Children’s Acquisition of Passive Constructions in Najdi Arabic

Abstract

Purpose. The current study investigates the comprehension of passive sentences in Najdi Arabic-speaking children. We examine and address previously observed factors affecting children’s passive acquisition with unambiguous passive morphology, thus providing a more reliable picture of the unresolved issue of children’s passive acquisition. Methods. Using a truth value sentence judgment task, we assessed children’s accuracy across all the experimental conditions, including age (3–5 years), verb types (actional verbs and non-actional verbs), and passive types (verbal passive and adjectival passive). Results. For all age groups, our results reveal a high level of accuracy with no significant effect of verbal/adjectival passive type or actional/nonactional verb type. These findings provide compelling evidence that Arabic children have early knowledge of passive morphosyntax, emerging around the age of 3. Conclusions. We concluded that unique passive morphology contributes to the early acquisition of passives in Arabic; the absence of morphological ambiguity of passives with other constructions provides a perfect setting for early passive mastery.