Arabic English Interference - Essay Example

Arabic English Interference Outline Introduction The acquisition of the English language is a common phenomenon in the current world Students encounter insurmountable challenges while learning the English language Body Challenges The influence of the first language affects the ability of the Arabic students to comprehend essential tenets of the English language. The students make many errors ranging from spelling and pronunciation to syntax. The inability to speak with the native accent is a huge challenge in learning the English language. The majority of the students of the Arab descent have poor English accent, and it is hard to understand their speech Cultural differences in the delivery of the subject matter render the understanding of the English language a challenging task. Conclusion The first language, cultural differences, and poor accents interfere with the learning of the English language. Introduction The acquisition of the English as a second language has become a common phenomenon in the contemporary world. Presence of English in various parts of the globe has rendered it a world language, and many people are striving to understand it (Baloch, 2013). In effect, learning English has gained currency, and the majority of non-native students seek opportunities to become fluent in the language. It is a pleasant experience to study the second language. However, the acquisition of the language has tremendous challenges. Learning English is not easy, and the non-natives encounter insurmountable difficulties in listening and understanding English language. Students who learn English in bilingual and multilingual environment find it challenging to comprehend the fundamental elements of the language. Similarly, learners from foreign nations who attempt to acquire skills in English while in English-speaking nations face enormous challenges. The students who have mastered their native languages such as Arabic exhibit lack of fluency in English language. Such students undergo through many obstacles to master the fundamental elements of the English language. In the light of this, the paper presents the Arabic interference in learning of the English language. Although the knowledge of more than one language is significant in the modern digital age, the learners of Arabic descent face a number of challenging in their quest to learn English. The challenges range from the inability to have native-like accent and cultural differences to the enormous disparities in choice of words and grammatical features. In effect, the learning of the English language is not easy because of the insurmountable challenges in listening, speaking, and writing in the foreign language. The first language interference renders the students to make many spelling and pronunciation errors when conversing and writing the English language. First Language Interference The Arabic and English have enormous differences that make it challenging for the students to write and speak the second language without errors. Notably, the first language interference is evident in grammar, pronunciation, syntax, vocabulary, and spellings. Many alphabets in English do not have any equivalent in Arabic. The Arabic language has twenty-eight alphabets, and all the letters are consonants except the first letter. In contrast, the English has twenty-six alphabets and forty-four sounds (Baloch, 2013). The disparity in the letters of alphabet disrupts the learning experience of the English language. In many cases, the students tend to explore the Arabic consonants that have a closer semblance with the English. It is noteworthy that the attempt to substitute the Arabic alphabets with the English one, which have a closer pronunciation, is a challenging exercise. Such tasks result in the making of the unusual mistakes in English spellings. It becomes challenging to determine the nature of the Arabic letters to use in replacing the English words because the two languages are very different. In effect, the task is time-consuming, and requires mastery of the English letter in order to execute a meaningful replacement. The possession of the fundamental Arabic challenges the students in choosing the kinds of words to use in the English language. Notably, the different grammatical features in the Arabic and English languages interfere with the ability to comprehend the second language. In many cases, the students of the Arabic descent apply their knowledge of the native language to the English language in the wrong way. The difference in the relevant structure and features of the Arabic and English has made it difficult to apply the units of the native language (Baloch, 2013). In fact, the disparity in the structure of the two languages results in committing spelling mistakes while writing the English language. For example, the utilization of letter ‘b’ in the places of letter ‘p’ and vice versa makes students err in English language. It is common to find students confusing whether to write ‘webt’ or ‘wept’. Such confusion is rampant among the students of the Arabic descent. The replacement occurs due to the interference of the native Arabic language. The students tend to substitute letter ‘p’ with ‘b’ because the former does not exist in the native language. In this regard, the possible substitution with the closer pronunciation in the first language becomes a viable substitute. Consequently, the substitution does not make correct English words. The differential pronunciation of the Arabic and English words has been an enormous problem that has affected the comprehension of the foreign language. Phonological awareness that focus on the sound of the individual’s native language has interfered with the learning of the English language. Notably, the awareness has assisted in the understanding of the Arabic language, but failed to contribute positively to the comprehension of the English language. In fact, it has become challenging to substitute the strongly engrained Arabic language with the English. The blatant lack of the phonological awareness has hindered the ability of the students of Arab descent to develop the fine reading, writing, and speaking capacities of the English language. Fundamentally, the knowledge of words, letters, and syntax has been a huge obstacle, which derails the efforts to learn English while maintaining the mastery of the Arabic language. In this respect, making the connection between the English and Arabic is a futile exercise, and the students