The Impact of Raising Awareness of Arabic and English Word Order Differences on Arabs' English Use

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Bibliographic Details
Title: The Impact of Raising Awareness of Arabic and English Word Order Differences on Arabs' English Use
Language: English
Authors: Bukhari, Shahinaz Abdullah (ORCID 0000-0002-6121-0787)
Source: Arab World English Journal. Mar 2022 13(1):342-351.
Availability: Arab World English Journal. 10602 Davlee Lane, Richmond, Texas, 77407. e-mail: editor@awej.org; e-mail: info@ASELS.org; Web site: https://awej.org/
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 10
Publication Date: 2022
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Postsecondary Education
Descriptors: Metalinguistics, Contrastive Linguistics, Semitic Languages, English (Second Language), Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, Teaching Methods, Pretests Posttests, Language Variation, Foreign Countries, Undergraduate Students, Syntax, Transfer of Training, Error Analysis (Language), Language Teachers, Teacher Attitudes, Scores, Language Styles, Native Language, Language Usage
Geographic Terms: Saudi Arabia
ISSN: 2229-9327
Abstract: English is a language with a rigid word order, whereas Arabic is more flexible. Canonical English word order is often a challenge for users whose first language is flexible. This study explores how Arabic learners transfer their knowledge of Arabic word order styles into the English language, and it compares Arabic learners' use of English word order before and after raising learners' awareness of Arabic and English word order differences. The significance of this study is manifested in its employment of both Error Analysis and Contrastive Analysis to determine priorities for efforts. The study employed an action research design to investigate the impact of adapting Galperin's teaching model alongside explicit teaching of differences in Arabic and English word order. Four Arabic English language teachers and 142 Saudi students participated in the present study. The participating students were taking a beginning-level English course at a Saudi university. Through mixed-method approaches, the findings of the pretest and posttest showed that some learners used their knowledge and experience of Arabic standard and slang word order to compose sentences in English. This study concludes that the intervention helps Arabic learners avoid committing word order errors, as the posttest scores are better than the pretest scores at a statistically significant level.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2022
Accession Number: EJ1336296
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:English is a language with a rigid word order, whereas Arabic is more flexible. Canonical English word order is often a challenge for users whose first language is flexible. This study explores how Arabic learners transfer their knowledge of Arabic word order styles into the English language, and it compares Arabic learners' use of English word order before and after raising learners' awareness of Arabic and English word order differences. The significance of this study is manifested in its employment of both Error Analysis and Contrastive Analysis to determine priorities for efforts. The study employed an action research design to investigate the impact of adapting Galperin's teaching model alongside explicit teaching of differences in Arabic and English word order. Four Arabic English language teachers and 142 Saudi students participated in the present study. The participating students were taking a beginning-level English course at a Saudi university. Through mixed-method approaches, the findings of the pretest and posttest showed that some learners used their knowledge and experience of Arabic standard and slang word order to compose sentences in English. This study concludes that the intervention helps Arabic learners avoid committing word order errors, as the posttest scores are better than the pretest scores at a statistically significant level.
ISSN:2229-9327