Kaneez Fatima (MS Scholar) & Shoukat Ali Lohar (Assistant Professor),
English Language Development Centre, Faculty of Science, Technology and Humanities, Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, Pakistan
Abstract
Learning a language is an arduous, rigorous and challenging task. Thus, the learners of language face varying difficulties in numerous phases of language learning. Spellings are reflected to be prerequisite and a starting point for leaning of any language. This study aims to investigate the causes of spelling problems of Sindhi ESL (English as Second Language) learners at University of Sindh, Jamshoro. For this purpose, qualitative study was adopted. Qualitative study allowed to collect data in more depth. The current study is conducted among Sindhi ESL (English as Second Language) learners at the university of Sindh, Jamshoro. Three group interviews were conducted from 15 participants. Ten participants were sindhi ESL learners in the department of English language and literature university of Sindh, jamshoro and 5 participants were lecturers from the same department. Pilot data was also one of the important phases of this research study. Pilot data was collected to know the accuracy of the interviews. Results highlighted multiple causes of the spelling errors among Sindhi ESL learners.1- Main cause is the interference of mother tongue; 2- Teachers are not well trained at primary level; 3-Syllabus is not designed according to the needs of the learners. Conclusively, it is hoped that policy makers should revisit its policies for the better future of Sindhi ESL learners.
Keywords: English as Second Language (ESL), Sindhi Learners, Spelling Errors, L1 Interference, Qualitative Research
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- Introduction
Learning a language is a challenging task and learning spelling is more difficult for English SL (Second Language) learners. English language has its own rules of pronunciation and spell words. Mother tongue/native language has different rules of pronunciation and spelling. It generates a lot of problems for ESL learners (Nor & Rashid, 2018). With the aim of learning any other dialect, the learner’s etymological intuitive has to undergo different alterations to suit the understanding of the second language (Kocatepe, 2017; Zuriyani & Mohamed Ismail, 2019).
Spelling is reflected as basic skill for learning English language. The incorrect form of spelling may change the meaning of sentence. Therefore, it is necessary to learn spellings properly (Altamimi & Rashid, 2019). Spelling is measured as basic element of learning a written language. Incorrect spellings would change the sense of actually written message. Therefore, it is very essential to use proper spellings for good and clear understanding of the message. According to Babayigiat & Stanthorp (2010) competence in grammar and phonology are also very important in this regard.
According to Al- Bereiki & Al-Mekhlafi (2015) Arab English language students are confronted with many challenges in learning English spellings. These errors are very common in documents. Students cannot become competent because of unproductive learning. Learners proceed to rehash the similar orthographic mistakes. Resultantly, spelling blunders can incapacitate learners in different means (Altamimi & Rashid, 2019). Correct spellings are important for communication and for the understanding of the message. It is responsible for the good impression of the well-educated learners (Rosenthal and Ehri ,2010).
The paper is divided into multiple headings and subheadings. Some of the important points are problem statement, aim of the current study, objectives, review of the previous studies, research methodology and findings and discussion. Some of the important solutions will also be discussed in the discussion part.
1.1. Problem statement
English is taught as second / foreign language in Sindh Pakistan. Sindhi students have lack knowledge of spellings rules and grammatical rules. Because of the less knowledge and competence in spellings Sindhi students face multiple difficulties in achieving competence. Here, the causes of spelling errors are highlighted. The main purpose is to understand the causes of spelling errors and suggest some strategies to overcome these errors.
1.2. Aim of the study
The main aim of the current study is to know the causes of spelling errors among Sindhi ESL learners and suggest some strategies to overcome these errors.
1.3. Objectives of the study
- To find out causes of spelling errors among sindhi ESL learners
- To find out possible solutions to overcome these errors
1.4. Research Questions
- What are causes of spelling errors among Sindhi ESL learners?
- What can be the possible solutions to overcome these errors?
- Review of Literature
Multiple studies have been conducted in this regard. Different researchers have highlighted the problem of spelling errors differently. Qasem (2020) conducted a research on spelling errors in relation to phonology. He mainly focused on the phonological syllable construction of words. The category included: a) mono syllabic; b) di syllabic; c) tri syllabic and complex syllabic words. The study mainly focused on the relation between position of phonemes and spellings errors. The findings suggested that the Arabic learners make many mistakes in tri-syllabic words. The position of nucleus is also very problematic for Arab ESL learners. The percentage of errors in nucleus position is 54.85%, errors in coda position 36.40% and errors in onset position is 8.75%. The results highlighted that the position of vowels create many difficulties for Arab ESL learners. In addition, the learners make many errors of substitution and omission than other groups. The Results, explored that the main causes of spelling errors are the different orthographical and morpho-phonological structures of two languages. Resultantly, the research findings suggested that the best way to evade spelling errors is to make learners aware of phonological system of English Language. It is the only solution to conduct some session on the importance of phonology of ESL.
