners is to attain a native level of speaking. They want to be indistinguishable from native speakers. However, for many learners, this dream has remained a dream and has not come true especially in the area of pronunciation as native speakers usually identify them as nonnative speakers because of their accent. A large number of second language learners believe that the main difficulty they encounter when speaking the second language is pronunciation and consider this difficulty as the main source for their communication problems. English occupies a high status among world international languages, as it has become the language of diplomacy, trade, communication, technology and business. Thus, learning English provides the person with an advantage as an active participant in today’s world, opening new horizons to a better future. English as an international language has been taught in almost all countries in the world. In Arab countries English is a foreign language which is a compulsory subject to be taught in all schools from lower secondary to upper secondary schools. Even in some elementary schools, English is offered as an elective subject. However, we have seen that the proficiency in English of secondary school graduates still creates disappointment among teachers themselves as well as parents. The unsatisfying quality of English in Arab countries of course is related to different variables. I have tried to shed light on one of these variables here. That is to say, the causes behind the errors committed in pronunciation and grammar in English language by the Arab learners. The importance of investigating pronunciation and grammar difficulties stems from the fact that, it stands as an obstacle in communication. However, it is necessary, in this research, to find out why the aforesaid learners face difficulty in the acquisition of the phonological system and grammatical structure of any non-native language.
Table of Contents
OBJECTIVES AND METHODOLOGY
ERRORS IN PRONUNCIATION AND ITS CAUSES
INSERTION OF /ɪ/ IN THE ONSET
ERRORS IN GRAMMAR AND ITS CAUSES
SOURCES OF DIFFICULTY
a)Interference
b)Stage of Development
CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS
Research Objectives and Core Themes
The primary objective of this work is to investigate the psycholinguistic and phonological factors that lead Arab learners of English to commit specific errors, particularly focusing on declusterization processes and grammatical deviations caused by mother tongue interference.
- Phonological analysis of English syllable structure vs. Arabic patterns
- Identification of declusterization (vowel insertion) in English onset and coda
- Analysis of grammatical errors arising from linguistic differences
- The impact of L1 interference and stages of language development
- Development of pedagogical strategies to overcome pronunciation hurdles
Excerpt from the Book
INSERTION OF /ɪ/ IN THE ONSET
In all the following English monosyllabic words, the onset consists of three consonants; actually, such combinations pose difficulties for Arab learners of English as their native dialect does not allow clusters of the type CCC initially. As a result, they insert the high front short vowel /ɪ/ which declusterizes the clusters to ease their pronunciation. What can be inferred here is that insertion is a rule governed process as all participants insert the above vowel after the first member of the consonant cluster.
1. /sɪblʃ/ splash
2. /sɪblɪ:n/ spleen
3. /sɪkrɪ:n/ screen
4. /sɪbraɪt/ sprite
5. /sɪtreɪn/ strain
6. /sɪkrp/ scrap
7. /sɪtreɪt/ straight
8. /sɪpreɪ/ spray
Teachers often encounter examples of such pronunciations, which also can carry over into the spelling of such English words by students whose mother tongue is Arabic.
Summary of Chapters
OBJECTIVES AND METHODOLOGY: This section outlines the paper's intent to identify, classify, and analyze errors made by Arab learners regarding pronunciation and grammar, while proposing teaching procedures to mitigate these challenges.
ERRORS IN PRONUNCIATION AND ITS CAUSES: The chapter explores the phonological disparities between English and Arabic, highlighting how mother tongue influence leads to difficulties with consonant clusters and word stress.
INSERTION OF /ɪ/ IN THE ONSET: This chapter focuses on how Arab learners mitigate the difficulty of English consonant clusters by inserting a short vowel to simplify the syllable structure.
ERRORS IN GRAMMAR AND ITS CAUSES: The author examines structural differences between Arabic and English, covering word order, auxiliary verbs, articles, and prepositions, which often lead to grammatical errors in student output.
SOURCES OF DIFFICULTY: This chapter analyzes the underlying factors of language learning errors, specifically focusing on L1 interference and the learner's stage of development in interlingual communication.
CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS: The study concludes by reaffirming that L1 interference is a major factor in pronunciation and grammar errors, and provides specific pedagogical recommendations for teaching English syllable patterns to Arab students.
Keywords
Arab learners, English as a foreign language, psycholinguistics, phonotactics, declusterization, mother tongue interference, syllable structure, consonant clusters, grammatical errors, language acquisition, L2 pronunciation, linguistic difference, error analysis, pedagogical procedures, interlingual communication.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main focus of this research?
The research focuses on analyzing the phonological and grammatical errors made by Arab learners of English, identifying how these errors are influenced by the specific structural differences between the Arabic and English languages.
What are the central themes discussed in the study?
The central themes include syllable structure constraints, consonant cluster management, grammatical patterns (like articles and word order), and the role of mother tongue (L1) interference in second language acquisition.
What is the primary objective of the work?
The primary objective is to investigate the causes behind pronunciation and grammatical difficulties faced by Arab learners and to suggest effective teaching procedures to help students and teachers overcome these linguistic barriers.
Which scientific methods are employed in this analysis?
The paper utilizes a psycholinguistic approach, performing phonological analysis of English phonotactics and contrasting them with the morphological and syntactic structures of Arabic to explain the learner's deviations.
What does the main body cover?
The main body covers a detailed look at pronunciation errors (vowel insertion in clusters), grammatical challenges such as the use of articles and auxiliary verbs, and a broader discussion on sources of difficulty like L1 interference and development stages.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include declusterization, L1 interference, phonotactics, syllable structure, and psycholinguistics.
How does the author explain the use of "declusterization" by Arab learners?
The author explains it as a rule-governed process where learners insert a short vowel (like /ɪ/) into complex English consonant clusters to make them easier to pronounce, as the learners' native Arabic dialect does not typically allow such clusters.
How does Arabic grammar differ from English regarding the definite article?
Arabic lacks an indefinite article and uses a prefix ("al-") for the definite article; furthermore, the author notes that Arabic speakers often struggle with the English Saxon genitive construction, frequently leading to word order errors.
- Quote paper
- Sulaiman Mohammed (Author), 2009, Difficulties of the English Language for Arabic People, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/385387
