Exploring cross-linguistic transfer of phonology, morphology, syntax, and orthography from Arabic (L1) to English (FL): An intervention study

Abstract

Aim and Objectives: There is ample evidence available in correlational studies for cross-linguistic transfer from the first language (L1) to a second or a foreign language (L2/FL). Less extensive are the interventional studies in this area. The current study sought to determine which linguistic skills transfer from Arabic (L1) to English (EFL) after employing an intervention program in Arabic. Design/ methodology: Participants were sixty-nine Arabic-speaking ninth graders randomly assigned to an experimental group receiving an intervention program in Arabic and a control group not receiving an intervention. Pre-tests and post-tests tapping phonological, orthographic, morphological, and syntactic awareness in English and Arabic were administered to all participants. Data Analysis: A two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) for repeated measures compared the pre-test and post-test results in English and Arabic within each group and between the groups. In addition, a linear regression model was used to examine the predictive effect of pre-test scores and the intervention program in Arabic on post-test performance in English. Findings/Conclusion: Findings revealed a within-language improvement in all Arabic skills after the intervention. As for the cross-linguistic transfer, significant differences favoring the intervention group were only demonstrated in phonological and morphological skills. No transfer was evident in orthographic or syntactic transfer. Originality: By employing an intervention program addressing four linguistic skills in Arabic concurrently, the present study revealed a robust transfer of phonological and morphological awareness from Arabic to English, whereas it showed no transfer of orthographic or syntactic awareness. Significance: Findings, on the one hand, lend support to the linguistic Interdependent Hypothesis by suggesting that some linguistic skills can interdependently transfer across distant languages. On the contrary, findings endorse the Script Dependent Hypothesis, by showing that some other linguistic skills are language-specific, thereby, impeding cross-linguistic transfer.