Title:
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The acquisition of English articles by Arabic speakers
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Mastering the English Article system is a long tern challenge for L2 learners. The
difficulty originates from the fact that appropriate usage requires stacking multiple
functions into limited forms, the numerous exceptions to the rules and the mismatch
between the grammatical criteria of countability and number that determine the
appropriate supply of the indefinite article and the lexical-pragmatic values on which
definiteness depends. In addition, differences between the first and target languages
can also cause problems even for advanced learners.
We investigated the use of English articles in the production of Arab university
students by collecting data from three different tests that varied in the degree of
control and the type of knowledge they examine. Development was followed cross
sectionally after dividing the participants into three proficiency level groups according
to their scores on the Oxford Placement Test. Statistical analyses were performed to
calculate the differences across groups, tasks and compare between learners' use of
the two articles. The results were also compared to findings from other L2 studies to
determine whether the development map corresponds to/differs from the tendencies of
learners from other L1 backgrounds.
It was found that Arabic influenced the participants' decisions to a large
extent, especially at lower levels. In other respects error patterns paralleled those of
other L2 learners. The definite article was mastered before the indefinite while the
correct marking of non-referential bare nominals (zero article) seemed to be the most
difficult aspect of article use to master. The results suggest that task type influenced
learner's choices considerably. Finally, faulty associations between definiteness and
linguistic notions of specificity. pre-modification and concreteness in learner
hypotheses caused variability in L2 article production.
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