ELT Voices- International Journal for Teachers of English Volume (6), Issue (4), 52-63 (2016) ISSN Number: 2230-9136 (http://www.eltvoices.in) The Effect of the Bidialectism of Gilaki Intermediate Learners in Contrast to Monolinguals of Farsi Speakers in Learning Speaking Skill of English as a Foreign Language 1 Faridodin Rostami Shirkoohi, 2 Behnam Behforouz 1Department of English Language, South Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran 2 Department of English Language, University of Buraimi, Al Buraimi, Oman Corresponding email address [email protected] Abstract: Bilingualism and bi-dialectism are two near technical terms which may be used incorrectly. Bilingual is defined as having or using two languages especially as spoken with the fluency characteristic of a native speaker. The present re- search will attempt to examine the relation between knowing two languages and learning a third one. It will be found if those who use two languages, dialects or accents are much more successful during the process of learning a third language or not? 40 Iranian intermediate English as a Foreign Language Learners were selected to participate in this study. A stand- ardized test, PET was conducted in order to ensure that the participants were homogeneous regarding their EFL proficiency. A pre-test was also administered on the writing ability of participants prior to the treatment. The text book which was cov- ered in these classes was Interchange Intro, Third Edition by Cambridge University Press 2005. Classes held in 45 days and 17 sessions. Each session lasted for 1.5 hours. At the end of the course the speaking ability of the learners were tested. The finding of the study revealed that there is a significant difference between learners which speak Gilaki in addition to Farsi language (Group 1) with those of Group 2. Index Terms: Bidialectism, Gilaki, EFL, Monolingual, Farsi Speaker. 1. INTRODUCTION Iran, as a wide country contains a lot of languages, dialects, and accents. Among them Gilaki dialect has a lot of speakers. This area has a variety of languages and dialects as well as accents (Kalbasi, 1389). Gilaki dialect is also divided into different accents or sub-dialects. But in this study Gilaki dialect, totally, is the main concern. Gilaki dialect is a mem- ber of north-west languages group which, has a lot of common features with Taleshi,Tabari ,Tati ,Kordi, Gomsi and Ghasrani dialects Pourhadi, 2008) This dialect has five main varieties that are different on the basis of phonology, vocabulary and also grammar. These variations are as follows: a. Gilaki which is spoken in Rasht; b. Gilaki which is spoken in the center and west of Gilan (Biepas): The territory of this dialect continued from north to Khomam and Anzali port to some part of Rezvanshahr; from east, Kochesfahan; from west to parts of Shaft and Somesara and Foman from south to Sangar the Rostamabad.. ELT Voices-Volume (6), Issue (4), (2016) 53 c. Gilaki which is spoken in the East of Gilan (Biepish): Extending from South to Siahkal, from West to the Astane Ashrafie, Lashtenesha and Hasan Kiadeh to Kochesfahan and from East is widespread in Langerrood, Rodsar and Kalachay and gradually in the Mazandaran is mixed with the Tabari language. d. Galeshi: Which is spoken in the East Mountains of Rodbar, all parts of Dilaman, Eshkevarat and Amelash near Ton- ekabon? e. Rodbarian Gilaki: which is widespread from south of Gilan to Rostam Abad area, Rodbar, Manjil and Loshan which has some similarities with Tati language (Pour Hadi, 2008). The present research was an attempt to examine the relationship between knowing two languages and learning a third one. It tried to find if those who used two languages, dialects or accents were much more successful during the process of learning a third language or not. The questions addressed in this study were: 1. Does the bidialectism of the Gilaki EFL learners help them to master speaking of EFL? 2. Which group of the learners (Gilaki bidialects in contrast with monolingual Farsi speakers) is more successful in master- ing speaking English as a foreign language? On the basis of above questions the following hypotheses were formulated: H01: The bidialectism of Gilaki EFL learners does not help them master speaking English as a foreign language. H02: The bidialect speakers of Gilaki in contrast with monolingual Farsi speakers are not more successful in mastering speaking of English as a foreign language. 