Avoidance of Phrasal Verbs: A Study Based on Kurdish EFL learners

چکیده

This study aims at examining the avoidance behavior in using English phrasal verbs (P.V.) by Kurdish EFL learners. The study also examines the role of Kurdish learners' proficiency in English, the types of P.V., and measurement types in any possible P.V.s avoidance. Two different groups of Kurdish learners, from both the Faculty of Arts and the College of Education, at Soran University in (intermediate and advanced level, overall 120), participated in this study; 60 fourth-year students in English Department were selected as the advanced group, and 60 second-year students from the same Department were selected as the intermediate group. The participants were given a questionnaire consisting of two tests, namely the multiple-choice test (MCT) and the translation test (T.T.). The tests included 15 items with 15 P.V.s in two types (11 figurative and 4 literal). The findings revealed that Kurdish EFL learners avoided using P.V.s in their production. Moreover, the test type and the P.V. type had effects on the frequency of learners' P.V. avoidance. On the other hand, the English proficiency level of Kurdish learners had no significant impact on the frequency of P.V. avoidance. Therefore, it was concluded that the difference between the structure of the learners' first language (L1) and second language (L2), and semantic complexity of P.V.s might cause the learners' avoidance.