The Acquisition of Arabic Syllabic Structure in the Language of Kindergarten Children

Abstract

This study aims to explore the peculiarity of children’s acquisition of Arabic syllabic structure in the late linguistic imitation stage. The study does this through extracting the syllabic structures, identifying their distribution and formation, clarifying the phonological processes that are utilized in their production, and examining three particular variables that may influence these processes in their formation. These are diglossia, age, and gender. The study used the descriptive experimental approach in analyzing the apraxia of speech, as well as the data on syllable theory in the phonological level. In collecting its data, the study used the qulatative purposeful approach by selecting a sample of kindergarten children that included 21 children of regular learning capabilities. Of the sample, 8 were male and 13 were female. Their ages ranged from (4) to (5) years, enrolled in Kg1 and Kg2 at Azad Model Kindergarten in Irbid. A phonological tool was deliberately designed to motivate the children by imitating, having dialogues, recording and analyzing every child's vocal performance, considering the standardized adult’s Arabic speech as the criteria. The novelty of this study lies in its contributions to acknowledge the syllabic structure of children and its formation for scientific theoretical, and functional purposes.

      The study concluded that the participant’s productions reveal a completion of syllable forms, a tendency to reduce the number of syllables in words, difference of the transposition and the distribution of syllables from standard Arabic, relying on deletion as a substantial phonological process in formation of syllabic structure. The study also revealed that of three causal variables, the impact of diglossia and age stage on the syllabic structure had the most effect. Gender proved to be the weakest casual factor of the three. The study concludes with a set of recommendations for future research on syllable structure, and to the field of its acquisition and teaching.