Native Speakers Model Or English As Lingua Franca Core? An Exploratory Study Investigating Both Issues in Arabic-Speaking Classrooms of English

Abstract:

This paper is a part of a larger study that was submitted as a Masters dissertation in TESOL. It starts off by giving an overview of the concept and the ongoing debate between supporters of the ‘native speakers model’ as the model of pronunciation that should be taught to English learners on one side, and those who are against this concept on the other side. Then, it focuses on the phonological proposal by Jenkins as an alternative phonological model which English learners should aim to acquire rather than the traditional native speakers model. Having described this phonological proposal, the paper goes on to highlight a number of issues that may arise when it is applied to Arab learners of English. These issues are mainly a result of the Arabic phonology that may clash with the proposed model, resulting in a lack of intelligibility and less appropriateness as well as collision with learners’ needs.