Abstract
In this experimental study, the researcher examined the accessibility of Universal Grammar to adult Persian learners of English with respect to the Empty Category Principle and the Subjacency. These principles are not operative in Persian as it is a Wh-in situ language. A 5-point Likert scale acceptability judgment task, which included both grammatical and ungrammatical extractions, was given to a group of 35 advanced Iranian EFL learners. The control group consisted of 30 adult native speakers of English. Their responses provided the baseline against which we measured the performance of non-native speakers. The categorical performance of natives and non-natives on both types of grammatical and ungrammatical extractions was revealed through within-group comparisons. Similarly, between-group comparisons displayed that the performance of Iranian EFL learners did not differ significantly from that of the natives in the ungrammatical constructions. In general, the findings of this study led the researcher to conclude that Universal Grammar constrains adult EFL learners’ competence.
Highlights
In first language acquisition (FLA), it is widely believed that the primary linguistic data (PLD) underdetermines the final state grammar the child acquires
Children’s mental representation goes beyond the input they receive. This is known as the ‘poverty of the stimulus’ (POS) or the logical problem of language acquisition. Assuming this logical problem for FLA, motivating Universal Grammar (UG), some scholars have wondered whether the same proposal can be held for second language acquisition (SLA) (Bley-Vroman, 1989; Schwartz & Sprouse, 2000; White, 2003)
They were selected on the basis of their performance on a general proficiency test: the Oxford Placement Test. 30 adult native speakers of English served as subjects for the control group
Summary
In first language acquisition (FLA), it is widely believed that the primary linguistic data (PLD) (i.e., the input to which a child is exposed) underdetermines the final state grammar the child acquires. Children’s mental representation goes beyond the input they receive. This is known as the ‘poverty of the stimulus’ (POS) or the logical problem of language acquisition. Assuming this logical problem for FLA, motivating UG, some scholars have wondered whether the same proposal can be held for second language acquisition (SLA) (Bley-Vroman, 1989; Schwartz & Sprouse, 2000; White, 2003). Assuming this logical problem for FLA, motivating UG, some scholars have wondered whether the same proposal can be held for second language acquisition (SLA) (Bley-Vroman, 1989; Schwartz & Sprouse, 2000; White, 2003). Felix (1988) briefly formulated the argument as follows:
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