Word Length And Proficiency Level Effect On English Lexical Stress Production By Arab EFL Learners

Abstract

English lexical stress is a crucial feature in controlling English speech comprehension. However, EFL learners frequently experience difficulties attaining the correct placement of the primary stress in English pronunciation. Literature has consistently shown that Arab EFL learners encounter these difficulties due to the tendency to place primary stress based on Arabic stress rules. However, some scholars indicated that the interference of word length and language proficiency in producing English stress patterns affects pronunciation. Yet, no reliable evidence examines the effect of word length and proficiency. The current study aimed to determine how word length and proficiency level affect the production of English lexical stress. Data was collected by recording each participant individually to examine the production of 84 words that vary in length for disyllabic and trisyllabic words. Three samples, including English native American speakers and intermediate and advanced EFL undergraduates, participated in the study. PRAAT software was used to measure the differences between the stressed and the unstressed syllables using phonetic cues ratio, namely, vowel duration, intensity, and fundamental frequency (F0). The results of the study revealed that Yemeni EFL students performed better when determining the stressed syllables in disyllabic words compared to the trisyllabic ones. Results also indicated that for the advanced level output, the lexical stress phonetic cues became much more similar to those of an American speaker than the intermediate level. This study is theoretically and pedagogically significant to enhance the teachers’ and learners’ understanding of the pronunciation difficulties of the English lexical stress among Arab EFL learners.