The study is an investigation of Interlanguage (IL)
developmental sequences of the acquisition of some aspects of
negation and interrogation in Arabic by English-speaking
learners in a foreign- language context; (i.e.Britain).The thesis contains eight chapters. The first chapter
discusses the purpose of this research and the reason for
selecting the topic.Chapters two and three survey and discuss the relevant
literature. This includes discussions of different approaches
to Second Language Acquisition (SLA), of models and hypotheses
which have been proposed concerning the nature of learners'
language and the process of SLA; and of studies of variability
in language, both in general and specifically in the field of
SLA.In chapter four, we analyze the two structures which are to
be investigated in the study. First, basic assumptions of
Arabic are discussed. Then, a short, analysis of the form of
each structure is presented in both languages (Arabic and
English). In the course of the analysis other issues that, are
essential for the understanding of the realization of the
features in the two languages are discussed.Chapter five presents first the hypotheses concerning the
constraints which may govern the learners' IL(s). The rest of
the chapter provides details of the investigation. The
subjects are described, the tasks outlined, and details of data
collection are described. Finally the criteria used in assessing
the learners' responses are discussed.In chapter six, the results of the analysis are presented.
Chapter seven contains the discussion and interpretation of
the results in relation to the hypotheses formulated. The
final chapter, chapter eight, summarizes the findings of the
study in regard to the hypotheses. It also discusses some of
the broader implications of the results of the study. Some
suggestions for further investigations are also made
