TY - JOUR T1 - The Causes of English Spelling Errors by Arabic Learners of English AU - Deacon, Robert Joel PY - 2017 DA - September DO - 10.32601/ejal.460951 JF - Eurasian Journal of Applied Linguistics JO - EJAL PB - Ece ZEHİR TOPKAYA WT - DergiPark SN - 2149-1135 SP - 1 EP - 22 VL - 3 IS - 2 LA - en AB - This study investigates the possible cause(s) of English spelling errors by Arabic learners of English(ALEs). Studies show that ALEs make significantly more English spelling errors than other Englishsecond-language learner groups. Studies also show ALEs make more errors with vowels. The omission ofshort vowels in Arabic writing has been proposed to cause vowel blindness in English, resulting in thepoorer spelling performance. This study evaluates this claim by comparing the distribution of short andlong-vowel errors and vowel and consonant error types from handwritten texts by ALEs. While this studyfound more vowel than consonant errors, only the distribution of vowel graph-choice and insertion errorssignificantly differed from the number of consonant errors by subcategory. Graph-choice errors, notomission errors, were exceedingly the most common error type. Vowel length was not significantlyassociated with either vowel omission or graph-choice as expected under the vowel blindness hypothesis.The results, thus, did not indicate a missing vowel orthographic transfer effect as the primary reason forALE orthographic production difficulty in English. Instead, this paper proposes an underdevelopedlexical-orthographic-representation hypothesis to account for both the degree and range of errors found.This study also found that low and high proficiency groups only significantly differed in consonant graph-choice and silent-graph error categories, with the advanced group performing better. These resultssuggest that ALE spelling skills are not markedly improving with the advancement of other writingskills and that ALEs may need explicit spelling instruction, especially to connect vowel phonemes withmultiple graphemes.  KW - Arabic ESL KW - orthographic competence KW - orthographic transfer KW - spelling KW - vowel blindness CR - Abu-Rabia, S. (1997). Reading in Arabic orthography: The effect of vowels and context on reading accuracy of poor and skilled native Arabic readers. Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 9(1), 65-78. http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1007962408827 CR - Abu-Rabia, S. (2000). Effects of exposure to literary Arabic on reading comprehension in a diglossic situation. Reading and writing, 13(1), 147-157. http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1008133701024 CR - Alsadoon, R., & Heift, T. (2015). Textual input enhancement for vowel blindness: A study with Arabic ESL learners. The Modern Language Journal, 99(1), 57-79. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/modl.12188 CR - Bebout, L. (1985). An error analysis of misspellings made by learners of English as a first and as a second language. Journal of psycholinguistic research, 14(6), 569-593. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF01067386 CR - Bowen, H. (2011). Spelling it out! Accounting for spelling difficulties for Arab learners of English. In T. Smith (Ed.), Foundations for the future: Focus on vocabulary (pp. 85-98). Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates: HCT Press. CR - Carrell, P. L. (1991). Second language reading: Reading ability or language proficiency? Applied linguistics, 12(2), 159-179. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/applin/12.2.159 CR - Carson, J. E., Carrell, P. L., Silberstein, S., Kroll, B., & Kuehn, P. A. (1990). Reading‐writing relationships in first and second language. Tesol Quarterly, 24(2), 245-266. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/3586901 CR - Cruttenden, A. (2014). Gimson's Pronunciation of English. New York, New York: Routledge. http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1017/S0025100303231121 CR - Dunlap, S. (2012). Orthographic Quality in English as a Second Language, Ph.D. dissertation, School of Arts and Sciences, University of Pittsburgh. CR - Ehri, L. C. (1997). Learning to read and learning to spell are one and the same, almost. Learning to spell: Research, theory, and practice across languages, 13, 237-268. CR - Fender, M. (2008). Spelling knowledge and reading development: Insights from Arab ESL Learners. Reading in a Foreign Language, 20(1), 19-42. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1705668932? accountid=12653 CR - Frost, R., Katz, L., & Bentin, S. (1987). Strategies for visual word recognition and orthographical depth: a multilingual comparison. Journal of Experimental Psychology:Human Perception and Performance, 13(1), 104. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0096- 1523.13.1.104 CR - Haggan, M. (1991). Spelling errors in native Arabic-speaking English majors: A comparison between remedial students and fourth year students. System, 19(1-2), 45-61. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0346-251X(91)90007-C CR - Hayes-Harb, R. (2006). Native speakers of Arabic in ESL texts: Evidence for the transfer of written word identification processes. TESOL Quarterly, 40, 321- 339. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/40264525 CR - Koriat, A. (1984). Reading without Vowels-Lexical Access in Hebrew. Attention and performance, 10, 227-242. CR - Mullock, B. (2012). An examination of commercial spelling programs for upper primary level students. Australasian Journal of Special Education, 36(2), 172-195. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/jse.2012.14 CR - Nassaji, H. (2003). Higher-level and lower-level text processing skills in advanced ESL reading comprehension. The Modern Language Journal, 87, 261– 276. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1540-4781.00189 CR - Perfetti, C. (1997). The psycholinguistics of spelling and reading. In Perfetti, C., Rieben, L., and F. Michel (eds.), Learning to spell: Research, theory, and practice across languages. Mahwah, New Jersey: Erlbaum. 21–38. CR - Perfetti C., & Hart, L. A. (2002). The lexical quality hypothesis. In Vehoeven L., Elbro C., Reitsma P. (eds.), Precursors of Functional Literacy. Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 180–213. http://dx.doi.org/10.1075/swll.11.14per CR - Randall, M., & Meara, P. (1988). How Arabs read roman letters. Reading in a Foreign Language, 4(2), 133-145. CR - Randall, M. (2009). Second Language Reading Proficiency and Word Recognition: The Concept of Saliency and Its Application Across Different Scripts. Issues in Second Language Proficiency, 116-131. CR - Ryan, A., & Meara, P. (1991). The case of the invisible vowels: Arabic speakers reading English words. Reading in a foreign language, 7, 531-531. CR - Saiegh-Haddad, E., & Geva, E. (2010). Acquiring reading in two languages: An introduction to the special issue. Reading and Writing, 23(3), 263-267. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11145- 009-9208-4 CR - Saigh, K., & Schmitt, N. (2012). Difficulties with vocabulary word form: The case of Arabic ESL learners. System, 40(1), 24-36. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2012.01.005 CR - Seymour, P.H., Aro, M., & Erskine, J.M. (2003). Foundation literacy acquisition in European orthographies. British Journal of psychology, 94(2), 143-174. http://dx.doi.org/10.1348/000712603321661859 CR - Taylor, M. (2008). Orthographic and phonological awareness among L1 Arabic ESL learners: A quasi-experimental study. Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. CR - Thompson-Panos, K., & Thomas-Ruzic, M. (1983). The least you should know about Arabic: Implications for the ESL writing instructor. TESOL Quarterly, 17, 609–623. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/3586616 CR - Wang, Y., Martin, M. A., & Martin, S. H. (2002). Understanding Asian graduate students' English literacy problems. College Teaching, 50(3), 97-101. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/87567550209595885 CR - Watson, J. C. (2007). The phonology and morphology of Arabic. Oxford: Oxford University Press. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0952675703004548 UR - https://doi.org/10.32601/ejal.460951 L1 - https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/537316 ER -