2. REVIEW OF THE RELATED LITERATURE 2.1 Bilinguals: Description and Types A bilingual (or multilingual) person is one whose linguistic ability in two (or more) languages is similar to that of a native speaker. It is estimated that half the population of the world are bilinguals (Grosjean, 1982). If a bilingual’s ability in both languages is roughly equal, s/he is known as a balanced bilingual or equilingual; but such individuals are very rare. Often in situations of stress, pronunciation and inaccuracies in usage will show that an apparent equilingual is, in fact, less proficient in one language than another (Baetens, 1986). Still, a person who can pass as native in more than one language except in situations of stress might be said to be ‘more’ bilingual than a so-called receptive (as opposed to productive) bi- lingual, a person who can understand one of her or his languages without being able to speak or write it well. People who have not used their native language for a long time often find their ability in it reduced to this type, although they will typi- cally regain fluency after a period of exposure to the native language. Such persons are known as dormant bilinguals (Hou- ston, 1972). It is also possible to make distinctions between types of bilingual in terms of the process by which they have reached this status. A natural or primary bilingual is a person whose ability in the languages is the result of a natural process of ac- quisition, such as upbringing in a bilingual home, or of finding herself or himself in a situation in which more than one language needs to be used, but who has not learnt either language formally as a foreign language (Lamber, 1974). If formal instruction in a foreign language has been received, the bilingual is known as a secondary bilingual. Finally, what one might refer to as a socio-psychological distinction may be drawn between additive bilingualism, in the case of which the bilingual feels enriched socially and cognitively by an additional language, and subtractive bilingualism, in the case of which the bilingual feels that the second language is a cause of some loss with respect to the first. The latter tends to be the case when there is tension between the cultures to which the two languages belong (Condon, 1974; Houston, 1972). 2.2 Bilingual Education 2.2.1. A Definition of Bilingual Education Basically, bilingual education consists of instruction in two languages, one of which is English as a Second Language, 54 Rostami Shirkoohi and Behforouz (2016) and the other is the native language of the pupils. It also includes a cultural component, whereby students are taught about the history and culture of their own civilization, as well as those of their adopted country. (De Bot & Schreuder, 1993) 2.2.2. The Aims of Bilingual Education “Bilingual education has been in existence for many decades in various parts of the world, where two official lan- guages are recognized within a country (such as Belgium, or Canada), where two or more idioms are used by different groups within a single geographical entity (such as India, or China), or where English has become a lingua franca for de- veloping nations in their struggle for technological). In its ideal form, the purpose of bilingual education is to produce balanced bilingualism biculturalism within the learners, that is to say, the ability to function equally well in two linguistic and cultural contexts (American and native). However, within the United States today, the practical overall aim of this educational innovation is to equalize learning op- portunities for non-English and partial bilingual speakers. On a more specific basis, major objectives may be stated as fol- lows: 1. To enable children to achieve fluency and literacy in both languages. 2. To enable children to function in both cultures. 3. To enable children to progress in academic subjects at the same rate of other children. 4. To enable children to develop a positive self-concept and pride in their dual linguistic and culture1 heritages. (De Bot & Schreuder, 1993) An extension of bilingual education concerns for children of different linguistic and cultural backgrounds reaches their parents as well, for most existing programs emphasize strongly community participation in the planning, development, and evaluation of instructional activities. This particular component in bilingual education serves the practical purpose of providing common grounds of understanding between native and non-native members of the community, by enabling them to exchange views on the general, as well as specialized, needs of all children within the school system. From the stand- point of public school interests and responsibilities, bilingual education includes basically the same goals as those stated for a regular educational sequence; the only variation from the common program is that it seeks to achieve similar aims through different ways. At the same time, a significant implication of bilingual education, on a national basis, is that it fos- ters cultural pluralism in a multi-ethnic society, through maintenance of the language-culture heritages of various groups. (De Bot & Schreuder, 1993) 2.2.3. Approached to Bilingual Education There are two ways of interpreting bilingual Instruction in the context of public school education: as a self-sustained, continuous program (true bilingual education), or as a temporary measure to ease the transfer of non-English or bilingual speakers into the regular school curriculum (transitional bilingual education).