Universal Grammar and the Acquisition of English Regular Inflections: A minimalist Approach

Abstract

This article aims to study the acquisition of English regular inflections by L1 Yemeni Arabic speakers and the role of UG in this acquisition, adopting a minimalist approach. 30 students were recruited as participants of the study. They are selected randomly from level three and four students, studying at the Department of English, Faculty of Arts, Ibb University, Yemen. The study has been carried out in two years in two Stages: Stage 1 has been conducted while the participants are at level 3, in 2023, and Stage 2 when they reach level four, 2024. The same group participated in both Stages. The results show that students’ ill-form performance is of various types including L1 transfer, L2 influence and unique errors. The study concludes that UG is still accessible to L2 learners as evident by the improvements the learners achieve in Stage 2.