University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Translation versus direct composition. effects of first language on second language arab writers

Ali, Nawal Hider

This item is only available for download by members of the University of Illinois community. Students, faculty, and staff at the U of I may log in with your NetID and password to view the item. If you are trying to access an Illinois-restricted dissertation or thesis, you can request a copy through your library's Inter-Library Loan office or purchase a copy directly from ProQuest.

Permalink

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/125865

Description

Title
Translation versus direct composition. effects of first language on second language arab writers
Author(s)
Ali, Nawal Hider
Issue Date
1996
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
Davidson, Fred
Department of Study
Linguistics
Discipline
Teaching English as a Second Language
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
M.A.
Degree Level
Thesis
Keyword(s)
  • Language Acquisition
  • Bilingualism
  • Translation Studies
  • Writing Competency
  • Comparative Analysis
  • Essay Composition
  • Linguistic Transfer
  • Academic Proficiency
  • Methodology
  • Pedagogical Implications
Language
eng
Abstract
This study has been undertaken to investigate whether Arabic students when writing in their second language (English), compose best directly in the second language or compose best in their first language and hen translate in their second language. This study of English and Arabic compositions written by 60 native Arabic speakers at the university level examines the differences between the texts resulting from two writing processes, one writing first in Arabic and then translating into English and the other composing directly in English. A twofold hypothesis is investigated: 1) When translating, as opposed to composing directly into English, subjects are more likely to transfer negatively from their first language into their second language writing. 2) Raters, although reliable and objective, contribute a crucial dimension to the results of the study. Data consisted of 180 essays, 60 composed in Arabic, 60 composed in English and 60 translations of the Arabic into English on four topics during regular class hours. The essay topics were: (1) compare Kuwait before and after the invasion, (2) compare two of your friends, (3) compare two books you have read recently, and (4) compare the English language to the Arabic language. The data was analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results do not lend support to Kobayashi and Rinnert's (1992) findings which suggest that composing initially in the first language allows student ·easier and freer discovery of meaning. The results indicated that there were statistically significant mean differences between composing directly versus translating (the direct composition mean was greater than that for translation). In addition, analysis showed that raters although reliable do affect the results in important substantive manners. Pedagogical implications and directions for further research are discussed.
Type of Resource
text
Handle URL
https://hdl.handle.net/2142/125865
Copyright and License Information
Copyright by Nawal Hider Ali, 1996

Owning Collections

Dissertations and Theses - Linguistics PRIMARY
Graduate Dissertations and Theses at Illinois
Graduate Theses and Dissertations at Illinois