The Performance of Iraqi EFL University Learners in Using English Compound Adjectives

Hamza Dehham, Sabeeha

	The Performance of Iraqi EFL University Learners in Using English Compound Adjectives
Journal of University of Babylon
Article 1, Volume 22, Issue 2, 2014, Pages 349-372
Author
Sabeeha Hamza Dehham
Abstract
This study is mainly concerned with English compound adjectives as one of the common and essential processes in the English grammar on the one hand , and as a problematic area for English foreign language learners on the other hand . This study aims at (1) Presenting a material about compound adjectives which can be of help to distinguish those types of words. (2) Investigating the ability of Iraqi EFL Learners to use compound adjectives at the recognition and the production levels.(3) Discovering the types and causes of errors which Iraqi EFL university learners commit in the use of compound adjectives. To achieve the two goals mentioned above the study hypothesizes that:(1) Iraqi EFL learners encounter difficulties in using compound adjectives due to various factors .The first factor includes the difficulties which are inherent in the nature of the English system which is different from the Arabic system. The second factor relates to the processes of interference (or transfer) and overgeneralization. (2) Such learners are unable to produce compound adjectives properly and use them effectively in communication.(3) Interlingual transfer is one of the communication strategies that has greater influence on recognizing and producing compound adjectives than other strategies such as intralingual transfer context of learning... etc. These hypotheses have been verified through adopting a diagnostic test of three questions. The test has been applied to a sample of 100 Iraqi EFL university learners at their fourth year from Departments of English, Colleges of Education for Human Sciences , Universities of Babylon, during the academic year 2013 – 2014. Then the subjects’ responses have been collected and analyzed to draw the findings of this study. The analysis gives the following results: 1- Iraqi EFL university learners face difficulties in recognizing and producing compound adjectives as the highest rate of their responses is incorrect (1475,59%); but they face more difficulties at the production level as the rate of their correct responses (39.35%) is lower than that of their correct responses (42.64%) at the recognition level. 2- The subjects’ errors are attributed to the following factors: a. Intralingual transfer accounts for (565,78.30%)) of all the subjects' errors. b. The second – highest rate of error cause is communication strategy which is (432,29.29% )of all the subjects' errors. c. The rate of errors pertaining to context of learning is (17.97 %) of all the subjects' errors. d. Interlingual transfer has been found to be responsible for only (14.44%) of all the subjects' errors. 3- Some of errors are due to the student's lack knowledge of the English compound adjectives since they are not aware of their different types.

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