Integrating Neurolinguistic Approaches in ELT: Overcoming Communication Barriers for Arab Learners
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59573/emsj.8(5).2024.24Keywords:
Neurolinguistics, ELT, Communication Skills, Arabic-Speaking Students, Language AcquisitionAbstract
The article explores how neurolinguistics, which is the study of how language and the brain are connected, can help improve English teaching for students who speak Arabic. Arabic-speaking students face a range of challenges when learning English, which are influenced by the structural and phonological differences between the two languages, as well as cultural and cognitive factors. Therefore, this study points out the differences in structure between Arabic and English and explains how knowing how the brain handles language can lead to better teaching techniques. By using knowledge from neurolinguistics along with language education, teachers can more effectively help Arabic learners, especially with pronunciation and practicing the language. The article provides strategies and examples based on research to help educators, and it stresses the importance of experienced teachers in overcoming challenges with pronunciation and language skills. Both descriptive and qualitative approaches are applied in this paper. There are findings listed in the conclusion section, in this study, indicate that neurolinguistics plays a significant role in enhancing English communication skills for Arabi students.
References
Abdolmaleki, M., & Saeedi, M. (2024). Challenges of Code-Switching in Arabic-English Language Acquisition.
Abu-Rabia, S. (1996). The role of vowels and context in reading of highly skilled native Arabic readers. Journal of Psycholinguistic Research, 25, 629-641. doi:10.1007/BF01712413
Abu-Rabia, S. (2015). The Role of Self-Correction Techniques in Improving L2 Grammar Learning. Journal of Second Language Acquisition.
Abutalebi, J., & Green, D. W. (2007). Bilingual language production: The neurocognition of language representation and control. Journal of Neurolinguistics, 20(3), 242-275.
Adamson, J., & Coulson, D. (2015). Translanguaging in English academic writing preparation. Birmingham.
Al Fayyoumi, R. (2017). Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP) and its effects on language learning.
Al-Ani, S. H. (1970). Arabic Phonology: An Acoustical and Physiological Investigation. The Hague: Mouton.
Al-Issa, A. (2005). The role of English language culture in the Omani language education system: An ideological perspective. Language, Culture and Curriculum, 18(3), 258-270.
Al-Sobhi, B. M., & Preece, A. (2018). The effectiveness of multisensory approaches in improving English language skills in Jordanian classrooms. Journal of Educational Research and Reviews.
Alhawary, M. T. (2020). Arabic second language learning and effects of input, transfer, and typology. Georgetown University Press.
Alshaboul, Y. (2015). Phonological Awareness in English Language Learning: A UAE Case Study. Journal of Education and Linguistics.
Altamimi, Al. K. (2015). Improving English Pronunciation among Arabic EFL School-Age
Student Using Minimal Pairs. Unpublished M.A. thesis: State University of New York.
Arabski, J., & Wojtaszek, A. (2011). The Acquisition of L2 Phonology. Multilingual Matters.
Avery, P., & Ehrlich, S. (1992). Teaching American English Pronunciation. Oxford University Press.
Bassano, S. (1982). Multi-sensory input in the non-academic ESL classroom. CATESOL
Occasional Papers, 8, 51-60.
Bassiouney, R. (2009). Arabic Sociolinguistics: Topics in Diglossia, Gender, Identity, and Politics. Edinburgh University Press.
Bastiaanse, R., & Thompson, C. K. (2012). Perspectives on Agrammatism. Psychology Press.
Bergmann, J., & Sams, A. (2012). Flip Your Classroom: Reach Every Student in Every Class Every Day. International Society for Technology in Education.
Bialystok, E., & Craik, F. I. M. (2010). Cognitive and Linguistic Processing in the Bilingual Mind. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 19(1), 19-23.
Bishop, D. V. M., & Snowling, M. J. (2004). Developmental dyslexia and specific language impairment: Same or different? Psychological Bulletin.
Bygate, M., Skehan, P., & Swain, M. (2001). Researching Pedagogic Tasks: Second Language Learning, Teaching, and Testing. Pearson Education Limited.
Caine, R., & Caine, G. (1991). Making Connections: Teaching and the Human Brain. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Yourdon Press Computing.
Carter, P. (2020). Educational technology and its impact on language learning in developing regions. Educational Policy Review.
Chang, S. E., & Guenther, F. H. (2020). Neural Modeling of Speech Production: Implications for improving fluency in language learners. Neurobiology of Language.
