The L2 exposure effect on avoidance of phrasal verbs by Arab ESL learners

Abstract

There is little doubt that the phrasal verb structure is problematic and can be very challenging to many English language learners. Research has demonstrated that English learners tend to misunderstand or avoid English phrasal verbs. It has been claimed that the long exposure to the English-speaking environment might be an important factor in the nonavoidance of phrasal verbs. This study investigates the avoidance of phrasal verbs by Arab ESL learners in relation to phrasal verb types (literal, semi-transparent, and idiomatic) and their length of exposure to the English-speaking environment (long exposure, short exposure). To empirically investigate this working hypothesis, data were collected from 81 graduate and undergraduate Arab ESL learners who took a multiple-choice test comprising 45 questions. The results revealed that the phrasal verb type significantly affected Arab ESL learners' preferences for phrasal verbs. Also, the results revealed that Arab ESL learners with long exposure did not avoid any type of phrasal verbs. Moreover, they used the phrasal verbs as a whole significantly more than the one-word verbs. Their preferences for literal and semi-transparent phrasal verbs were significantly higher than those for their one-word counterparts. Regarding the idiomatic phrasal verbs, their preference for them was significantly not higher, but also their preference for their one-word counterparts was significantly not higher either. On the other hand, the results revealed that Arab ESL learners with short exposure avoided the idiomatic phrasal verbs. Moreover, they used the one-word verbs as a whole significantly more than the phrasal verbs. Their preferences for literal and semi-transparent phrasal verbs were significantly not higher than that for their one-word counterparts. In sum, these findings do not support previous studies that show that L1-L2 differences, or the semantic complexity of phrasal verbs by other studies, might motivate Arab ESL learners to develop a genuine avoidance; Arab ESL learners with long exposure in this study did not avoid any of the three types of phrasal verbs. The major outcome of this study is that Arabic-speaking learners' avoidance of English phrasal verbs is due to their relatively short exposure to the English-speaking environment.