The study contrasted English and Arabic present tense systems
with a view of identifying the areas of similarities and dissimilarities
between the two languages as well as the problems the findings posed for both
Learners of English and Arabic. The work sought to find out how English present
tense system posed problem for learners of Arabic as a second language. Four
research questions were raised to back up the study. The study involved eighty
(80) sentences from both Arabic and English data. The eighty sentences were
described through Transformational Generative Grammar and contrasted with the
use of Di Pietro Contrastive Analysis Model. The results revealed high
differences between Arabic and English present tense systems and, therefore,
confirmed that Arabic learners of English have problems with the use of English
present tense especially in the use of present perfect and present continuous
tenses. The study also showed that Arabic students learning of English as well
as English students of Arabic as a second languages may encounter different
learning difficulties as a result of language differences. Based on this result
the researcher suggested, amongst others, that the curriculum planners should
bear in mind the linguistic differences that exist between Arabic and English
present tense systems when designing curricula for schools. The teacher, in
particular, should extensively drill the students using translation and present
the language to the learners in meaningful and manageable units with adequate
drills.
Table of Contents
Contents
page
Title
page - - - - -
- - - - - i
Approval
page - - - - - -
- - -
- ii
Acknowledgments - - -
- - - - -
- iii
Abstract--------------------------------------------------------------------------- v
Dedication------------------------------------------------------------------------ vi
List of
abbreviations----------------------------------------------------------- vii
Table
of contents - - - -
- - - - - viii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
1.1
Background to the Study - - -
- - - -
- 1
1.2
Statement of the Problem - -
- - - -
- 3
1.3
Objectives of the Study - - -
- - - -
- 4
1.4
Research Questions - - -
- - - -
- 4
1.5
Significance of the Study - - - -
- - -
- 5
1.6
Basic Assumptions - -
-- - - - -
- 5
1.7
Scope and Delimitation- - - - -
- - -
- 6
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Introduction - - - - -
- - -
- 7
2.2 Contrastive Analysis - - -
- - - - -
- 7
2.3 Relevance of Contrastive Analysis for English
and Arabic- - -
-
11
2.4 English Tense System - - - -
- - - -
- 12
2.5 Types of English Tenses - -
- - - - -
- 16
2.5.1 The
Simple Present Tense- - - -
- - -
- 17
2.5.2 The Present Progressive/ Continuous Tense: - - -
-
- 20
2.5.3 The
Present Perfect- - - - -
- - -
- 21
2.5.4 Present
Perfect Continuous Tense- - - -
- -
- 23
2.6 Arabic Tense System - - - -
- - - -
- 24
2.7 Types of Arabic Tense- - - -
- - - -
- 26
2.7.1 Arabic Present Tense - - - -
- - - -
- 28
2.8 Functions of Imperfect (present tense)- - -
- -
- 30
2.9 Contrastive Analysis of English Arabic
Present Tense - - -
-
32
2.10 Contrastive Models- - - - -
- - -
- 35
2.11 Descriptive Models- - - - -
- - - 39
2.11.1
Traditional Grammar- - -
- - - -
- 39
2.11.2
Transformational Generative Grammar -
- - -
- 40
2.11.3
Systemic Functional Grammar- - - -
- -
- 41
2.12
Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis - -
- - - -
- 43
2.12.1.
The Strong Hypothesis- - - -
- - -
- 43
2.12.2.
The Weak Hypothesis- - - -
- - -
44
2.13 The Contrastive
Hypothesis for the Study- - -
-
- 45
2.14 Gains from
the Review of Related Literature - - -
-
- 46
2.15
Theoretical framework- - - - -
- - -
- 47
CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY
3.1
Introduction- - - -
- - - - -
- 51
3.2
Research Design - - - - -
- - - -
- 51
3.3 Population for the Study- - - -
- - - -
- 52
|
3.4
Sample and Sampling Techniques- -
- - -
|
- -
|
53
|
|
3.5
Instrument- - - -
- - - -
|
- -
|
54
|
|
3.6
Procedure for Data Collection - - -
- - -
|
- -
|
54
|
|
3.7.
