An Overview of the Persian EFL learners’ Spelling Difficulties

Spelling is considered a difficult skill for foreign and second language learners of English as the ability to spell in English language comes with a lot of effort, particularly when the English spelling system is known to be a complex system, even among native speakers. The difficulties could be linguistic and extra-linguistic. This conceptual paper reviews the differences and similarities between English and Persian spelling system, the sages of spelling difficulties among children, particularly the approach suggested by Tabrizi, Tabrizi, and Tabrizi (2013)in which the stages of learning spelling among Iranian learners are analyzed. The types of morphological, phonological, and orthographical spelling difficulties, factors contributing to the spelling difficulty, as well as a comprehensive literature review of EFL studies conducted on English spelling are provided in this paper. Finally, the mental processing and the role of memory are discussed briefly. It was concluded that examining the differences between the learners’ first language and English language may provide useful insights into the English spelling problems faced by EFL learners.

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THE ROLE OF ACOUSTIC CUES AND LISTENER PROFICIENCY IN THE PERCEPTION OF ACCENT IN NONNATIVE SOUNDS

Studies in Second Language Acquisition ◽

10.1017/s0272263117000377 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 41 (1) ◽

pp. 179-200 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Nikola Anna Eger ◽

Eva Reinisch

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Language Learners ◽

Second Language Learners ◽

Native Speakers ◽

First Language ◽

Production Quality ◽

Acoustic Cues ◽

Accented Speech ◽

Minimal Pairs

AbstractThe speech of second language learners is often influenced by phonetic patterns of their first language. This can make them difficult to understand, but sometimes for listeners of the same first language to a lesser extent than for native listeners. The present study investigates listeners’ awareness of the accent by asking whether accented speech is not only more intelligible but also more acceptable to nonnative than native listeners. English native speakers and German learners rated the goodness of words spoken by other German learners. Production quality was determined by measuring acoustic differences between minimal pairs with “easy” versus “difficult” sounds. Higher proficient learners were more sensitive to differences in production quality and between easy and difficult sounds, patterning with native listeners. Lower proficient learners did not perceive such differences. Perceiving accented productions as good instances of L2 words may hinder development because the need for improvement may not be obvious.

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Spelling Errors Made by Arab Learners of English

International Journal of Linguistics ◽

10.5296/ijl.v7i5.8446 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 7 (5) ◽

pp. 55

Author(s):

Ali Alsaawi

Keyword(s):

Language Learners ◽

Second Language Learners ◽

Native Speakers ◽

First Language ◽

Spelling Errors ◽

English Writing ◽

Saudi Students ◽

Class 1 ◽

English Spelling ◽

The Impact

Writing is a pivotal system that transfers spoken utterances from being heard to being seen and read. Literacy is appraised not only by reading and writing accurately, but also spelling words correctly. Pedagogically speaking, second language learners (L2) may struggle in their English writing more than first language speakers (L1) due to different reasons. Even among L2 learners, it is believed that Arab learners struggle with English spelling more than any other non-native speakers. This paper, therefore, is an attempt to review recent research and literature on the spelling errors made by Arab learners. In addition, a small experimental study of intermediate high school Saudi students aged 17-18 years old (n = 26) is implemented in a context that has not been explored yet. All participating students were tested before taking part in the study. The results of this study are consistent with previous research, which found that spelling errors made by Arab learners are associated with the impact of their L1. The most common spelling errors are consonant doubling, silent letters, final [e] and vowels in general. It is, thus, indispensable for Arab instructors and stakeholders to scrutinize this dilemma explicitly.

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Number and two languages in the early years

Australian Review of Applied Linguistics ◽

10.1075/aral.36.3.07wil ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 36 (3) ◽

pp. 335-354 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Melanie Wilkinson ◽

John Bradbury

Keyword(s):

Language Learners ◽

English Language ◽

Second Language Learners ◽

First Language ◽

Concept Development ◽

Early Years ◽

Language Of Instruction ◽

Arnhem Land ◽

Early Number

This paper focuses on the role of language and some issues associated with identifying appropriate language of instruction for three foundational Maths ideas in the Early Years of schooling. These are considered in relation to the project: Strong Literacy and Numeracy in Communities – Numeracy Component. This had two broad goals, firstly to work with paraprofessional Indigenous teachers to determine an effective language of instruction for specific foundational numeracy concepts and secondly, to create a resource to enable this to be shared. Only two of the project sites are considered here. Both are in Yolŋui communities in northeast Arnhem Land, where English is not widely used for interaction. We focus on the use of first language, Djambarrpuyŋu, for the children’s concept development. The English language that can be used is determined by what is possible for early second language learners. We will share some samples of the Djambarrpuyŋu identified for teaching early number ideas. We will describe the process by which suitable expressions for the key ideas in Djambarrpuyŋu were identified and some issues that arose regarding the use of language for comparing numbers. The project showed how ‘Maths’ lessons are a time both for concept development and for language development.

