Present Perfect for Arabic Speakers - Coursework Example

Insert Your University) Linguistics Written by: (Your name) (Your Number) Unit Coordinator: (Name) “The problematic points in the grammar of English present perfect for Saudi students” Introduction The main aim of this paper is to discuss the problematic points in the grammar of the English Present Perfect for Saudi students. The paper will also look at why the Present Perfect is a challenge for Saudi students and in addition, describe and analyse the areas of weakness in the present tense teaching and to at the same time suggest the possible solutions that the teachers and student of Saudi decent can apply to remedy the discrepancy of tenses and structure in the two languages. In part two of this paper, the paper will seek to compare how the grammar points in regard to the Present Perfect have been both treated and explained in two standard grammar books. The grammar text books that are used in this paper are: English Grammar, by Collins Cobuild and Essentials of English by L. Baugh’s. A brief description of each of the textbook is also included. Finally, some teaching strategies and activities will be proposed in order to help in this problem. Problematic points in the grammar of English present perfect Present Perfect is one of the main tense which forms aspect markers in English. The present perfect tense is made up of the auxiliary verb have, and the past participle of the main verb (Bakshi, 2000, p. 144). Examples of this tense include: I have never been to England. I have lost my car. The present perfect tense states something that happened at an indefinite time a while ago. The tense also states something that happened in the past but continues presently. (Baugh, 2005, p. 16) Examples include; she has written two letters. She has not eaten yet. When considering English and Arabic languages, there exists no formal one to one equivalence for both present perfect simple and past perfect simple. Kanin (2005), states that this leads to a lot of mixing up during translation of text from English to Arabic. The end result is that both are mixed with the past tense leading to lack of formal or semantic difference between the two in the translated text. For example, the three forms of the English verb “arrive” may be given just one Arabic equivalent despite them expressing different meanings in terms of time: i. Abdul arrived in Istanbul yesterday. ii. Abdul has arrived in Istanbul recently. iii. I heard that Abdul had arrived in Istanbul. The lack of the present perfect equivalent in Arabic is due to the fact that regular verb in Arabic are modified by only two tenses. The problem is solved by using a compound structure composed of /qad/ and a verb in the perfect Arabic tense. This participle only applies to affirmative statements like - He has gone. The participle does not accommodate negative statements, relative clauses or interrogative statements like "Musa said: Here you killed an innocent person who had killed none?" (Abdul-Rahman, 2009, p. 14). Present perfect application problem Teaching present perfect is one of the most difficult of the English tenses for the Saudi students. This has been a problem to teachers as it has always been a big challenge to identify the exact rules that explain the situations where the present perfect can be used and what would be its purposes in case it is used. The main problem emanates from the fact that the English present perfect is marked to indicate present time. Thus students tend to use time adverbs which denote past since such a provision exists in the Arabic language. For example one could say in Arabic, “He has beaten him yesterday.” "لقد تعرض للضرب له أمس." How to overcome present perfect application problem In order to overcome this problem of present perfect during teaching English grammar, learners can work step by step in order to recognize and apply one usage rule at a time for the present perfect. This can be achieved through allocating different activities in the lesson and also through practice using them in real contexts Present perfect translation problem Translation is onother problematic point in the grammar of English present perfect for Saudi students. This problem is brought about by morphological differences and syntax of the languages involved. English language has more tense structures compared to Arabic. The consequence of this discrepancy is a lack of a one to one translation in the two languages. In translation of the present perfect from English to Arabic, the problem is the lack of a one to one agreement in the structure of the two languages. When this translation takes place without sufficiently corrected, the sentences will not deliver semantically. In Arabic, words like play and playing can be represented by one character. This means that aspect in Arabic language is joined with tense. In English however, aspect is demonstrated by the inflectional suffixes -ing + the right form of 'be'. Tense on the other hand relates to the event described by the verb. The inability to determine meaning after translation from English to Arabic is squarely the fault of tense discrepancies. The Arabic verb expresses either a completion of a task or an incompletion of the same. Therefore, in Arabic the verb represents only two tenses. How to overcome present perfect translation problem Those who do not use English as their native language will find the Present Perfect tense particularly difficult. The fact that a form of verb indicating the present moment marks the present perfect confuses students so much, so that they use adverbials e.g. I have slapped her yesterday. The reference part in and the speech moment in the present perfect are coincidental contrary to what is seen in the past perfect tense. The past perfect simple incorporates the adverbials of time while the present perfect does not. The students of Arabic descent will make the mistake of saying; I have played yesterday adding an adverbial. Simple ideas presented in the most basic way would yield satisfactory results for all the students. Helping students build on the basic principles such as those discussed above would proof to be a good way of teaching, since such students when faced by any text that they need translate, be it in