awej 5 no.4 full issue 2014

AWEJ Volume.5 Number.3, 2014Problems with Speaking Activities in the Saudi EFL ClassroomAbu-ghararahe) Place of ArabicOccasional use of the native tongue in the EFL classroom is inevitable. Some would even argue"there is very seldom any harm in giving a meaning by translation” (Abbott, 1981:229).However, it does appear that in the Saudi EFL classroom Arabic has become the medium ofinstruction. In their responses to Statement 9, a total number of 32 respondents (80% of thesample) noted that they and their teachers use Arabic most of the time. This practice has farreachingconsequences. First, it means that learners are not given enough time to practice thetarget language. Second, it does not encourage learners to develop the skill of guessing orinferring the real meaning as they listen or read. On the contrary, it may only encourage them tobecome over- dependent on Arabic. On the question of translation and meaning in particular, it isworth making an important point.In English, certain groups of words--synonyms--may share a general sense and can be usedinterchangeably in a limited number of contexts. However, linguists agree that the conceptualdifferences between those words make it more realistic to talk about “partial” and not “completesynonymy, e.g. the words „begin,‟ „start,‟ and „commence‟ are not entirely the same (Garins andRedman, 1986). However, the Arabic language poses a completely different situation: completesynonymy exists and synonymous words are abundant (Kharma, 1978). Furthermore, Arabic ismarked by globality. For example, the synonyms „hithaa‟ and ‘niaal’ may be used to refer to alltypes of footwear. In English, this is not the case. In other words, many English words do nothave an equivalent in Arabic and when translated, they do not convey the real meaning at all.The point here is that with straight translation from English into Arabic, teachers are not doingtheir learners a favor.Table 1. Speaking materials and activities. F = Frequency, P = Percentage.Statement Always Often Sometimes Rarely Never Total1. English speakingactivities in theclassroom areFP615%717.5%922.5%1025%820%40100%interesting.2. In the classroom,we practice speakingin pairs.FP25%922.5%2050%615%37.5%40100%3. In the classroom,we practice speakingin groups.FP00.0 %12.5%25%410%3382.5%40100%4. In the classroom, Ipractice speakingwith my teacher.FP2050%1435%615%00.0 %00.0 %40100%5. In the classroom,speaking activitiesmust conform to thecontent of the writtentext.FP2972.5%820%37.5%00.0 %00.0 %40100%Arab World English JournalISSN: 2229-9327www.awej.org283