GHIYAB AL-BĪ'AH AL-LUGHAWIYAH AL-ʻARABIYAH WA ATHARUHU FI IKTISAB AL-NUTQ WAL KAFAʼAH AL-SHAFAWIYAH LADA MATʻALAMI AL-ʻARABIYAH FI AL-SIYAQAT GHAYR AL-ʻARABIYAH: QIRAʼAH FI DAWʼ FARADIYAT AL-MADKHALAT WAL MAKHRAJAT WA AL-TAFAʻUL

[THE ABSENCE OF AN ARABIC LINGUISTIC ENVIRONMENT AND ITS IMPACT ON THE ACQUISITION OF PRONUNCIATION AND ORAL PROFICIENCY AMONG LEARNERS OF ARABIC IN NON-ARAB CONTEXTS: A READING IN LIGHT OF INPUT, OUTPUT, AND INTERACTION HYPOTHESES]

Abstract

Abstract: This study aims to analyze the effect of the lack of an Arabic linguistic environment on the acquisition of pronunciation skills and oral proficiency among learners of Arabic in non-Arabic contexts, particularly non-native speakers of Arabic, in light of second language acquisition hypotheses, especially the Input Hypothesis, the Output Hypothesis, and the Interaction Hypothesis. The study adopts a descriptive-analytical approach based on reviewing previous literature in the field of second language acquisition and analyzing the impact of the linguistic environment on pronunciation and oral proficiency, with a focus on the relationship between input, output, and opportunities for linguistic interaction. It proceeds from an analysis of the Comprehensible Input hypothesis as proposed by Krashen (1982), which assumes that the absence of intensive natural exposure to meaningful language in non-Arabic environments leads to weak unconscious language acquisition and the dominance of limited classroom learning, resulting in weakness in the development of oral proficiency and linguistic automaticity. Polat (2016) also emphasizes that the comprehensibility of input is related to the interactive and instructional context, not to the linguistic material alone. The absence of an Arabic linguistic environment in non-Arabic educational settings results in a نقص in the quantity and quality of the inputs necessary for stabilizing correct pronunciation, which in turn leads to weak output according to Swain’s theoretical framework (Swain, 2005). This limits opportunities for oral output required for the development of communicative competence and contributes to the persistence of linguistic errors across linguistic levels, in addition to weak consolidation of what students learn in the classroom. This absence also weakens opportunities for linguistic interaction and corrective feedback, according to the theoretical proposal of Long (1996), both of which are essential elements in transforming input into effective acquisition. Linguistic literature confirms that environment-related factors (setting-related factors) are central elements in the process of language acquisition in general, and Arabic as a second language in particular. Findings of previous applied studies indicate that creating an organized artificial linguistic environment can significantly contribute to improving learners’ oral ability and linguistic competence, especially for non-native speakers, as well as helping to reduce linguistic errors (phonetic, grammatical, morphological, and others), enhance vocabulary, and strengthen motivation to learn Arabic in their original environment. The present study concludes that the absence of an Arabic linguistic environment in learners’ original environment leads to weak pronunciation, limited oral fluency, and the spread of linguistic errors at different levels. Accordingly, the study proposes a set of pedagogical recommendations aimed at compensating for this deficiency by interactive activities inside and outside the classroom, supported by techniques that enhance input, output, and interaction between them, along with benefiting from curricular and administrative factors in building an effective educational Arabic linguistic environment. The study also contributes a theoretical-applied framework that can be used globally to improve the teaching of Arabic to non-native speakers and to provide teachers with effective strategies for instruction in non-Arabic contexts.