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A Study of Form and Content of Private Speech Used by Iranian EFL Learners

Theory and Practice in Language Studies ◽

10.17507/tpls.0807.20 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 8 (7) ◽

pp. 874

Author(s):

Ehsan Alijanian ◽

Saeed Ketabi ◽

Ahmad Moinzadeh

Keyword(s):

English Language Learners ◽

Language Learners ◽

English Language ◽

Point Of View ◽

Private Speech ◽

Main Role ◽

Efl Learners ◽

The Mind

From the sociocultural point of view, the investigation of private speech is important in seeing how the mind works. Yet, not much is known about the form and content of private speech. A group of English language learners were required to talk about some topics of their reading courses. Their voices were recorded and the private speech used by them were identified. It was found that the main role of the loud and silent forms of the private speech in the data is to help learners manage the interaction. Private speech is embedded within the speech context and it needs to be explained in the context in which it happens.

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Errors in Making Indirect Questions in the Interlanguage of Students at the Faculty of Food Technology

European Journal of Language and Literature ◽

10.26417/505yod79 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 1

Author(s):

Antonija Šarić

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

Language Learners ◽

Word Order ◽

English Language ◽

Second Language Learners ◽

Mother Tongue ◽

First Language ◽

Food Technology ◽

Subordinate Clauses ◽

Last Stage

In this paper, the author attempts to identify the most common errors that occur in the interlanguage of students at the Faculty of Food Technology when formulating indirect questions in English language. According to Processability theory (PT), language is acquired in a predictable way, in six stages, the last stage being acquiring word order in subordinate clauses, i.e. cancelling inversion. Since interlanguage presents a dynamic language system that retains some features of the first language or generalizes the second language rules in speech or writing, the origin of errors can be found in mother tongue or in the misapplication of the rules when adopting a second language. Although PT is not concerned with the errors made by the second language learners, this paper will try to identify the origin of errors that appear in the students' interlanguage and the acquisition of the last stage, i.e. the word order in subordinate clauses. In that way, it will be determined whether the errors (inter- or intralingual) made by the students prevent them from acquiring the last stage of PT.

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ANALYZING COMPLAINTS BY INDONESIAN EFL SPEAKERS

Celt A Journal of Culture English Language Teaching & Literature ◽

10.24167/celt.v14i1.57 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. 63

Author(s):

Anna Marietta Da Silva

Keyword(s):

Language Learners ◽

English Language ◽

Native Speakers ◽

Initial Period ◽

Pragmatic Competence ◽

Language Competence ◽

Efl Learners ◽

Grammatical Competence ◽

Pragmatic Transfer ◽

Native Speakers Of English

The English language competence of an EFL learner can be reflectedin his pragmatic competence. Yet, for language learners and teachers a mastery of the pragmatic competence may unconsciously be neglected. In other words, it may not be taught in line with the grammatical competence since the initial period of learning. The article centers on two problems: (1) the similarities and differences of speech act of complaints among Indonesian EFL learners, Indonesian EFL teachers and American native speakers, and (2) the evidence of any pragmatic transfer in the complaint performance. DCT was used to gather the data, which was then analyzed using Rinnert, Nogami and Iwai?s aspects of complaining (2006). It was found that there were both differences and similarities of complaints performed by both the native and non-native speakers of English when power and social status were involved. Some evidence on pragmatic transfer was also tangible; mainly it was due to cultural differences

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Difficulties in The Acquisition and Use of English Articles among Adult Pashto Learners

Issues in Language Studies ◽

10.33736/ils.1751.2019 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Khalil Ahmad ◽

Addul Qadir Khan

Keyword(s):

Language Learners ◽

Error Rate ◽

Second Language Learners ◽

First Language ◽

Definite Article ◽

Efl Learners ◽

Indefinite Article ◽

Count Nouns ◽

Theoretical Approaches ◽

English Articles

The acquisition of the English articles is one of the most difficult areas for the second language learners particularly when there are no articles in the first language of the learners. The purpose of this study is to investigate the difficulties in acquisition and use of the English articles. The study aims at identifying the errors the EFL learners make in using the English articles. Two theoretical approaches regarding noun classification for articles choice were adopted in this study. The data were collected in the form of a gap-fill task from seventy five (75) adult Pashto learners of English. The results showed the students used the definite article ‘the’ and the indefinite article ‘a/an’ more often than the zero article Ø. In noun types, a few subjects made errors in using articles before count nouns. In the noun phrase environments, the lowest error rate was in referential indefinite while the highest error rate was in generics. The reasons for difficulties in acquiring and using the English articles were found to be mainly the identification of noun types, NPs environments, and language transfer.

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Understanding the influence of a second language on the academic performance of learners in information technology : a case study of isiZulu-speaking English second language learners in KwaZulu-Natal

10.51415/10321/302 ◽

2002 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Mandisa Purity Njobe

Keyword(s):

Information Technology ◽

Second Language ◽

Language Learners ◽

English Language ◽

Second Language Learners ◽

First Language ◽

Information Technology Education ◽

University Of Technology ◽

English Second Language ◽

Kwazulu Natal

Over the years, computers have been introduced to many South African classrooms in an attempt to improve education, and this is true for Previously Technologically Disadvantaged (PTD) schools in Kwazulu-Natal with learners whose first language is isiZulu. However, frameworks of computer learning vary widely and there is a crucial need to understand how specific situational conditions either facilitate or constrain the implementation of computer-supported learning in these schools. This thesis discusses research undertaken to document the process of introducing localised OpenOffice.org.za software with an isiZulu interface into Information Technology education at PTD schools in the KwaZulu-Natal province. The thesis also documents the process of introducing a dual language medium in Information Technology at the Durban University of Technology. The study investigates the English language as one of the possible causes of the lack of understanding of computers by English second language learners.

