Orthographic Inconsistencies and Their Effect on the Written Text Clarity

Abstract

This study investigated the orthographic inconsistencies face Sudanese EFL learners and their effect on the written text clarity. Since the two spelling systems of both English and Arabic are quite different, it is expected that these learners will face this problem. The descriptive analytical method was adopted to carry out this study. A questionnaire was designed to include twenty five items administered to ((17 teachers, besides a writing task distributed to (75) secondary schools  students. The collected data was analyzed and interpreted statistically. The result of the analysis indicated that  Sudanese learners made  various spelling errors. This because there was no sufficient exposure to English language spelling. Another important point is that most teachers did not provide their students with the strategies of how to improve their spelling. Based on these results, the study recommends that the teachers should consider the correction of spelling errors as something decisive and should vary their teaching methods and techniques towards effective spelling strategies in use.

Keywords: Orthography, Inconsistency, Text clarity, EFL learners