L1 Influence vs UG Access in L2 English: Examining Genericity and Specificity

Authors

  • Jwahir Alzamil

    Department of Foreign Languages, Taif University, Taif 21974, Saudi Arabia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i11.11684
Received: 17 August 2025 | Revised: 22 September 2025 | Accepted: 25 September 2025 | Published Online: 21 October 2025

Abstract

Semantic features influence the second language (L2) use of articles, yet their interaction with the influences of both first language (L1) and Universal Grammar (UG) remains controversial. This study investigates whether and how genericity and specificity interact in L1 Arabic speakers' acquisition of indefiniteness in learning English as an L2. English indefinite generics are always definite in Arabic and specificity is not morphosyntactically realised in either language. The study recruited thirty-three participants, who were classified according to their proficiency levels (beginner or upper-intermediate) and used a multiple-choice article task to collect the data. The task items were all indefinite and had an equal number of generic, specific and non-specific singular and plural items. The findings revealed that: a) the beginner group incorrectly supplied the in all generic and specific contexts; b) the upper-intermediate group incorrectly supplied the in all generic contexts; and c) non-specific contexts were the least challenging for both groups. These results show that Arabic speakers at high proficiency levels struggle with genericity. They also reveal that the combination of semantic features results in different levels of difficulty. The findings indicate that learners' L1 influences their L2 acquisition of the generic semantic feature, while UG access facilitates the use of the specificity feature.

Keywords:

Arabic; English; Generics; Indefinite; Specificity

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How to Cite

Alzamil, J. (2025). L1 Influence vs UG Access in L2 English: Examining Genericity and Specificity. Forum for Linguistic Studies, 7(11), 449–459. https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i11.11684

Issue

Vol. 7 , Iss. 11 (November 2025): In progress

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Article

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Copyright © 2025 Jwahir Alzamil

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