Does phonological distance impact quality of phonological representations? Evidence from Arabic diglossia

Abstract

The study tested the impact of the phonological distance between Spoken Arabic (SpA) and Standard Arabic (StA) on quality of phonological representations among kindergarten, first-, second-, and sixth-grade Arabic-speaking children (N = 120). A pronunciation accuracy judgment task targeted three types of StA words that varied in extent of phonological distance from their form in SpA: (a) identical words, with an identical lexical-phonological form in StA and SpA; (b) cognate words, with partially overlapping phonological forms; items in this category varied in degree of phonological distance too; and (c) unique words with entirely different lexical-phonological forms. Multilevel Regression analysis showed that phonological distance had a significant impact on quality of phonological representations across all grades. Growth in quality of phonological representations was mainly noted between the three younger groups and the sixth-graders. Implications for the impact of phonological distance on phonological representations and on language and literacy development are discussed.

Insights from the study of Arabic reading

“…For example, Ibrahim et al (2014) found that 3rd and 4th grade children were slower reading MSA than Hebrew (see also Eviatar & Ibrahim, 2001; Ibrahim, Eviatar, & Aharon Peretz, 2007). Others have likewise shown that problems with phonological‐awareness tasks, short‐term memory tasks and reading and spelling persist in native Arabic‐speaking children throughout primary education (up to the age of 11 years, e.g., Azzam, 1993; Brosh & Attili, 2009; Ibrahim, 2011; Saiegh‐Haddad & Haj, 2018; Saiegh‐Haddad & Schiff, 2016; Schiff & Saiegh‐Haddad, 2018; Taha, 2017), even after those children have presumably attained some degree of fluency with MSA. These difficulties were particularly pronounced in Arabic children with specific language impairment (Saiegh‐Haddad & Ghawi‐Dakwar, 2017) and dyslexia (Schiff & Saiegh‐Haddad, 2017) and can include deficits in semantic and syntactic processing (Khamis‐Dakwar, Froud, & Gordon, 2012; Leikin, Ibrahim, & Eghbaria, 2013).…”

Long-term benefits after a rhyme-repetition based intervention program for kindergarteners: Better reading and spelling in the first grade.

“…Formal and direct exposure to literary Arabic occurs in parallel to the initial acquisition of reading and writing when the child begins school (Makhoul et al, 2015;Schiff & Saiegh-Haddad, 2018). However, young preschoolers are exposed to literary Arabic, usually indirectly, mainly through stories, songs, rhymes, TV programs, and printed matter at home (books, computer keyboards) and in public spaces (e.g., advertisement boards; Khamis-Dakwar, 2007;Leikin et al, 2014;Saiegh-Haddad & Everatt, 2017). This exposure to MSA has been suggested to be poor both in quality and quantity (Saiegh-Haddad, 2003.…”

“…This exposure to MSA has been suggested to be poor both in quality and quantity (Saiegh-Haddad, 2003. In the Israeli preschool (ages 3 to 6) curriculum (Ministry of Education, 2008), the starting point for developing basic literacy skills in Arabic is the spoken language (Saiegh-Haddad & Everatt, 2017). The implementation of MSA is not mandatory, and it is mainly recommended in the context of practical activities aimed to introduce and practice letter naming in MSA.…”

“…The results of the current study are consistent with more recent studies showing the effectiveness of recitation in the mastery of "deep" linguistic abilities (Baleghizadeh & Dargahi, 2010;Flores-Saldana, 2016;Noll, 2003). One would argue that recitation is akin to the practice of reading and spelling, practice of which can generate deep processing and result in a deeper understanding of language forms (Abu-Rabia, 2007;Saiegh-Haddad & Geva, 2008).…”

“…Moreover, a study (Levin et al, 2008) of kindergarteners who received extra activities including practicing the letter’s names in MSA, resulted in a substantial progress in letter knowledge of the standard names, as well as alphabetic and phonological awareness of the kindergarteners, whereas a comparison group hardly progressed throughout the year. Therefore, it has been advocated that early and systematic oral exposure to MSA, prior to school, may facilitate the acquisition of reading and writing abilities in early school years (e.g., Asadi, 2019; Leikin et al, 2014; Saiegh-Haddad, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2011; Saiegh-Haddad & Haj, 2018; Saiegh-Haddad et al, 2011).…”