From Sound to Script: Exploring the Oral–Orthographic Gap in Arabic Language Immersion
Keywords:
Bi’ah ‘Arabiyyah; Arabic Language Immersion; Oral–Orthographic Gap; Arabic Orthography; Arabic WritingAbstract
Intensive Arabic language immersion provides learners with extensive opportunities to use Arabic in daily communication, particularly through listening and speaking activities. However, intensive oral exposure does not necessarily result in equivalent development of written Arabic competence, particularly when learners rely heavily on phonological representations when producing written forms. This study aims to explore the oral–orthographic gap emerging within the Arabic language immersion environment (bi’ah ‘arabiyyah) at Pondok Pesantren Miftahul Ulum Bringin Anom Pamekasan. Employing a qualitative case study design, data were collected through classroom and daily-language observations, semi-structured interviews with Arabic language teachers, language supervisors, and students, and document analysis of students’ Arabic writing and relevant institutional documents. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify recurring patterns in students’ oral language practices and written Arabic production. The findings reveal that the intensive bi’ah ‘arabiyyah provides strong auditory and communicative exposure that supports students’ oral Arabic use, but this exposure is not always accompanied by equally intensive visual and orthographic input. As a result, students tend to rely on phonological representations when transferring familiar or newly acquired spoken Arabic into written forms, resulting in recurring difficulties in sound-to-script mapping and orthographic accuracy. The findings indicate that the oral–orthographic gap emerges as a modality imbalance rather than simply as a learner deficit. The study concludes that Arabic immersion should not be oriented exclusively toward oral communication but should integrate listening, speaking, reading, and writing to strengthen the connection between phonological and orthographic representations. The study contributes to Arabic language education by extending the concept of bi’ah ‘arabiyyah from an oral proficiency-oriented environment toward an integrated oral–orthographic language ecology
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