Impact of First Language Transfer on the Use of English Prepositions by Arab English Learners

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the overuse of English prepositions by Arabs caused by first language transfer among high school, university, and graduate-level students who study English as a foreign language in Saudi Arabia. The researcher developed the research tool of multiple-choice questions to be responded to by the study participants, including five hundred thirty-one persons of the mentioned research community. It has been found after the analysis of responses of the study participants that the greater the students' competence level, the less impact the first language transfer has on second language acquisition. In this study, the researcher recommends that the student should be taught more about the different meanings and usage of prepositions in English and Arabic. In addition, more comparative linguistic research between English and other languages, such as Arabic, should be encouraged to help students understand how prepositions are used in each language.