THE ACQUISITION OF MANNER-OF-MOTION VERBS WITH DIRECTIONAL/LOCATIONAL PPS BY IRANIAN EFL LEARNERS

This study investigated the influence of first language (L1) argument structure on that of a second language (L2) in a situation where the L1 argument structure differs from its L2 counterpart. Hence, it tended to examine whether Iranian learners of English can recognize the ambiguity of English manner-of-motion verbs with locational/directional PPs. Forty seven Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners were tested using a proficiency test and a picture-matching task. Results indicated that Iranian EFL learners allow mostly a directional reading because Persian is more restricted than English in this respect. Additionally, Iranian speakers of different proficiency levels consistently failed to recognize a locational reading. It is suggested that as a remedy, explicit instruction can provide learners with positive evidence which is frequent and clear and can be utilized by L2 learners to broaden and restructure their interlanguage grammar.