Arabic Second Language Learning and Effects of Input, Transfer, and Typology

242 Pages·2019·3.51 MB·English

by  Mohammad T. Alhawary

Arabic Second Language Learning
and Effects of Input, Transfer,
and Typology
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Arabic Second Language Learning
and Effects of Input, Transfer,
and Typology
MohaMMad T. alhawary
Georgetown University Press / Washington, DC
© 2019 Georgetown University Press. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be
reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without
permission in writing from the publisher.
The publisher is not responsible for third-party websites or their content. URL links were
active at time of publication.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Alhawary, Mohammad T., author.
Title: Arabic second language learning and effects of input, transfer, and 
typology / Mohammad T. Alhawary.
Description: Washington, DC : Georgetown University Press, 2019. | Includes 
bibliographical references and index. 
Identifiers: LCCN 2018018065 (print) | LCCN 2018029494 (ebook) | ISBN 
9781626166486 (ebook) | ISBN 9781626166479 (pbk. 
: alk. paper) | ISBN 9781626166462 (hardcover : alk. paper)
Subjects: LCSH: Arabic language—Morphosyntax. | Second language acquisition.
Classification: LCC PJ6331 (ebook) | LCC PJ6331 .A445 2019 (print) | DDC 
492.7/5—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018018065
This book is printed on acid-free paper meeting the requirements of the American
National Standard for Permanence in Paper for Printed Library Materials.
20 19 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 First printing
Printed in the United States of America
Cover design by Debra Naylor.
Cover image by Shutterstock.com.
In Memory of My Parents
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Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction xi
Abbreviations xv
Transliteration Symbols xvii
1 Description of the Target Structures 1
2 Methods 17
3 The Acquisition of Nominal Gender Agreement 30
4 The Acquisition of Verbal Gender Agreement 69
5 The Acquisition of Tense/Aspect 89
6 The Acquisition of Null Subjects 111
7 Theoretical Implications 137
8 Pedagogical and Applied Implications 181
Appendixes
A. Language Background Biographical Data 193
B. Tables 1–4 194
References 203
Index 217
About the Author 223
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Acknowledgments
I owe a debt of gratitude to numerous individuals, too many to count or
list here, who helped in various ways with this book and the research on
which it is based. My utmost gratitude goes to all the students who partici-
pated in this research on different campuses in China, Russia, and Taiwan.
Without their gracious volunteering and participation, this book would not
have been possible. I would also like to express my gratitude to all faculty
and students who helped with recruiting the participants, including Profes-
sor Yafia Yusif Jamil, Professor Ramazan Mamedshahov, Professor Valentina
Semyonova, Professor Ruzana Pskhu, Professor Huey-Tsyr Jeng, Kai Hu,
Levi Chen, Professor Suleiman Zhou, Professor Zhang Hong, Professor Jiang
Chuan Ying, and Professor Zhang Chongzhi. I am extremely grateful to
Hope LeGro at Georgetown University Press for believing in this project
and for her personal care and generous attention from the anonymous re-
view stage to the very last stage of printing. My thanks are extended to Patti
Bower for her excellent editorial work in copyediting the book manuscript
as well as her numerous excellent suggestions. My thanks also go to the edi-
torial and production coordinator at Georgetown University Press, Kathryn
Owens, for her attention to details and for pushing the book through produc-
tion without any delays. Last but not least, I am forever grateful to my wife
and children for putting up with the countless hours taken away from them
while conducting this research and completing the writing of the book. Their
tremendous support and enthusiasm kept me going, especially during the time
when I experienced the greatest personal loss, the passing away of both my
parents. The final time I saw my parents, when I was last in Damascus, coin-
cided with the time I began working on this project. This book is dedicated to
their memory.
ix