Abstract
English spelling has always been described by many language researchers and teachers as a daunting task especially for learners whose first language is not English. Accordingly, Arab ESL learners commit serious errors when they spell out English words. The primary objective of this paper is to determine the types as well as the causes of spelling errors made by Arab ESL secondary school students. In order to collect the data, a fifty-word standardised spelling test was administered to seventy Arab student participants. The students’ types of spelling errors were detected, analysed and then categorised according to Cook’s (1999) classification of errors namely substitution, omission, insertion and transposition. In total, 2,873 spelling errors of various categories were identified. The study findings revealed that errors of substitution constituted the highest percentage of the students’ type of errors. In addition, the study indicated that the main causes of the students’ spelling errors were possibly attributed to the anomalous nature of the English spelling system, the Arab students’ lack of awareness of English spelling rules as well as L1 interference. Despite being conducted in an ESL context, the study was almost consistent with the findings indicated by other studies which were carried out in many Arabic EFL context. The findings suggest that spelling instruction should be emphasised while teaching English and should also be integrated with the skills and subskills of reading, writing, pronunciation and vocabulary in order to develop the students’ spelling accuracy.
Highlights
Spelling is a complex written language skill, which requires a learner to possess a number of language abilities, including phonological, morphological, visual memory skills, semantic relationships as well as adequate knowledge of spelling rules (Staden, 2010)
Since the main objective of the current study was to investigate the types and causes of spelling errors made by Arab ESL secondary school students in the Saudi School in Kuala Lumpur, the four-stage procedure proposed by Corder (1974 as cited in Ellis, 1994: 48) for data collection and analysis was adopted as follows: 1. Collection of a sample of learner language, i.e. the spelling errors made by the participants in this study 2
This confirms the findings of some studies (Al-Jabri 2003, Al-Mezeini 2009; Alzuoud, 2013 and Hameed, 2016), which indicated that most Arab learners of English commit spelling error due to substituting or omitting a linguistic element, i.e. a letter or sound
Summary
Spelling is a complex written language skill, which requires a learner to possess a number of language abilities, including phonological, morphological, visual memory skills, semantic relationships as well as adequate knowledge of spelling rules (Staden, 2010). As such, learning to spell words correctly is considered an important activity for various reasons. One is that accurate spelling makes a reader understand the written message clearly. A writer should have good competency in spelling in order to convey his written message without making any distraction. Okyere (1990) emphasised that spelling is an essential skill to master because it allows for the clear expression of thought in any written text. Spelling is considered one of the indispensable skills in written communication and a principal component of a total language arts curriculum. Warda (2005) stated that spelling affected the students’ written performance, and students with low spelling confidence and skills are expected to write less and more plainly than confident spellers do Spelling is considered one of the indispensable skills in written communication and a principal component of a total language arts curriculum. Warda (2005) stated that spelling affected the students’ written performance, and students with low spelling confidence and skills are expected to write less and more plainly than confident spellers do
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