Tense and Aspect Constructions Among Arabic L1 Learners of English

With English as an increasingly common second language for native Arabic speakers, there is a growing need for scholarly attention to the language transfer patterns among this group of English language learners. This thesis aims to assess commonly recurring errors in one area of language, tense and aspect construction, in order to contribute to the existing literature on tense and aspect production among Arabic learners of English and to analyze whether language transfer can serve as a plausible explanation for these patterns. Drawing on a sample of 93 student essays produced by native Arabic speakers (included in the appendix) and bostered by an analysis of tense-aspect construction in the Arabic language, this research builds on previous studies of commonly occurring errors as well as presents new observations on errors patterns. Significantly, this research found copula deletion to occur before noun phrases, prepositional phrases, and adjective phrases alike. Also, this study documents challenges students faced in correctly forming progressive aspect verbs, as well as speculating about potential causes and remedies for this phenomenon. Furthermore, a preliminary investigation into unnatural tense shifts within and between clauses among this group of students was included. Where possible, descriptions and analyses of these errors have been followed with pedagogical suggestions

The Intelligibility of the Onset Cluster [pl] and the Coda Cluster [ƞz] in Arabic-Accented English

This paper analyzes two specific instances of English consonant-cluster production among native Arabic speakers of English. We analyze the onset cluster /pl/ and the coda cluster /ŋz/. These clusters are of interest because the first segment in each cluster does not exist in Arabic but the second is shared by both Arabic and English. Five Arabic-speaking subjects were selected based on a number of shared features, including a shared city of origin, beginning their acquisition of English after the critical period, and having spent no more than one year in an English-speaking environment at the time of the recordings. The findings give us the opportunity to assess the participants’ pronunciations of these clusters in light of the two syllable phonotactic constraints: Sonority Sequencing Principle (SSP) and the Minimal Sonority Distance Parameter (MSDP). Other issues investigated have to do with the segmental transfer hierarchy and ranking

Relationship of Metabolizable Protein Balance, Purine Derivative Excretion, and 3-Methyl Histidine Excretion to Feed Efficiency in Individually Fed Finishing Heifers

Individually fed heifers were used to determine the relationship of 3-methyl histidine, purine derivatives, and metabolizableprotein balance to feed efficiency. Heifers were fed finishing dietsthat were either deficient or sufficient in metabolizable protein. Urine samples were collected and analyzed for early, late, and entire feeding period concentrations of 3-methyl histidine, purine derivatives, and creatinine. Results from this study indicated a negative relationship between feed efficiency and metabolizable protein balance, and no relationship between 3-methyl histidine excretion and feed efficiency, suggesting that protein turnover and microbial protein synthesis are not related to feed efficienc

Relationship of Metabolizable Protein Balance, Purine Derivative Excretion, and 3-Methyl Histidine Excretion to Feed Efficiency in Individually Fed Finishing Heifers

Individually fed heifers were used to determine the relationship of 3-methyl histidine, purine derivatives, and metabolizableprotein balance to feed efficiency. Heifers were fed finishing dietsthat were either deficient or sufficient in metabolizable protein. Urine samples were collected and analyzed for early, late, and entire feeding period concentrations of 3-methyl histidine, purine derivatives, and creatinine. Results from this study indicated a negative relationship between feed efficiency and metabolizable protein balance, and no relationship between 3-methyl histidine excretion and feed efficiency, suggesting that protein turnover and microbial protein synthesis are not related to feed efficienc