Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Associate Professor, Yazd University, Iran

2 M.A. in TEFL, Yazd University, Iran

Abstract

English main-clause wh-questions form complementiser phrases with wh-words preposed to spec-C position. This is because English wh-words, as verb-complements originally, are strong enough to trigger wh-movement and auxiliary inversion. Persian EFL learners encounter an over-differentiation problem regarding the acquisition of auxiliary inversion rule in English standard questions. Once they have acquired the rule, the learners are very likely to overgeneralize it to English indirect or embedded questions. The present study aimed to discover Persian EFL learners' knowledge of wh-embedded clauses, specifically, when producing them orally. To this end, 48 Persian EFL learners at tertiary level took part as participants. An oral reproduction test of English wh-embedded clauses, a translation task, and a grammaticality judgment test containing wh-embedded clauses were used as instruments to collect data. The results revealed that the lower intermediate learners had problems in producing and reproducing correct wh-embedded clauses. Similarly, some problems were detected in the grammaticality judgment test. Difficulties were also observed with the intermediate and upper-intermediate learners. The major finding was obtained in the oral reproduction test where there was no significant difference among three proficiency groups of learners regarding the correct use of English wh-embedded clauses. The recent finding confirms the need for more work on Persian EFL learners' oral language production with an emphasis on wh-embedded clauses. 

Keywords

Ambridge, B., Roland, C., Theakston, A., & Tomasello, M. (2006). Comparing different accounts of inversion errors in children's non-subject wh questions: 'What experimental data can tell us?'. Journal of Child Language 33(3), 519-557.
Cheng, L. (1997). On the typology of wh-questions. Garland, New York: Garland Publishing.  
Chomsky, N. (1995). The minimalist program. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.
Chomsky, N. (2000). Minimalist inquiries: The framework. In R. Martin, D. Michaels, & J. Uriagereka (Eds.), Step by step: Essays in minimalist syntax in Honour of Howard Lasnik. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.
Chomsky, N. (2005). Three factors in language Design. Linguistic Inquiry, 36(1), 1-22.
Ellis, R. (2008). The study of second language acquisition. New York: Oxford University Press.
Farshidvard, Kh. (2003). Dastur-e Mofassal-e Emruz (Comprehensive Grammar of Today). Iran, Tehran: Sokhan Publishers. 
Haddican, W., Holmberg, A., Tanaka, H., & Tsoulas, G. (2011). English wh-slifting as an embedded root phenomenon. Submitted. research. ncl. ac. uk.
Kaplan, R. B. (2010). The Oxford handbook of applied linguistics. New York: Oxford University Press.
Kumagami, M. (2006). Two types of strategies: The acquisition of English wh-questions by Japanese learners. The Kyushu University Papers in Linguistics, 27, 37-60.
Lazard, G. (1992). A grammar of contemporary Persian. California: Mazda Publishers.
Levelt, W. J. M. (1989). Speaking. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Montague, R. (1974). Syntax and semantics of questions. Yale university press.age learners regarding production and interpretation of wh-questions. etters.  
Pozzan, L. and Quirk, E. (2011). Asking questions in L2 English: An elicited production study. Applied Psycholinguistics, 1-51.
Radford, A. (2004). Minimalist syntax: Exploring the structure of English. London: Cambridge University Press.
Radford, A. (2006). Minimalist Syntax Revisited. London: Cambridge University Press.
Radford, A., Atkinson, M., Britain, D., Clahsen, H., & Spencer, A. (1999). Linguistics: An introduction.  Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Rizzi, L. (1997). The fine structure of the left periphery. In L Haegeman (Ed.), Elements of grammar (pp.281-337). Dordrecht: Kluwer.
Schulz, B. (2006). Wh-scope marking in English interlanguage grammars: Transfer and processing effects on the second language acquisition of complex wh-questions. Published Ph.D. dissertation. Hawaii University.
Westergaard, M. (2003). Item-based vs. rule-based learning: The acquisition of word order in wh questions in English and Norwegian. University of Troms Press.