Contrastive Analysis between English and Arabic Grammar
Abstract
The present study aims to compare and contrast the grammatical structures of English and Arabic, with a specific focus on predicting areas of difficulty for Malaysian students when transferring grammatical knowledge from Arabic to English. The analysis is grounded in Lado’s Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis and guided by Prator’s Five Categories of Difficulty, which together provide a systematic framework for identifying and evaluating potential learning challenges. Through a detailed comparison, the study identifies grammatical components in nouns, pronouns, adjectives, and tenses that show notable similarities in form or function across both languages. These grammatical components are predicted to be the least challenging in terms of linguistic transfer and, therefore, represent potential starting points for instructional scaffolding. The findings suggest that incorporating these aspects into tailored teaching materials may enhance learners’ understanding of English grammar by building on their existing knowledge of Arabic. Hence, this study offers insights for language educators and curriculum developers in designing more effective bilingual language learning strategies.
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References
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