an exam or in their areas of work, they will be able to apply the principles easily and give the correct translation Proposed teaching strategies and activities that can help to overcome problematic points in the grammar of English present perfect for Saudi students Despite the challenges, when teaching a class of English to Arabic translation, the teacher has to struggle and make sure that he is effective and the students learn something. The best way to achieve this would include the use of multimedia teaching methods but to assist students to create mental pictures of what is being taught. The use of conventional teaching methods is detrimental in the case where one is teaching translation. This is because passive learning is not applicable in this case as compared to teaching other disciplines. The teacher will find it beneficial to use illustrations that are familiar to the students. This can only be so if the teacher himself keeps abreast with the current information. Tolerance is also necessary since some students may experience difficulties grasping the principle and being gable to apply them correctly. The teacher should also encourage the students to continue to practice since once the principles are grasped it is not obvious that one will remember them if they do not utilize them frequently. Part B The First Book: “English Grammar” by Collins Cobuild The English Grammar by Collins Cobuild is a well-designed book which can be used for both quick referencing and in depth studies of the English language. To enable the user to be able to make quick references to related texts, the book has numbered paragraphs for all the chapters, therefore the first Chapter has paragraphs running from 1.1 to 1.236 while the second Chapter runs from 2.1 to 2.320 and the same system of numbering applies to all the other chapters. Cross-referencing is well used in the whole text book, either to parts or topic is dealt with in greater detail or more information and examples are given. In “English Grammar”, tenses are discussed in the fifth chapter of the book, after building on other basic grammatical aspects of the English language. The chapter begins with a description of what constitutes a ‘tense’ in the English language. It describes tenses as sets of verb forms used to indicate specific points in time or even periods of time in either past, the present or the future. The present perfect is discussed under the sub topic “The past in relation to the Present: the Present Perfect.” The book has used clear examples for the of the present perfect. Principles of how the present perfect are discussed and proper examples given in this section. The book also shows the common mistakes that are made in terms of usage of the present perfect. For example after indicating that the present perfect finds use when one wants to state that an event happened in the past without being specific in regard to occurrence time, the book goes ahead to issue a warning of how typical grammatical mistakes occur due to the misuse this principle. To illustrate the book gives the example: ”They have raised £ 180 for a swimming pool.” “ I have noticed this trait in many photographers.” Following this is a warning, which indicates that adjuncts that place an action at a given definite time in the past together with the present perfect. To illustrate, the book gives the example: “I have done it yesterday.” When giving the examples, the book uses simple language that is used every day, to ease the understanding of the present perfect. The book also avoids the use of jargon in discussing the present perfect (Collins, 1990). For each section and principle, the book gives enough examples and illustrations. However the book does not bring out the basic principle that governs the English present perfect. This makes it difficult to teach beginners of the English language using the textbook. All the information regarding the present perfect is not given in one section, making the textbook be more of a reference book rather than one that can be used in class. The to make references, is also relatively hard for beginners of the English language since no alphabetical arrangements are included in the text book. The book does not offer any activities that can be used for practice. The list of words offered at the end of the section will not be of any help to students who are beginners since they may not make much sense out of the words given and how to use them. The Second Book: “Essentials of English” by L. Sue Baughs The book gives an introductory part (Part I) which is aimed at beginners to the English language. In this part, the guidelines and rules that govern the grammar are presented in the most simplified manner, so as to enable beginners identify the key areas that they need to learn. The focus of this section, gives an emphasis to the numerous number of tenses in the English grammar (Baugh, 2005). All the parts of speech in English grammar are discussed and their different functions in sentences illustrated. This is a key feature of the book, which makes it outstanding in that even without the aid of a teacher, beginners in English grammar can be able to make sense of the overview picture of the rules a principle that are applied. To further enable students to learn the language, the books even goes ahead to give a comprehensive and practical method of how to make good use of a standard English dictionary. It helps students learn the basic parts of an entry to the dictionary. The book introduces the present perfect under the verb tenses. Here it asserts that the present perfect alongside other tenses, find use when one wants to convey a message about time. The time was either in the past, the present or the future. The presentation of the information on present perfect is simple and this will enable one to grasp easily the rules that govern the use of the present perfect. The book gives several examples to accompany the principles governing the present perfect. Due to the style of writing which is meant to simplify the information in the book, there are not enough examples to illustrate the different uses of the tenses. For example, the book asserts that present perfect is used to convey the message that an event occurs at an indefinite time in the past or