Investigating the Impact of American and British English Lexical Variations on the Writing Skill of EFL Students at El Oued University.
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Date
2025-07-10
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Abstract
Abstract
This research looks into the impacts of American English and British English lexical differences on the academic writing of second-year EFL students at El Oued University, Algeria. As for the difference between American and British English, both sociolinguistic descriptivist research has lexis, morphology, and usage differences variation done about it. However, not so much attention has been provided to how these differences affect the academic writing of non-native learners. In places with accompanying languages or post-colonial contexts like Algeria, students typically encounter both varieties because of teaching aids, the speech of teachers, and the internet which mostly leads to inconsistency in lexical choice in writing. This study aims to address the gaps by analyzing the impact of such discrepancy on coherence, consistency, and overall evaluation in English as foreign language contexts. The study employed a descriptive design that included two structured questionnaires; one directed towards students and aimed to capture their experiences of the American English and British English challenges as well as their preferences, and the other for teachers focused on their beliefs and observations about the bounds of lexical standards and error and correction. Other aspects of this study explore institutional factors such as curriculum design and educational materials which are likely to unknowingly endorse non-standard forms or provide a lack of clear guidelines. These findings are anticipated to add criticisms and offer implications on the teaching practices of lexical inconsistency, contribute to the existing debate regarding World Englishes, and influence language policy and examination frameworks in the context of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teaching. The study is designed to facilitate more nuanced awareness of different English dialects through instruction by understanding learner experience and teacher perception.
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Key words: lexical variation, EFL, American English, British English