Subhi and Yasin (2015) conducted a survey study on the English spelling errors of Iraqi students in Malaysia. The data were collected from 30 English language students. Two instruments were used in data collection process namely ‘Questionnaire and Writing task’. The results revealed that Iraqi students make most of their mistakes in writing English composition.
Smith and Swan (2001) conducted study on the spelling problems of Arab EFL learners. The results suggested that most of the Arab students make mistakes because of language differences. There are many orthographic differences between Arabic and English language.
Alhaisoni et al. (2015) researched on 122 Arab EFL learners. The study was conducted at the University of Ha’il Saudi Arabia. Writing task was used as a tool of data collection. Participants were 53 male students and 69 female students. The results suggested that the omission errors were made more frequently in writing English spellings. The majority of the errors occurred due to the incorrect usage of vowels and pronunciation.
These were the studies conducted by different researchers in different contexts. The present study will focus on the causes of English spellings errors of Sindhi students. This is the need of the hour to highlight the problems of Sindhi ESL learners for better future of coming Sindhi generation.
- Research Methodology
Qualitative research method is used in this study. The data were collected through structured group interviews. Interviews were analyzed by making different themes and codes. For Example: (SA-G1) Student A from group 1 and (LA-G2) Lecturer A from group 2.
3.1 Sample
Data were collected from 15 participants. 10 participants were Sindhi English language learners at Institute of English language and Literature university of Sindh Jamshoro. 5 participants were English language instructors from the same department.
3.2. Research site
Institute of English language and Literature university of Sindh Jamshoro was selected as research site for the current study. This site was perfect for the procedure of Data collection because majority of the Sindhi students study at this University.
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- Results and discussion
The results highlighted some of the important findings.
4.1. Learners’ point of view
4.1.1. Mother tongue Interference/L1 interference
The interference of mother tongue is very common among Sindhi ESL learners. The reason can be the different orthographic and phonological structure of Sindhi language. There is a huge difference between pronunciations of words. Sindhi ESL learners highlighted following problems in their academic education.
The learners highlighted that they are unable to write some of the words of English language. The reason according to them is the language differences. Sindhi and English language are poles a part.
“We are learning English language since childhood but at this stage we are unable to write correct spellings of some words in English language. I think it is very challenging to memorize all these spellings. I cannot memorize these spellings for a long time period. The reason can be the difference in rules and regulations between Sindhi and English language” (G1-S2).
In this statement the learner faces difficulty to memorize English spelling for longer time. The reason as told by learner is the orthographic variations between these two languages.
Another Sindhi learner group 2 says,
“We make most of the mistakes because of language differences. Because some letters in English language are silent. There is no such kind of rule in Sindhi language” (G1-S4). Here learner has also highlighted language differences.
Learner from group 2 and student number 8 also highlighted the same issue,
“I make most of the English spelling mistakes because there are differences in pronunciation and written language. In Sindhi language we pronounce each and every letter whereas in English some of the letters remain silent and I get confused most of the time” (G2-S8).
One of the Sindhi learners highlighted that they make mistakes because of different spelling rules. The main cause is the difference between Sindhi and English language. Sindhi is totally different language from English. There are orthographic as well as phonological distinctions between these two languages.
4.1.2. Lack of teacher training
Here are some of the important views on the lack of teacher training.
Sindhi learner from Group 2 says,
“We are given a list of some specific words to memorize for the test or assessment. After some time we forget all the words because we do not use them in our daily conversation” (G2-S6).
Here it is said that students are taught in a way so that they do not become competent enough to memorize all the spellings properly. In simple words it can be said that teachers do not teach the words practically in the classroom. Vocabulary is taught for assessment purpose only. The teachers should focus on the practical use of the spellings. From the above mentioned statement it is clear that English spellings are treated as less important for teachers.
Another Sindhi Learner from Group 2 says,
“I face difficulty in writing correct English spellings since class one. Although, I got grade ‘A’ in most of my subjects except English. Teacher used to give us whole paragraphs of English to memorize and the same paragraph was supposed to be given in the exam. It was one of the toughest tasks for me” (G2-S9).
Here it can be assumed that the teacher taught vocabulary for exam purpose only. Some specific words are given to memorize them. Here we cannot see any activities related to spelling teaching. Resultantly, learners cannot become competent enough in learning English spellings.
Another student from Group 2 says,
“The focus of the teacher was on the completion of syllabus. We were asked to memorize different types of essays, letters and applications. All the material was provided by the teacher. We just had to memorize them and write in the copy”.
From this point of view it can be said that the teachers are not given proper trainings on the teaching of spellings. The students are treated as passive in learning English spellings. There is a dire need to train teachers.