DeKeyser, R. (2000). The Robustness of Critical Period Effects in Second Language Acquisition. Studies in Second Language Acquisition.
DeKeyser, R. M. (2007). Practice in a Second Language: Perspectives from Applied Linguistics and Cognitive Psychology. Cambridge University Press.
Dickerson, W. (1980a). Decomposition of Orthographic Word Classes. Journal of Linguistics,
(163), 17-30.
Dilts, R. (1998). Modeling with NLP. Meta Publications.
Dronkers, N.F. & Ludy, C. (1998). Brain lesion analysis in clinical research. In B. Stemmerer & H. Whitaker (Eds.), Handbook of neurolinguistics (pp. 173–187). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.
Ehri, L. C. (2014). Orthographic mapping in the acquisition of sight word reading, spelling memory, and vocabulary learning. Scientific Studies of Reading, 18(1), 5-21.
El Ouardighi, A. (2018). The Role of Neurolinguistics in Language Learning: A Case Study of Moroccan English Learners. International Journal of Language and Linguistics, 5(2), 48-57.
Ellis, R. (2003). Task-Based Language Learning and Teaching. Oxford University Press.
Fender, M. (2003). English word recognition and word integration skills of native Arabic- and Japanese-speaking learners of English as a second language. Applied Psycholinguistics, 24(2), 289-315.
Ferris, D. (2006). Does error feedback help student writers? New evidence on the short- and long-term effects of written error correction. Second Language Writing, 15(3), 273-292.
Flege, J. E. (1995). Second language speech learning: Theory, findings, and problems. Speech Perception and Linguistic Experience: Issues in Cross-Language Research.
Friederici, A. D. (2002). Towards a neural basis of auditory sentence processing. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 6(2), 78-84.
Friederici, A. D. (2011). The brain basis of language processing: From structure to function. Physiological Reviews, 91(4), 1357-1392.
Friederici, A. D. (2017). Language in Our Brain: The Origins of a Uniquely Human Capacity. MIT Press.
Garman, M. (2014). Psycholinguistics. Cambridge University Press.
Gazzaniga, M.S. (2008). Cognitive Neuroscience: The Biology of the Mind. W.W. Norton & Company.
Gernsbacher, M. A., & Kaschak, M. P. (2003). Time and structure in language comprehension. Psychological Science, 14(1), 43-49. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9280.t01-1-01413
Gharaibeh. M, & Dukmak. S. (2022). Effect of computer-based multisensory program on English reading skills of students with Dyslexia and reading difficulties. Routledge.
Goral, M. Lerman, A. (2023). Advances in the Neurolinguistic Study of Multilingual and Monolingual Adults. Routledge.
Goswami, U. (2015). Phonological development and reading by analogy: Phonological representations in beginning reading. In M. Snowling & C. Hulme (Eds.), The Science of Reading: A Handbook (pp. 101–119). Blackwell.
Graham, S., & Weintraub, N. (1996). A review of handwriting research: Progress and prospects from 1980 to 1994. Educational Psychology Review, 8(1), 7-87.
Green, D. W. (1998). Mental control of the bilingual lexico-semantic system. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition.
Grinder, J., & Bandler, R. (1981). Trance-Formations: Neuro-Linguistic Programming and the Structure of Hypnosis. Real People Press.
Hamrick, P., & Rebuschat, P. (2012). Language learning through auditory shadowing: A neurolinguistic approach. Applied Psycholinguistics, 33(1), 145-171.
Hernandez, A. E., & Li, P. (2007). Age of acquisition: Its neural and computational mechanisms. Psychological Bulletin.
Hickok, G., & Poeppel, D. (2007). The cortical organization of speech processing. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 8(5), 393-402.
Ibrahim, R. (2009). The cognitive basis of diglossia in Arabic: Evidence from a repetition priming study within and between languages. Journal of Neurolinguistics, 22(5), 439 453.
Ibrahim, R. (2014). Directionality in reading and its impact on language learning. Journal of Cognitive Science.
Iverson, J. M., & Thelen, E. (1999). Hand gestures as a form of communication in language learners. Developmental Science, 2(4), 422-431.
Khamis, M. (2020). Neurolinguistic Programming Techniques in English Language Teaching: A Case Study in Lebanese Classrooms. International Journal of Education and Practice, 8(1), 21-30.
Kim, S. H., & Nam, K. (2016). Neurolinguistics and its applications in Korean ELT programs. Journal of English Language Teaching.
Kroll, J. F., & Bialystok, E. (2013). Understanding the consequences of bilingualism for language processing and cognition. Journal of Cognitive Psychology.
