Problems related to the differences between Arabic and English.
Introduction
The Arab minority in Israel needs to learn three languages. From an early age, they acquire Arabic (their mother tongue). When they start school, Arabs begin to study both Hebrew and English. This process does not mean that they are equally fluent in all three languages insofar as every language presents different challenges to the Arab learner. In this essay, I will focus on three problems that Arab Israeli students face in studying English: firstly, problems related to the differences between Arabic and English, secondly, problems related to the English spelling/ sound system; thirdly, problems related to insufficient proficiency of English. In addition, I intend to suggest certain strategies that may be useful for teachers in helping their students to overcome these difficulties.
Problems related to the differences between Arabic and English.
The problem of phonology
This is the difference in vowel sounds between English and Arabic. In real sense, the number of vowel sounds in English language is more as compared to the Arabic words. It is known that English has three times the number of vowel sounds to those I Arabic. That makes it had for the Arabic Israeli students to understand English.
The elision of sounds in English is a major challenge.
Elision refers to the act of swallowing sounds and is a problem associated with the English language. When viewed from the conversational point of view, there is much use of glottal stops during an English conversation as compared to Arabic language where sounds are rhythmical and not swallowed. With this glottal effect, it will be very hard for Arab Israeli students to learn English. Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
Difference in the order of adjectives and nouns.
In Arabic language, both written and spoken, there is a close association between adjective and nouns. The adjectives in Arabic follows the noun which they qualify, making it easy for the learners to understand it better than English where the association between adjectives and nouns is confusing and complex.
Problems related to the English spelling/ sound system.
The problem of mismatching of written and spoken words.
There are many individual sound system in English as compared to the Arabic. Written words and the spoken ones are quite different in terms of their individual counts. This trend possess a major problem to Arabic Israeli learners since they will not be in a position to match the two scenarios.
Tense is important in English language
Speaking English means that one should be familiar with the language. There is a big difference in words either in present tense and the future tense. This continuous changes in tenses makes it hard for the Arabic Israeli students to become fluent in distinguishing this perplexing situation.
The nature of the English Stress pattern.
The stress pattern in Arabic is regular while that in English is irregular. In English, stress can appear in any part of the world, either at the beginning or at the end. This is very different from Arabic language where the words follows a certain configuration. This problem will also have an impact on the intonation in English words and their patterns may bring a confusion to the Arabic Israeli students.
Problems related to insufficient proficiency of English.
This is a major challenge which has been affecting the Indian students in their desire to learn the English language. One problem associated with the insufficient proficiency in English is that, many of those Arabic Israeli students have a weak foundation in English language. It therefore makes it hard for them to master the English grammar. Also, the incompetence of some English teachers is a major challenge. Some teachers don’t sacrifice themselves to offer the best to those Arabic Israeli native learners. Finally, the deteriorating proficiency of the students is the predicament of the teachers, as the relationship between these two groups is questionable.
Conclusion.
In conclusion, I wish to propose some strategies which can help students overcome these difficulties. Students should have a good basement for the English language. It should be taught at the early stages in the development of a child. This will make them grasp every bit of the English language. Students should also practice spoken English so as to perfect in their language since practice makes perfect. Through this, they will be in a position to master the pattern of English and also the stress of words and intonations. Finally, the Arabic Israeli students should create a good rapport with their teachers so as to attract understanding of the English language.