4.1.3. Syllabus
Syllabus is considered very important for teaching and learning any skill. Here are some of the responses of Sindhi ESL learners on syllabus.
Student 3 from group 1 says,
“We were not given any type of activities in our course books for learning spellings”.
Another student from Group 2 also shares same issue. He says,
“Our syllabus has lack of creativity in terms of teaching English spellings. Nothing practical is done in the classroom. Resultantly, we have lack understanding of the words and spellings”.
From this point of view, it can be said that syllabus needs to be revised. Syllabus is considered as backbone of teaching and learning. Different kind of strategies should be given in the course books for the better outcome of teaching.
4.2. Lecturers’ point of View
5 English language lecturers were interviewed. Some of the responses are quoted here.
4.2.1. Mother Tongue Interference/L1 interference
One lecturer from Group 3 says,
“Most of the spelling errors occurred because of the interference of Sindhi language. Sindhi students make many mistakes of English spellings in their writings. I think they did not get proper instructions at primary level”.
From this point of view, it can be assumed that the learners have lack of clear instructions at primary level. Another lecturer from the same group shared a related point.
She says, “Most of the Sindhi learners commit errors because they did not get proper guidance at the very beginning level” (L2).
Here it can be noticed that there is a need of proper instructions at early stage of English language learning.
However, on lecturer says,
“Sindhi language and English language are two different languages. There are many differences phonologically and orthographically. Students get confused because of L1 interference. I think this is very serious issue for Sindhi learners”.
4.2.2. Lack of teacher Training
One lecturer says,
” English is taught as second language in Pakistani context. Teachers are not well trained in teaching English language. We do not have trained instructors of English at primary level. In addition, four language skills are taught together. There is paucity of resources”.
From this statement it is crystal clear that teachers per se have lack of knowledge and guidance in teaching English spellings (Liu, 2017).
Another lecture says,
“English spellings can be taught through modern technology. Unfortunately, we do not have any facilities at our institution for teaching English language. We do not have any trained teacher for teaching English spellings”.
Conclusively, it can be said that teacher training should be the first priority for productive outcomes.
4.2.3. Syllabus
Syllabus is not designed according to the needs of the learners. One of the lecturers from the group 3 highlighted. He says,
“We are provided with specific syllabus for our classrooms. Some specific activities are given there. There is lack of practicality in the syllabus. The syllabus designer should design some fruitful activities for ESL learners”.
Here it is pointed out that the syllabus should be more interesting and practical.
Another lecture highlighted, “the teachers are asked to complete the syllabus on time. Resultantly, students as well as teachers suffer a lot”. It can be said that the focus is on quantity not on quality. It becomes very difficult for learners to achieve the target.
- What can be some of the solutions to overcome problems of spelling errors among Sindhi ESL Learners?
One of the objectives of the current study is to highlight the solutions to overcome English spellings among Sindhi ESL learners. The solutions are discussed below.
1) English is a foreign language. Thus, teachers need proper guidance and training for better outcome of teaching English language.
2) There is dire need to revise the syllabus of English language at national level. Sindh is considered as one of the backward area. So, the syllabus should also be designed accordingly.
3) From the research it can be concluded that there are multiple reasons of spelling problems among Sindhi ESL learners. The solution to this problem can be proper guidelines and syllabus for teaching English spellings.
- Conclusion
Learning a second language is very perplexing for Sindhi learners. The study of Altamimi & Rashid (2019) confirmed that the L1 interference is one of the major causes of spelling mistakes in Arab learners. The study conducted by Ahmed (2017) also revealed the same results. In addition, the problem of spelling errors is very common among Sindhi ESL learners. The results suggest three important findings. First one is the interference of L1, second is the lack of teacher trainings and third and most important is that the syllabus is not designed according to the needs of the learners. The current study suggests some important guidelines for teaching English language spellings. Teachers should be trained properly for teaching English language spellings. The institutions should provide different trainings for ESL teachers and instructors. Furthermore, syllabus should also be designed according to the needs of the learners.
- Limitation of the study
Here are some of the limitations of the current study. The current study is conducted at university of Sindh Jamshoro. The study was conducted only on Sindhi ESL learners. This was purely a qualitative study. The participants were asked questions about the causes of English spelling errors. It was a general discussion on the causes of spelling errors. The participants were selected from BS part-1 and BS part-2.
- Future Recommendations
Current study has conducted focus group interviews from the participants. Participants were sindhi ESL learners from the institute of English language and literature university of Sindh jamshoro. further study can be done in another university or in another department of the same university. Present study highlights the problems of sindhi ESL learners. Other study can be done on Urdu ESL learners, Pashto ESL learners and so on.
- List of Abbreviations
G: Group
L: Lecturer
S: Student
L1: First Language/ Mother Tongue
L2: Second Language
ESL: English as Second Language
MUET: Mehran University of Engineering and Technology
- References
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