Negative Transfer in Arabic
Learners' English Writing
Grammar Errors
Prepared by Dr. Amal Gami
Theoretical Background
• Second Language Acquisition (SLA)
• Language Errors: Interlingual & Intralingual
• Language Interference & Negative Transfer
• Contrastive Analysis Approach
• Error Analysis Approach
Second Language Acquisition (SLA)
• SLA is defined as the process of learning a
language other than the mother tongue.
• It can occur in formal educational settings or
informally through social interactions.
• Scholars like Crystal (1997) and Ellis (1994)
highlight that SLA can be influenced by various
factors, including prior linguistic knowledge
and exposure to the target language.
• Error analysis helps in identifying learners'
difficulties.
Language Errrors
• Errors in second language learning are
classified into different types. Some errors
result from language transfer, while others
arise from the incorrect application of rules in
the target language.
• According to previous research, studying
errors helps understand learners’ difficulties
and improve teaching methodologies.
Language Interference & Negative
Transfer
• Negative transfer occurs when structures from
a learner’s first language (L1) incorrectly
influence the second language (L2).
• This concept is central to examine how Arabic
structures interfere with English learning.
• Researchers such as Lado (1957) and Oldin
(1989) argue that transfer is one of the
primary causes of difficulties in language
acquisition.
Contrastive Analysis Approach
• his approach involves comparing two
languages to identify similarities and
differences.
• It was widely used in the 1950s to predict
learning difficulties caused by L1 interference.
• Lado (1957) suggested that similarities
between L1 and L2 facilitate learning, whereas
differences create challenges.
Error Analysis Approach
• Developed in the 1960s, error analysis focuses on
identifying and categorizing errors systematically.
• Ellis & Barkhuizen (2005) describe it as a
structured process for recognizing, describing,
and explaining errors.
• Unlike contrastive analysis, this approach does
not assume all errors stem from L1 interference
but also considers intralingual errors that arise
from learning the target language itself.
Common Grammar Errors
• Verb Tense Errors
• Subject-Verb Agreement Errors
• Active-Passive Voice Errors
• Coordinating Conjunction Errors
• Preposition Errors
Verb Tense Errors
• Arabic has only three basic tenses (past, present,
and future), while English has multiple tenses
with additional aspects (progressive and
perfective).
• Example1:
• Incorrect: 'I already studied some English when I
arrived to Sweden.'
• Correct: 'I had already studied some English
when I arrived in Sweden.'
• Cause: Arabic does not distinguish between past
simple & past perfect. The student incorrectly
used the simple past instead of the past perfect,
possibly due to Arabic’s simpler tense structure.
Verb Tense Errors
• Example 2
• (Incorrect): I already studied some English
when I arrived to Sweden.
• Corrected: I had already studied some English
when I arrived in Sweden.
• Cause: The learner failed to use the past
perfect (had studied) for an action that
occurred before another past event.Arabic
does not have a past perfect tense, so learners
mistakenly use simple past for sequential past
events.
Subject-Verb Agreement Errors
• In Arabic, verbs agree with the subject in number,
gender, and case, but in English, agreement is
based solely on number.
• Example1:
• Incorrect: 'My friends helped me because they
was very difficult.'
• Correct: 'My friends helped me because they
were very difficult.'
• Cause: Applying Arabic subject-verb agreement
rules to English. The student used the singular
form "was" instead of the plural "were," likely
due to a misunderstanding of English subject-
verb agreement.
Subject-Verb Agreement Errors
• Example2:
• Incorrect: 'My friends helped me because
they was very difficult.'
• Correct: 'My friends helped me because they
were very difficult.'
• Cause: Applying Arabic subject-verb
agreement rules to English. The student used
the singular form "was" instead of the plural
"were," likely due to a misunderstanding of
English subject-verb agreement.
Active-Passive Voice Errors
• Arabic forms the passive voice by modifying vowel
signs, whereas English requires an auxiliary verb.
• Example:
• Incorrect: 'We asked to write the exercises.'
• Correct: 'We are/were asked to write the exercises.'
• Cause: Omitting 'to be' due to Arabic structure. The
student omitted the auxiliary verb "to be," transferring
the Arabic passive structure directly into English.
• In Arabic, passive voice is formed by modifying vowel
patterns instead of using auxiliary verbs like be.The
learner is applying Arabic passive construction rules to
English.
Coordinating Conjunction Errors
• Arabic frequently repeats conjunctions in a series, while
English typically only uses one before the last item.
• Example:
• Incorrect: I have found new things in my new school which
are lunch and screens and computers.
• Correct: I have found new things in my new school which
are lunch, screens, and computers.
• Explanation: The student transferred the Arabic
conjunction rule, where "and" is repeated before each
element.
• In Arabic, conjunctions (like wa = and) are repeated before
each item in a list.English grammar requires and only
before the last item, so the repeated and is incorrect.
Preposition Errors
• Prepositions in Arabic and English do not
always correspond directly, leading to errors.
• Example1:
• Incorrect: 'I arrived to Sweden.'
• Correct: 'I arrived in Sweden.'
• Cause: Direct translation from Arabic
prepositions. The student incorrectly added
"to," possibly influenced by the Arabic
equivalent.
Preposition Errors
• Prepositions in Arabic and English do not always
correspond directly, leading to errors.
• Example2:
• (In correct): In my old school in my country the
books and pens are not free and must be bought
from students.
• Corrected: In my old school in my country, books
and pens are not free and must be bought by
students.
• Interpretation:The learner translated Arabic min
("from") directly into English instead of using by.
• In English, by is the correct preposition for
passive voice.
2. Syntax Errors - Word Order
• Example 1:
• Incorrect: I expected this difference big between
learning in my country and learning here in
Sweden.
• Corrected: I expected this big difference between
learning in my country and learning here in
Sweden.
• Interpretation: In Arabic, adjectives follow nouns,
whereas in English they precede them, leading to
word order errors.
3. Lexical Errors
• Example 1:
• Incorrect: I like to read books even in time of
the pause.
• Corrected: I like to read books even during
break time.
• Interpretation: The phrase 'time of the pause'
is a direct translation from Arabic, leading to
unnatural English usage.
4. Writing Errors - Spelling
• Example 1:
• Incorrect: I didn't now english is very difficult
becaus i thout swedish is more dificult.
• Corrected: I didn't know that English is very
difficult because I thought Swedish is more
difficult.
• Interpretation: Arabic learners struggle with
English spelling due to phonetic writing habits
and silent letters.
4. Writing Errors - Capitalization
• Example 1:
• Incorrect: i didn't now english is very difficult
becaus i thout swedish is more dificult.
• Corrected: I didn't know that English is very
difficult because I thought Swedish is more
difficult.
• Interpretation: Arabic lacks uppercase/lowercase
distinction, causing capitalization errors in
English.
Conclusion
• Negative transfer from Arabic is a major
source of errors.
• Grammar and spelling errors are the most
frequent.
• Both contrastive and error analysis
approaches help identify these issues.
