Exploring the Relationship between Psychotypology and the Acquisition of English Adjective Properties by Iranian Bilingual EFL Learners

Document Type : Article

Author

English Department, Farhangian University, Arak Iran

10.22034/jelt.2024.15919.1097

Abstract

Psychotypology is a conditioning factor in the acquisition of a third language (TLA) in general and the interaction of the involved languages in TLA in particular. The aim of the present study was determining whether Iranian bilingual learners’ perception of the possible distance between their first / second language (Azeri and Persian respectively) and their third language (English) can play any role in the acquisition of English adjective order and placement. To this end, a total of 90 native Azeri learners with Persian as their common second language and English as their third language were selected and homogenized based on their scores on Oxford Quick Placement Test. They included female and male university students studying at Miyandoab and Bonab Azad Universities. They also took a syntactic test of grammaticality judgment. Results of descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation coefficient indicated a significant relationship between the psychotypology of the first and the second language and the learning of English adjective order. The psychotypology of participants’ first and second languages also correlated highly with the acquisition of English adjective placement. Results of the present study, thus, confirm enhanced learning of English (as the third language of the participants) through their perceived similarity of their first and second languages. The practical implication of this study could be introducing methods of teaching to bi/multilingual educational settings in which the similarities and differences between the learners’ mother tongue and their additional languages is highlighted.

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JELT Journal | Farhangian University
Volume 3, Issue 1 - Serial Number 1024203
A Tribute to Morteza Yamini, The Iranian leading English professor and language researcher.
March 2024

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