Topicalization Processing in Persian Sentences by non-Persian Learners (An Analysis based on Van Patten Input Processing Theory)

The importance of the concept of input is widely known in different areas of second language learning. The purpose of the descriptive-analytical research is to investigate two important principles (First Noun Principle and Event Probabilities Principle) according to the input processing model of Van Patten (2015) in intermediate, upper-intermediate and advanced Persian learners. In this research, we seek to know to what extent these two principles explain input processing. The participants of the research were 30 Persian learners from different nationalities, who were selected by available sampling method. Due to the lack of access to more Persian learners, there were only 10 Persian learners at each level. The participants were asked 14 sentences and they were asked to identify subject and object in each sentence. Findings showed that the two principles "first noun" and "event probabilities" affect the understanding of meaning and input processing in Persian learners of intermediate level more than upper intermediate and advanced level, and this result is in accordance with the input processing theory of Van Patten. We also found that doubts in the answers are more in the basic levels than in the advanced levels, which can be rooted in the level of proficiency of Persian learners.