المستخلص: |
This paper investigates the relationship between the morpho-¬phonemics of selected Class I and Class II suffixes and the stem environments in which they are used. Four main areas are put under scrutiny: (i) primary and secondary stress placement, and (ii) the co- occurrent stem vowel alternation, (iii) the morphophonemic structure of the suffixes themselves and (iv) the mutual cause/effect relationship they may have with the stems they are attached to and with the movement of the stress. This is achieved through investigating the main constraints that govern secondary stress: stress left-alignment, and stress preservation in accordance with the stem's morphological structure. The discussion incorporates the various phenomena governing the morphophonemic processes: tense and lax, short and long vowels, vowel reduction, pre-tonic stress, stress preservation as well as the effect of codas' phonological quality. The causes of difficulty have been shown to pertain either to the L1/L2 interface or to L2 idiosyncratic (morphological, prosodic, etymological or phonological) features.. The performance of the sample students is measured through a two-test investigation. In the hope of finding more successful ways of teaching English as a foreign language, the paper puts forward a number of precautions that should be taken into account when introducing the various classes of suffixes to foreign (in this case, Arab) learners.
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