Abstract
The present study is an investigation of spelling errors of 8th grade dyslexic students (n = 20) and a group of 5th and 6th graders (n = 21) matched to the dyslexic group according to their spelling level. All students were tested on spelling isolated words in Arabic and English. The spelling errors were classified into four categories: phonetic, semiphonetic, dysphonetic, and word omissions. The results of the present study revealed that phonetic errors were more prevalent in Arabic than in English, while semiphonetic errors were more prevalent in English than in Arabic. Furthermore, the dyslexic group made significantly more semiphonetic errors in Arabic than the spelling-level matched group, while the two groups made a similar number of semiphonetic errors in English. The discussion attempts to clarify and explain the results by analyzing the specific features in Arabic and English that posed difficulty for the dyslexic and regular Arab students. A number of instructional recommendations regarding the teaching of English spelling to Arabic speakers are presented.
Highlights
Successful English spelling performance involves the processes of segmenting the spoken word into its phonemic components and selecting the appropriate graphemes to represent the phonemes
The results of the present study revealed that phonetic errors were more prevalent in Arabic than in English, while semiphonetic errors were more prevalent in English than in Arabic
More spelling errors in Arabic adequately portrayed the sound structure of the target word, whereas more errors in English occurred as a result of omissions or additions of single phonemes, or substitutions of one phoneme with a similar one
Summary
Successful English spelling performance involves the processes of segmenting the spoken word into its phonemic components and selecting the appropriate graphemes to represent the phonemes. It entails learning a large number of letter combination rules (orthography) and many exceptions due to affixation, assimilation, and the inflow of new words (morphology) to the language (Varnhagen, McCallum, & Burstow, 1997). Children demonstrate their knowledge of English orthography in addition to their beginning understanding of the manner in which morphological information affects spelling. According to Gentry (1982), children reach the correct stage of spelling when they master the phonological, orthographic, and morphemic aspects of their written vocabulary
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