Sources of Data Collection- - - -
- -
|
- -
|
55
|
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3.8 Data
Analytical Procedure- -
- - -
|
- -
|
55
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|
3.9
Methods for Data Analysis- - - -
- -
|
- -
|
56
|
|
3.10
Summary - - - -
- - - -
CHAPTER FOUR: DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS
|
- -
|
56
|
|
4.1
Introduction - -
- - - - -
|
- -
|
58
|
|
4.2
Presentation of Data Collected - - - - -
|
- -
|
58
|
|
4.3
Description of English and Arabic present tense systems- -
|
- -
|
60
|
|
4.3.1 Description
of English present tense system- - -
-
|
- -
|
60
|
|
4.3.2 Analysis of English present tense sentences
using TGG- -
|
- -
|
64
|
|
4.3.3 Description of Arabic present tense system-
- - -
|
- -
|
69
|
|
4.3.4 Analysis
of Arabic Present Tense- -
- -
|
- -
|
75
|
|
4.4 Contrastive analysis of English and Arabic
present tense systems-
|
- -
|
77
|
|
4.4.1 contrasting
English and Arabic simple present tense - -
|
- -
|
77
|
|
4.4.2 Contrasting English
present continuous tense and the Arabic equivalent form-
|
79
|
|
4.4.3
Contrasting English present perfect tense and the Arabic equivalent form- -
|
81
|
|
4.4.4 English and Arabic
present perfect continuous tense and the Arabic equivalent -
|
84
|
|
4.5 Predictions of Similarities and
Differences- - - -
- -
|
84
|
|
4.6 Summary of findings - - - -
- - - -
|
88
|
|
4.7 Discussion of findings- -
- - -
- -
|
88
|
CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND
RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1
Introduction - - - -
- - - - -
- 94
5.2
Summary - - - - -
- - - - -
- 94
5.3
Conclusion - - -
- - - - -
- 96
5.4
Recommendations - - -
- - - - -
- 96
5.5Pedagogical
Implications - - - -
- - -
- 98
5.6
Contribution to Knowledge - - -
- - -
- 103
5.7
Limitations- - - -
- - - - -
- 103
5.8
Areas for Further Research- -
- - - - -
- 104
References
- -
- - - - -
- - -
105
CA: Contrastive Analysis
CAH: Contrastive Analysis Hypotheses
CLA: Contrastive linguistic Analysis
HISCE : Higher Islamic Studies Certificate Examination
SAISCE: Senior Arabic and Islamic Studies Certificate Examination
JISCE: Junior Islamic Studies Certificate Examination
TGG: Transformational Generative Grammar
SFG: Systemic Functional Grammar
N.D.: no date
L1: First Language
L2: Second Language Learning
V: verb
VP: Verb Phrase
NP: Noun Phrase
Aux: auxiliary
DET.: determiner
Pr.: Pronoun
Adj. Adjective
Sing: Singular
PT: Progressive Transformation
AT: Affix Transformation
Perf: Perfect
PSA: Progressive Standard Arabic
SE: Standard English
MSA: Modern Standard Arabic
ESL: English as second Language
EFL: English as foreign Language
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1
Background to the Study
Strings of words have little or no meaning
unless they are grammatically correct and used in a way recognizable to the
listener or reader. Grammar as an aspect of language is, perhaps, the most
important target to be achieved in order to make the words meaningful and
understandable (Alam khan 2011:108). Saad (2009:83) affirms that for most
people who speak a language, the essence of that language lies in grammar. The
aim of grammar is to teach people how to express their thoughts correctly,
either in speech or writing. Each grammatical class has its own feature,
linguistic complexities and difficulties. Among those complexities are the
interpretation and familiarization with the English tenses and aspects.
The term 'tense' is a grammatical category
that serves to locate an event or a situation in time. Mahinnaz (2013:124)
defines tense as an aspect of the verb that shows the time an action happens.
Shafayi (1984:74) opines that “the tense has been made when the man has paid attention
to the verb, and then the grammatical tense was created”.
The general term 'tense' applies to a system
where the basic or characteristic meaning of the term is to locate the
situation or part of it at some point or period of time (Pullum 2002: 116).
Although the natural division of time into 'past', 'present' and 'future' is
widely accepted, it is difficult to find a linguistic system of tenses which
completely corresponds to the extra-linguistic category of time (Novakov
2008:15).
The study of the verb tense has
traditionally arisen the interest of linguists concerned with the semantics of
natural language. Linguists have tried to describe the properties (at the
morphological, syntactical or semantic level) of the tense in different
languages. More recently, however, the issue of tense has attracted the
attention of linguists interested in the system.
This study intends to undertake a
contrastive analysis (henceforth C.A.) of English and Arabic tense systems. In
Nigeria, the two languages have co-existed for long time in schools, business,
and international relations as well as in many other different areas and
disciplines. Despite this long co-existence, many researchers and language
teachers have been complaining about different cases of errors committed by
Arabic learner of English. For instance Kharma (1981), Aljumah (2007), Ghrib
(2011), highlighted some areas of learning difficulties by Arabic learners of
English especially in terms of its tenses and other crucial grammatical aspects.
The interpretation and familiarization of the English tense and aspect is one
of the most difficult grammatical areas by Arabic learners of English
(Aljuma2007).