when an event took place I the past and is continuing at the present time. To illustrate this use, the book only gives four examples: “I have lived here for a long time.” “I have lived here for three months.” “I have been living here for three months.” “I could have been living here instead of where I am now.” These examples are not enough in that they are only based on one verb, “live”, which might not be enough to help students learn how to formulate sentences using the present perfect. The book will also prove to be a challenge to students who intend to use it as a reference book. This is because the arrangement of the information in the text book is not put in a manner that allows one to compare the different aspects and principles of the English grammar. The book also lacks practice exercises for learners to test their ability to use the principles they learn. Additional Teaching Activities To teach English grammar is not any easy task. It becomes even more difficult when you are teaching English to students as a second language. To enable students understand the grammar and be independent, the teacher needs to incorporate activities that will enable the students to understand and be able to apply the principles of guiding the English grammar in any context. The use of simple everyday language will go a long way to enable students to get a mastery of the English language. One method that can be of help, ask student state one thing that they enjoy doing. The teacher comes up with verbs from what students say and then writes a list of the verbs on one side of the white board. The teacher then divides then illustrates how the verb would appear in the present perfect tense. Here the teacher is required to write examples. For instance an example could show an action that took place in an indefinite time in the past and the same action taking place in a time that took place in the past and continues into the present. Once the teacher explains the principles he/she has applied to come up with the sentences, the students are now asked to follow suit. This will make it easier for the students come up with similar examples and understand the principles behind their formulation. The students are bound to remember the lesson as it relates to them since examples used are from the activities they love doing. The second activity which is adapted from Renshew (2010), is by playing a game called “why can't you go out with me now?” the game it focuses on helping the students to use the present perfect to explain why ongoing activities prevents them from engaging in another activity. To play the game, one student is supposed to act like they are making telephone calls to their fellow classmates. The student says, “Let's go out for a drink”, the other students are supposed to reply in a negative way and offer an explanation why. For Example: Student 1: Let’s go out for a drink. Student 2: I can’t. I am playing football. Student 1: let’s go out for a drink. Student 3: I can’t. I am doing my homework right now. Student 1: Let’s go out for a drink. Student 4: I can't. I am washing my bike For teachers, they need to do a comparison of the different text books that are used to teach English grammar. This will help the teachers be able to identify the strengths of each book and what it lacks. The book comparison will enable the teacher to be able to identify the problems that exist in the use of present perfect and how they can help their student to overcome the challenges. This will also help teacher to increase their knowledge based on the English grammar and hence enabling them to be able to correctly identify mistakes made by their students. Teachers also need to use their creativity and stick to contextual teaching methods and explanation to enable their student be in a position to grasp the principle that guide the use of the English grammar. Conclusion Most of the books that are used to teach English grammar cover the topic of present perfect various forms. As we have discovered, to enable students to learn the English grammar well as regards the present perfect, the teacher cannot rely on a single textbook. For example the text compared in this paper has both strength and weakness when covering the topic. For this reason, as the student is going to benefit more by using the two text books during their learning. The teacher also will be of more help to the students if he/she uses a variety of teaching activities in class including even games that are based on the everyday lives of the students. The teacher should also take time to compare the text books that are used in teaching grammar so as to see the problematic point and help the students overcome them well. Contextual based examples should also provide since they will enable the learner to be better independent speakers of the English language. References Ahmed, A.-N. (2006). Tenses Difficulties that Face Students in Palestinian University while Translating From English to Arabic. Al-Quds: Open University Press. Akiko, S. (2004). Description in Classical Arabic Poetry: Wast, Ekpharasis and interacts Theory. Boston: Brill Leiden. Baugh, L(2005). Essentials of English Grammar. A Practical Guide to Mastery of English Second Edition. Passport Books. Illinois, USA. Pg.16-17 Bakshi, N (2000). A course in English Grammar. Orient Longman Limited, Hyderguda. pg 144-158 Hewings, M. (2005). Advanced Grammar in Use. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Karin, R. (A Reference Grammar of the Modern Standard Arabic). 2005. Edinburgh: Cambridge University Press. Kenna, B. (2003). English Verbs and Tenses. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Muhammad S, (2009). The meaning and explanation of the Glorious Quran Vol 6. 2nd Edition; MSA Publication Limited, London, UK. Pg. 14 Jabak, O. (2007). Analysis of the most commonly recurring difficulties facing Arab students when translating into English. Retrieved October 16, 2013 from http://kingsaud.academia.edu/OmarJabak/Books Renshew, J. (2010). Grammar Games and Activities. Retrieved on January 17, 2013 from www.englishhravn.com Renaat, Declerck (2006), The Grammar of the English Verb Phrase: Volume 1: The Grammar of English Tense System: A Comprehensive Analysis. Mouton de Gruyter: Newyork. Pg. 820 Read More