An Examination of Flynn’s Match and Mismatch Hypothesis in the Production of English Prepositions: A case of ForeignLanguage Setting

This study has a three-fold objective. First, considering Flynn’s Match and Mismatchtheory, it examines the role of lexical items in a match-parametric situation in theperformance of English prepositions by Iranian EFL learners. Second, it investigates thedifferences between the two mentioned mismatch types of lexical items. Third, it identifiesthe effect of different proficiency levels on the learners’ production. To verify thesepredictions, this study tried to run an experiment consisting of a set of fill-in-the-blankproduction test which was administered to 60 female Iranian learners at three differentproficiency levels at Iran Language Institute, Shiraz branch. The findings supported theeffect of lexical items on the learners’ production. Further analysis showed that there wasno difference between the existence of a different preposition in Persian and English or itsnon-existence, only when parametric values and lexical items match, the learning processwould be reinforced, and also the learners’ proficiency levels enhanced the correctproduction of English prepositions.

Keywords:

Universal Grammar , Head-Parameter , Match and Mismatch theory