Wilkins (1972), Leech (1971), Shamaa (1978:
32-3), Vandao (2010), Larsen-Freeman et al (2002:4) mentioned that English
tense system is problematic area for foreign students. One of the difficult
grammatical areas for ESL/EFL students to master is the English verb
tense-aspect system. In a study conducted by Vandao (2010) on Vietnamese problem
in learning English, the author discovered that Many Vietnamese students
beginning to study English have much trouble learning English grammar in
general. One of the problems they usually encounter is handling English tense
and aspect. Similarly, Shamaa (1978), conducted a research on Arabic and
English imperfect tenses. The author concluded that English speakers learning
Arabic encountered difficulty in translating Arabic tenses into English.
English and Arabic languages belong to
different language families. The former is Germanic while the latter is
Semitic. Germanic is one of the Indo-European language families and the family
consists of: Germanic, Italic, Celtic, Balto-Slavic, Albanian, Greek and others
(Baugh 1972; Robert 2007).
Arabic, on the other hand, is one of the
major languages of the Semitic group in which one of their characteristic
features is their basic consonantal root, mostly trilateral. Variations in
shades of meaning are obtained first by varying the vowel of the simple root
and, secondly, by addition of prefixes, suffixes and infixes (Haywood, &
Nahmad, 1965:1).
Despite the fact that the two languages
differ in their word order, verb is very essential in sentence formation as it
is the most significant element that expresses actions. It is assumed that by
contrasting the tense systems of Arabic and English, it is possible to
delineate similarities and differences. This would ease teaching and learning
of the two languages in a bilingual situation.
The languages enjoy international status
with a large number of both first and second language speakers. Therefore, the
need for the learners to be fluent in the use of tense and aspect in the two
languages is very important.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
For the past five
years, the researcher has been involved in marking of final year examinations,
that is the Higher Islamic School Certificate (HIS) and Senior Arabic and
Islamic Studies
Certificate Examinations (SAISCE) as well as
Junior Islamic Secondary Certificate Examinations (JISCE). Marking examination
scripts reveals a wide range of practical problems learners encounter while
using English. Thus, students‟ incompetence in writing English can be clearly
observed in examination answer scripts. The following are such examples:
* I am live in our
house.
* They always shouting.
* Did you saw him last
week?
Having taught English language for long
time, the researcher observed that students of Arabic learning English as a
foreign language often make serious mistakes in the use of English tense
system. Therefore, it takes long time to achieve the level of grammatical
competence on the part of language learners. Furthermore, the process of
learning grammar and its acquisition are from the start, hindered by the
cognitive hurdles presented by English tenses for the learners.
This research has therefore been considered
in order to investigate these problems especially to highlight the causes of
such problems and how they could be tackled pedagogically.
1.3 Objectives of the Study
Tense is the aspect of language responsible for expressing
event, state, process or action in time.
This research work intended to:
1. Compare the similarities between Arabic and English present
tense systems;
2. Compare the differences between Arabic and English present tense
systems;
3. Identify the learning and teaching difficulties pose by the
similarities and differences between English and Arabic present tense systems.
1.4 Research Questions
To achieve the purposes of the study, the following research
questions were used:
1. In what way is English present tense is similar to Arabic
present tense?
2. To what extent is English present tense is different to Arabic
present tense?
3. What are the teaching and learning difficulties pose by the
similarities and differences between English and Arabic present tense systems?
1.5 Significance of the Study
This study could help the Arabic learners of
English and their teachers to understand the similarities and differences
between the Arabic and English present tense systems. Course and syllabus
designers also may find the research findings helpful when preparing teaching
and learning materials. The study could give the syllabus designers clues on
how to design curriculum that may solve the problem of negative transfer in
translating or constructing sentences with present tense. Similarly, the work
may provide deeper knowledge of the verb structures and its tense system, thus
educating teachers and learners alike. The findings may be valuable to the
textbook writers because it may act as the basis for decision-making about
grouping and sequencing of items, the kinds of drills and practical work of
which it should be presented to facilitate learning of tenses. The study may
also arouse the interest of future researchers who may want to further the
study in the area of Arabic and English contrastive study.
1.6 Basic Assumptions
It is assumed that difficulties in teaching
and learning English present tense systems could result where there are
differences between its system and that of Arabic. This may constitute a source
of learning problems and misinterpretation of meaning. The similarities between
the two present tense systems could make learning easy.
1.7 Scope and Delimitation
The study identified possible errors in
learning English present tense system by Arabic students learning English. In
order to explore the composing process of L2 writers meaningfully, there is
need to understand how Arabic students compose in both Arabic English languages
to understand more about their learning strategies, especially in monitoring
errors, such as the role of translation and transfer of skills.
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