Abstract

This study investigates the influence of the age of acquisition (AoA) on the development of lexical attainment and oral proficiency in English as a second language (L2) among adult native Arabic speakers, focusing on classroom foreign language learners within the Egyptian context. AoA, a critical variable in second language acquisition (SLA) research, is explored in relation to two key domains: lexical knowledge and oral proficiency. The study examines the role of AoA and AoA related effects, such as the order of bilingualism and the length of exposure to rich language input (LoE) as a confounding factor. Through a mixed-methods approach, the research quantitatively assesses vocabulary size using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT-5) and qualitatively analyzes oral speech production based on spontaneous speech samples. The participants, 42 native Arabic speakers aged 23-28, were categorized based on their age of English L2 acquisition onset, representing early childhood and late childhood sequential bilinguals. The findings reveal significant correlations between AoA and L2 proficiency, with early bilinguals generally outperforming late bilinguals in both lexical knowledge and oral proficiency. However, the study also attempts to investigate the impact of LoE on L2 development, suggesting that extended exposure to rich language input might compensate for the disadvantages associated with late acquisition. The findings could contribute to the ongoing debate on AoA effects in SLA and offer implications for language education policies and practices, particularly in contexts involving the Arabic-English language pair.

School

School of Humanities and Social Sciences

Department

Applied Linguistics Department

Degree Name

MA in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

Graduation Date

Spring 2-15-2025

Submission Date

9-11-2024

First Advisor

Dr. Nihal Nagi

Committee Member 1

Dr. Raghda Elessawi

Committee Member 2

Dr. Nadia Shalaby

Extent

109 p.

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Institutional Review Board (IRB) Approval

Approval has been obtained for this item

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