Arab EFL learners’ stress performance on suffixed words: enhancing their lexical stress proficiency

This study examines EFL learners’ perception and production of stress in suffixed English words. The objective is to investigate Arab EFL learners’ specific stress-related challenges when confronted with suffixed English words and to propose pedagogical strategies aimed at enhancing their proficiency in stress placement. The study involved a set of eighty base words, comprising forty disyllabic and forty trisyllabic words, each combined with twenty derivational suffixes categorised into four groups, with five suffixes in each. Subjects (n = 210) were initially administered a production test in which they generated the stimuli, followed by a perception test. In the perception test, subjects listened to native speaker pronunciations of the stimuli and were tasked with identifying the stressed syllable. Data analysis revealed that Arab learners encountered significant difficulties in producing suffixed words, while stress identification posed fewer challenges. Notably, subjects performed well in the perception test. However, after completing a training course focused on English stress placement, the subjects’ performance improved significantly. In light of these findings, it is recommended that academic institutions in the Arab world prioritise word stress activities within their classrooms. Additionally, leveraging available computer software and mobile applications can be a valuable resource to aid learners in mastering English word stress.