Avoiding Ambiguity in Arabic User Requirements

The features of the software should be clear and should not be interpreted differently. If the explanation is interpreted in more than one way, the software programmer may recognize an unclear phrase in such a way that the client did not imply. This can result in a software that does not fulfill the customer's specifications. Dissimilar interpretations often stay unidentified till subsequent software life cycle stages, when particular understandings are shaped by design and execution choices. It is definitely more expensive to correct an error in later stage of software lifecycle than it was when the error was presented [4]. Most research on ambiguity in requirement engineering is focused on Ambiguity in English Software Requirement Specifications (SRS), although the ambiguity of Arabic SRS is a severe issue delaying quality software development in the Middle East. Arabic is the formal mother tongues of millions from the Arab Gulf in the east to the Atlantic Ocean in the west of the Middle East and North Africa. Thus, methods should be developed to avoid ambiguities in Arabic-written user requirements for the sake of such a big population. Another motive behind this research is that practical experience has proven that ambiguous Arabic user requirements is a major issue which prevents the development of high quality software in the Middle East. Moreover, Arabic is a difficult language because of its complex language structure. This thesis discusses the issue of ambiguity while writing Arabic software specifications due to Arabic complicated structure. Most prior research on requirement engineering ambiguity has attempted to deal with the issue by supplying users with a limited natural language, instrument or manual, which helps to write English SRS documents less ambiguously. However, there is no further work for the Arabic user requirements. Therefore, it is essential to adopt a strategy that can detect and fix the ambiguity of the Arabic SRS document. It can assist the system analyst to identify and remove the ...