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THE INVESTIGATION OF PRODUCTIVE AND RECEPTIVE COMPETENCE IN V+N AND ADJ+N COLLOCATIONS AMONG INDONESIAN EFL LEARNERS

Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics ◽

10.17509/ijal.v7i1.6874 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 189

Author(s):

Saudin Saudin ◽

Iis Sulyaningsih ◽

Lina Meilinda

Keyword(s):

Language Learners ◽

Language Proficiency ◽

English Learners ◽

Native Speakers ◽

Test Model ◽

Efl Learners ◽

Lexical Cohesion ◽

Foreign Language Learners ◽

Important Sign

The important role of collocation in learners’ language proficiency has been acknowledged widely. In Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL), collocation is known as one prominent member of the super-ordinate lexical cohesion, which contributes significantly to the textual coherence, together with grammatical cohesion and structural cohesion (Halliday & Hasan, 1985). Collocation is also viewed as the hallmark of truly advanced English learners since the higher the learners’ proficiency is, the more they tend to use collocation (Bazzaz & Samad, 2011; Hsu, 2007; Zhang, 1993). Further, knowledge of collocation is regarded as part of the native speakers’ communicative competence (Bazzaz & Samad, 2011); and lack of the knowledge is the most important sign of foreignness among foreign language learners (McArthur, 1992; McCarthy, 1990). Taking the importance of collocation into account, this study is aimed to shed light on Indonesian EFL learners’ levels of collocational competence. In the study, the collocational competence is restricted to v+n and adj+n of collocation but broken down into productive and receptive competence, about which little work has been done (Henriksen, 2013). For this purpose, 49 second-year students of an English department in a state polytechnic were chosen as the subjects. Two sets of tests (filling in the blanks and multiple-choice) were administered to obtain the data of the subjects’ levels of productive and receptive competence and to gain information of which type was more problematic for the learners. The test instruments were designed by referring to Brashi’s (2006) test model, and Koya’s (2003). In the analysis of the data, interpretive-qualitative method was used primarily to obtain broad explanatory information. The data analysis showed that the scores of productive competence were lower than those of receptive competence in both v+n and adj+n collocation. The analysis also revealed that the scores of productive and receptive competence in v+n collocation were higher than those of productive and receptive competence in adj+n collocation. The finding comes as a surprise since it turns out adj+n collocation is more problematic than v+n collocation both productively and receptively. Much research, by contrast, has reported that mistakes in v+n collocation are typical (Al-Zahrani, 1998; Nesselhauf, 2003; Liu, 1999; Sun, 2004). A conclusion has even been drawn that “v+n collocation is more difficult than adj+n collocation” (Kuo, 2009, p. 148). Though more studies are needed to support its finding, this research suggests the type of collocation deserve to get more attention from researchers.

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Variety of pronunciation models in European and American teaching or (self-)learning manuals of pronunciation for non-native speakers of Spanish

Loquens ◽

10.3989/loquens.2018.049 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

pp. 049

Author(s):

Renzo Miotti

Keyword(s):

Language Learners ◽

Latin American ◽

Second Language Learners ◽

Native Speakers ◽

Reference Model ◽

Primary Role ◽

Reference Standard ◽

Long Time ◽

Self Learning

This paper analyses a corpus of Spanish pronunciation manuals published in Europe (Spain and Italy) and in the Americas (United States, Canada, and Brazil) from the 1970s onwards, which are aimed at second-language learners. The aim is to answer the following questions: Which pronunciation model is adopted in (self-)learning pronunciation manuals for non-native speakers of Spanish in Europe and America? Is it possible to observe a convergence towards a unique model or do these manuals reflect a plurality of different models? What is the role of the Castilian norm? Is it still the only reference model in Europe? Is it still viewed as a prestige model in non-Spanish speaking parts of the American continent, as it has been for a long time? Finally, what are the phonetic and phonological characteristics of the pronunciation norms employed in these manuals? The results of the analysis show that the manuals in the corpus reflect a plurality of different pronunciation models. The Castilian norm, which distinguishes between /θ/ and /s/, and in most manuals also between /ʎ/ and /ʝ/, still has an undisputed primary role in Europe. In America, by contrast, three basic models can be observed, namely a neutral American— which in its main features coincides with the Spanish of Latin American highlands—, the European one, and Buenos Aires Spanish. Moreover, it must be pointed out that in American manuals the European model is always an alternative to the neutral American one and it is never proposed as a unique reference standard. Brazilian manuals, on the other hand, represent an anomalous case due to the lack of a unique reference standard as the teaching model. In this case, the three mentioned reference models represent alternative options based on characteristics of different kinds, as discussed in the article.

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