Persian Language International Teaching Studies

Analysis of Subject-Verb Agreement in the Writing of Non-Native Persian Learners Based on Universal Grammar Parameters

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Linguistics, Faculty of Literature and Foreign Languages, Allameh Tabataba'i University, Tehran, Iran

2 Department of Linguistics, Faculty of Literature and Foreign Languages, Allameh Tabataba'i University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

This study aims to investigate subject-verb agreement in the writing of non-native Persian learners based on the parameters of Universal Grammar theory. By analyzing writing samples from beginner and pre-intermediate learners of various nationalities, the research seeks to evaluate the alignment of verbs with their subjects. Data analysis reveals that common issues, such as mismatches in person and number, incorrect word order, and inappropriate omission or addition of subjects, often stem from negative transfer from the learners’ native languages and parametric differences between Persian and their first languages. The findings indicate that learners experience different challenges in acquiring this linguistic category depending on the grammatical features of their native languages. The results of this study can contribute to improving methods for teaching Persian grammar to non-native speakers and offer suggestions for designing effective instructional strategies. These suggestions include a greater emphasis on explicit instruction of subject-verb agreement and the use of exercises based on comparisons between Persian and the learners’ first languages.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Chi, Y. & Li, M. (2023). The role of universal grammar in second language acquisition. 2023, International Conference on Education, Management, Economics and Social Science (ICEMESS 2023). Clausius Scientific Press.
Chomsky, N. (1981). Lectures on Government and Binding: The Pisa Lectures. Dordrecht: Foris Publications.
Collins, C. (2004). The agreement parameter. Triggers, 75, 115-136.
Gass, S. M. (2017). Input, Interaction, and the Second Language Learner (2nd ed.). New York: Routledge. DOI: 10.4324/9781315173252
Holmberg, A. (2010). Parameters in minimalist theory: The case of Scandinavian. Theoretical Linguistics, 36(1), 1-48. https://doi.org/10.1515/thli.2010.001
Karimi, S. (2005). A minimalist approach to scrambling: Evidence from Persian. Mouton de Gruyter.
Kayne, R. S. (2000). Parameters and Universals. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Mace, J. (2003). Persian Grammar: For Reference and Revision. London: RoutledgeCurzon.
Ritonga, M. E. (2022). The Role in SLA played by Universal Grammar. Journal of Applied Linguistics, 2(1), 23-29. https://doi.org/10.52622/joal.v2i2.76
Roberts, I. & Holmberg, A. (2005). On the role of parameters in Universal Grammar: A reply to Newmeyer. Organizing grammar: Linguistic studies in honor of Henk van Riemsdijk, 538-553.
Roberts, I. G. (2005). Principles and parameters in a VSO language: A case study in Welsh. Oxford University Press.
Sato, Y. & Karimi, S. (2016). Subject-object asymmetries in Persian argument ellipsis and the anti-agreement theory. Glossa: a journal of general linguistics, 1(1).
Shang, J. & Cui, S. (2024). Universal Grammar and Universal Grammar’s Influence and Related Theories Concerning Second Language Acquisition. Sch Int J Linguist Lit, 7(7), 182-186.
Swan, M. & Smith, B. (Eds.). (2001). Learner English: A Teacher’s Guide to Interference and Other Problems (2nd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
White, L. (2003). On the nature of interlanguage representation: Universal grammar in the second language. The handbook of second language acquisition, 18-42.
White, L. (2003). Second Language Acquisition and Universal Grammar. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 
Persian Language International Teaching Studies
Volume 10, Issue 2 - Serial Number 16
March 2025
Pages 12-33
  • Receive Date: 18 April 2025
  • Revise Date: 10 May 2025
  • Accept Date: 21 May 2025