Kuhl, P. K. (2010). Brain Mechanisms in Early Language Acquisition. Neuron, 67(5), 713-727.
Lenneberg, E. (1967). Biological Foundations of Language. Wiley.
Li, Z., & Hegelheimer, V. (2013). Mobile-assisted language learning: An empirical study of an English learning app. Language Learning & Technology.
Lightbown, P. M., & Spada, N. (2013). How Languages Are Learned. Oxford University Press.
Lin, C. H., & Lan, Y. J. (2015). Language learning in virtual environments: A research synthesis. Educational Technology & Society.
Luckin, R., Holmes, W., Griffiths, M., & Forcier, L. B. (2016). Intelligence Unleashed: An Argument for AI in Education. Pearson.
Macaro, E. (2001). Learning Strategies in Foreign and Second Language Classrooms. Continuum.
Machaal, B. (2012). The Use of Arabic in English Classes: A teaching Support or a Learning Hindrance. Arab World English Journal (AWEJ), 3(2), 194-232.
MacWhinney, B. (2005). A Unified Model of Language Acquisition. In J. F. Kroll & A. M. B. de Groot (Eds.), Handbook of Bilingualism: Psycholinguistic Approaches (pp. 49-67). Oxford University Press.
O’Donnell, K. (2021). AI and the future of English language teaching: The democratization of education. Journal of Future Studies in Education.
Penfield, W., & Roberts, L. (1959) Speech and Brain-Mechanisms. Princeton University Press.
Pulvermüller, F. (2005). Brain mechanisms linking language and action. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 6(7), 576-582.
Richards, J. C., & Rodgers, T. S. (2014). Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching (3rd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Schmitt, N. (2010). Researching vocabulary: A vocabulary research manual. Palgrave Macmillan.
Seymour, P. H. K., Aro, M., & Erskine, J. M. (2003). Foundation literacy acquisition in European orthographies. British Journal of Psychology, 94(2), 143-174.
Shams, L., & Seitz, A. R. (2008). Benefits of multisensory learning. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 12(11), 411-417.
Sousa, D. A. (2017). How the Brain Learns. Corwin Press.
Strange, W., & Shafer, V. (2008). Speech perception in second language learners: The re-education of selective perception. Phonological Issues in Language Learning, 153-196
Swan, M., & Smith, B. (2001). Learner English: A Teacher's Guide to Interference and Other Problems (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Tadlaoui, H., & Khattabi, R. (2020). The role of role-playing in enhancing conversational English skills in Moroccan ELT classrooms. Journal of English Teaching.
Tomlinson, B. (2011). Materials Development in Language Teaching. Cambridge University Press.
Treiman, R. (2001). Learning to spell: Phonology and beyond. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 80(2), 139-148.
Ullman, M. T., et al. (2005). The declarative/procedural model: A neurobiological model of language learning, memory, and use. Brain and Language, 92(3), 366-398.
Ullsperger, M., & von Cramon, D. Y. (2004). Neuroimaging of performance monitoring and error correction. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 5(6), 479-491.
Van Veen, V., & Carter, C. S. (2020). Improving neurofeedback applications in language learning: Bridging neuroscience and pedagogy. Journal of Neuroscience Education.
Zeidner, M. (2014). Anxiety in Education: Theory, Research, and Practice. Springer.
Zeidner, M., & Matthews, G. (2011). Anxiety and self-regulation in language learning: A neurofeedback approach. Journal of Applied Psychology.
Zhao, L., & Yang, J. (2016). The effect of phonological awareness training on the English pronunciation of EFL students. Journal of Neurolinguistics.
Ziegler, J. C., & Goswami, U. (2005). Reading acquisition, developmental dyslexia, and skilled reading across languages: A psycholinguistic grain size theory. Psychological Bulletin, 131(1), 3-29.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Terms and conditions of Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License apply to all published manuscripts. This Journal is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. This licence allows authors to use all articles, data sets, graphics and appendices in data mining applications, search engines, web sites, blogs and other platforms by providing appropriate reference. The journal allows the author(s) to hold the copyright without restrictions and will retain publishing rights without restrictions.
A competing interest exists when professional judgment concerning the validity of research is influenced by a secondary interest, such as financial gain. We require that our authors reveal all possible conflicts of interest in their submitted manuscripts.
The Editor reserves the right to shorten and adjust texts. Significant changes in the text will be agreed with the Authors.
ISSN 


