Arabic-L:LING:Short Vowel query

[Dilworth B. Parkinson]

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Arabic-L: Mon 14 Aug 2000
Moderator: Dilworth Parkinson <dilworth_parkinson at byu.edu>
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1) Subject: Short Vowel query

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1)
Date: 14 Aug 2000
From: Kirk Belnap <rkb at email.byu.edu>
Subject: Short Vowel query

I am chairing the M.A. thesis of a student looking at the effect of an MSA
preschool immersion program in Damascus.  We've got a few questions:

Is anyone aware of any solid research that substantiates the claim that the
lack of short vowels in Arabic is a serious impediment to learning to read?
I personally have a hard time imagining that this is any more demanding
than English spelling.  Likewise, is there any real evidence that reading
Arabic requires more of a "decoding" approach than, for example, English,
given Arabic's lack of short vowels and multiple shapes for letters?

Could anyone suggest studies or works that discuss the tendency of students
to enjoy memorizing poetry, or that speak positively of other aspects of
learning Arabic?

Thanks,

Kirk
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End of Arabic-L: 14 Aug 2000