The Acquisition of English Articles by Saudi EFL Learners: A Mixed-method Research Study

Abstract

This study aimed to explore the acquisition of articles by Arabic speaking Saudi EFL learners, specifically examining the problematic aspects of English articles usage. In particular, this study tested two different but interrelated hypotheses: The ‘Fluctuation Hypothesis’ and the ‘Missing Surface Inflection Hypothesis’. In order to test the hypotheses, the study adopted a multi-method approach to data collection. The researcher used a survey questionnaire, test instruments and interviews for collecting the data. The sample consisted of 120 undergraduate ESL students and 10 teachers from two different Saudi universities. The data analysis revealed that the majority of the participants had difficulties in understanding the indefinite articles a/an and the null article Ø. However, it was found that they were confident in using the definite article the. This study noted different kinds of errors made by the participants. They include omission (dropping articles), substitution (using definite the in place of indefinite a/an), and addition (the use of articles in the place of zero articles). Further, the similarity that the English article system shares with the Arabic article system in using the definite article the had a positive influence on the stdents’ acquiring the definite article in English. Conrarily, the study found a negative influence of the Arabic article system in learning English articles, resulting in the overgeneralization of rules derived from the Arabic article al-. The study confirmed all the hypotheses. First, Arabic EFL speakers produced the definite article the in English in definite contexts because of the Full Transfer Hypothesis that Arabic has overt article forms that represent definiteness. Next, the findings offered sufficient evidence to state that Arabic learners of English transfer the marking of definiteness from Arabic into their interlanguage grammar for English. It suggests that Arabic learners of English fluctuate between a/the in [-definiteness, +/- specific] contexts; in other words, with indefinite specific NPs (noun phrases). Moreover, the results reveal the fact that Arabic learners often omit articles, which provides evidence for the MSIH hypothesis.