
This Arabic as a Foreign Language (AFL) is considered a parsimonious field in applied linguistics. Therefore, this article tries to highlight how language transfer influences American students in their Arabic learning process. Additionally, this work attempts to explore whether Arabic foreign learners rely on their pre-existing knowledge to learn Arabic and determine the role of transfer regarding language universals. The study employs a quantitative methodology based on a Grammaticality Judgment Task (GJT) to achieve its objective. According to the study's results, L2 Arabic learners initially transfer their L1 setting to L2. In other words, Universal Grammar (UG) exists, but learners only have indirect access to it via their L1. By studying and investigating the influence of language transfer on learning outcomes, experts' and educators’ interventions can be tailored to more effectively assist foreign students in overcoming errors connected to their first language and improving their proficiency in learning Arabic language.
Arabic as a foreign language (AFL), Arabic SLA, language transfer, universal grammar (UG), errors.
Arabic as a foreign language (AFL), Arabic SLA, language transfer, universal grammar (UG), errors.
| selected citations These citations are derived from selected sources. This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | 0 | |
| popularity This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network. | Average | |
| influence This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | Average | |
| impulse This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network. | Average |
