The production of serialized adjectives by Jordanian EFL learners

Ayah  Alnajjar; Abdel Rahman Altakhaineh

doi:10.29038/

Authors

Ayah Alnajjar The University of Jordan, Jordan
Abdel Rahman Altakhaineh * The University of Jordan, Jordan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29038/

Keywords:

adjective ordering, attributive adjectives, Jordanian EFL learners, predicative adjectives

Abstract

This study investigates the production of serialized adjectives by Jordanian EFL learners, focusing on how the number and syntactic position of adjectives influence their ordering. Grounded in Scott’s (2002) universal serialization framework, the study investigates learners’ adherence to adjective ordering rules. Data were collected from 30 university students using two tests assessing attributive and predicative adjectives. The findings revealed that learners performed more accurately when producing sentences with two adjectives compared to three or four. Additionally, learners demonstrated better performance with attributive adjectives than with predicative ones. These findings question the notion of universal hierarchies in adjective ordering, emphasizing the role of cognitive constraints in shaping learners’ performance. The study suggests shifting pedagogical approaches to prioritize fostering effective communication over strict adherence to syntactic hierarchies. Furthermore, language instructors are encouraged to develop activities focusing on gradual mastery of syntactic complexity and contextualized practice of adjective use.

Disclosure Statement

The authors reported no potential conflicts of interest.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Abels, K., & Neeleman, A. (2012). Linear asymmetries and the LCA. Syntax, 15(1), 25–74.

Albaqami, R. (2023). Mastering English Multiple Adjectives Ordering among Early versus Late Second Language Speakers: Evidence from Arabic-English Bilinguals. International Journal of Language and Literary Studies, 5(2), 343-367.‏

Algeo, J. (1987). A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language. By Randolph Quirk, Sidney Greenbaum, Geoffrey Leech, and Jan Svartvik. London: Longman. 1985. x+ 1779. Journal of English Linguistics, 20(1), 122-136.‏

Alghazo, S., & Jarrah, M. (2023). No Adjective Ordering Preferences in Jordanian Arabic Grammar. Journal of Psycholinguistic Research, 52(5), 1633-1667.‏

Alotaibi, M. A., & Alotaibi, A. M. (2017). On the acquisition of the prenominal adjective order by Kuwaiti EFL learners. Advances in language and literary studies, 8(1), 1-8.‏

Alrashed, M. A. (2024). The Impact of L1 Transfer on Learning English Adjective Order by Saudi EFL Learners. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 15(6), 1845-1853.‏

Al-Saidat, E. M., Al-Shalabi, F. A., & Amer, F. H. (2024). Acquisition of Prenominal Adjective Order by Jordanian EFL Learners. Jurnal Cakrawala Pendidikan, 43(3).‏

Amer, W. M. (2012). An investigation into the differences between English and Arabic position and order of adjectives: A contrastive study with pedagogical implications. Albahr Al-Ahmer University Journal, 5, 205-229.‏

Baddeley, A. (2007). Working memory, thought, and action (Vol. 45). OUP Oxford.

Baddeley, A. D., & Hitch, G. (1974). Working memory. In G. A. Bower (Ed.), Psychology of learning and motivation (Vol. 8, pp. 47–89). Academic Press.

Bošković, Ž. (2005). On the locality of left branch extraction and the structure of NP. Studia Linguistica, 59(1), 1–45.

Bouchard, D. (2002). Adjectives, number, and interfaces: Why languages vary. Elsevier.

Chomsky, N. (2005). Three factors in language design. Linguistic Inquiry, 36(1), 1–22.

Chomsky, N. (2011). Language and other cognitive systems. What is special about language? Language Learning and Development, 7(4), 263–278.

Cinque, G. (1994). On the evidence for partial N-movement in the romance DP. In R. S. Kayne, G. Cinque, J. Koster, J. Y. Pollock, L. Rizzi, & R. Zanuttini (Eds.), Paths towards universal grammar: Studies in honor of Richard S. Kayne (pp. 85–110). Georgetown University Press.

Cinque, G. (2010). The syntax of adjectives: A comparative study. MIT Press

Gibson, E. (1998). Linguistic complexity: Locality of syntactic dependencies. Cognition, 68(1), 1-76.

Gibson, E. (2000). The dependency locality theory: a distance-based theory of linguistic complexity. In A.Marantz, Y. Miyashita, & W. O’Neil (Eds.), Image, language, brain (pp. 95–126). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Hawkins, J. A. (2004). Efficiency and complexity in grammars. Oxford University Press.

Leivada, E. (2022). Determining the cognitive biases behind a viral linguistic universal: the order of multiple adjectives. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 9(1), 1-13.‏

O’Grady, W. (2021). The natural syntax of local coreference. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 660296.‏

Scott, G. J. (2002). Stacked adjectival modifcation and the structure of nominal phrases. Functional structure in the DP and IPIn G. Cinque (Ed.), The cartography of syntactic structures (Vol. 1, pp. 91–120). Oxford University Press.

Swan, M. (2005). Practical English Usage 3rd edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press.