of Arab descent make ambiguous errors that render the comprehension of what they have written hard to comprehend. In essence, the exposure and knowledge of the native language have been hindrance to the mastery of English. Inability to Capture the Native-like Accent The mastery of the native accent has been a difficult task when learning the English language. It is hard for the students of the Arab descent to produce the phonetic accuracy needed when speaking the English language. The inability to have the native accent renders the students less confidence, and is a source of embarrassment when talking to the natives (Dweik and Hommos 2007). In fact, the native peers have pointed out the significance of improving on the accent because they find it challenging to comprehend the speech from the students of Arab descent. Seemingly, the natives can detect the poor accent because they have extensive experience with the English language. Hence, the natives can easily detect the deviant phonetic of the English language when the Arabs speak. It appears that the Arabic accent is strongly engrained in students, and the foreign language cannot replace such phonetic attribute. Although the instructors and peers have attempted tirelessly to assist the non-natives, the acquisition of the right accent is still a huge obstacle (Jarvis, 2005). No matter how hard the Arabic students try, the poor accent manifests in the speech. The perception of the contrasts of the functional elements of the English language that are critical in the speech is a challenging task. It is a hard exercise because the Arabic differ from English in terms of pronunciation that contributes to phonetic accuracy. In effect, the challenge of using the right accent to speak the second language is a problematic endeavor the students of the Arab descent face in their everyday use of the English language. The difficulty in making people understand the communication is real among the Arabic students due to the interference of the first language pronunciation. In addition to inability to apply the phonetic fluency, the native accent of the instructors renders the understanding of spoken words a challenge. The teachers’ deep English accent tends to complicate the comprehension of the English (Grainger, 2004). Sometimes the Arabic students need more time to understand the meaning of the English words presented in the accent foreign to their own. In effect, the processing of the words in the unfamiliar accent consumes a lot of time. Parameters such as tempo, rhythm, melody, and paralinguistic features are unique to each language (Pitt, 2005). The parameters make one language different from the other. Hence, it becomes challenging to understand the elements of intonation in English when the native instructors utilize deep accent to teach the language. Cultural Differences The cultural differences affect the acquisition of the English language. The teachers are devoted to assisting students in acquiring the English skills, but cross-cultural differences hinder the learners’ progress (Pitt, 2005). In effect, cultural difference is a challenge to the acquisition of a second language. The students of the Arabic descent face challenge of understanding the English language because their cultures are different from that of the natives. Cultural background affects the majority of the second language learners. The Arabic students’ beliefs do not match with the new culture. In effect, the students view their culture as dominant over the foreign culture. In fact, Arabic students tend to express withdrawal tendencies and lack of interest in the subject matter. The attempt of the instructors to operate in the classroom and apply the communication strategies while demanding from the students to follow the learning different from what they have been socialized challenges the second language learners (Miller, 2003). It becomes difficult to acquire the English language because a lot of time gets wasted in attempting to cope with the understanding and learning of the strategies that differ from the Arabic culture. Sometimes, the teaching strategies are incompatible with the Arabic culture, and the comprehension abilities of the students become crippled. It becomes hard for the students to connect the method of delivering the subject matter with the Arabic approach of teaching. In such cases, the students of Arab origin tend to be less attentive in learning the English language. Similarly, the non-verbal expressions employed in Arabic differ from the English cues. Hence, it is difficult for the students of the Arab descent to comprehend and connect the English cues while the teacher delivering the subject content. The cultural conflict affects the learning experience, and students take a lot of time trying to understand the content. Conclusion The learning of English as a second language has insurmountable challenges. Students of Arab descent encounter challenges such as influence of the first language, poor accents, and cultural difference. Notably, the Arabic and English languages have different letters, and mastery of the English language is a challenging exercise. The task is prone to spelling mistakes due to lack of similarity between the Arabic and English alphabets. Similarly, the incapability to produce the phonetic accuracy required in speaking the English language tends to render the students less confident while conversing with the natives. Moreover, the cultural disparities challenge the students, understanding of the foreign language. It is paramount to devise methods that can minimize the aforementioned difficulties in order to facilitate smooth mastery of the English language. References Baloch, S. (2013). L1 (Arabic) interference in learning L (English): An analysis of English spelling used by Arabic speakers at undergraduate level. European Scientific Journal 9 (16), 226-232. Dweik, B. & Hommos, M. (2007). The effect of Arabic proficiency in English writing of bilingual-Jordanian students. Retrieved 28 Apr. 2015, from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED497505.pdf Grainger, T. (2004). Language and Literacy. London: Routledge. Jarvis, M. (2005). The Psychology of Effective Learning. Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes. Miller, J. (2003). Audible Differences: ESL and Social Identity in Schools. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters. Pitt, K. (2005). Debates in ESOL Teaching and Learning: Cultures, Communities, and Classrooms. London: Routledge. Read More