Resolving Relative Clause Ambiguity in Arabic: Evidence From Hijazi Speakers and L2 Learners of MSA

This study investigates how Hijazi Arabic native speakers and second-language (L2) learners of Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) resolve relative clause attachment ambiguity. While cross-linguistic work reports both high-attachment (NP1) and low-attachment (NP2) patterns, evidence for Arabic remains mixed and the role of diglossia underexplored. Sixteen Hijazi Arabic speakers and 29 MSA learners completed a sentence-interpretation task comprising ambiguous and unambiguous relative clauses. For Hijazi Arabic speakers, a paired t-test showed no significant difference in Hijazi Arabic and MSA, indicating a stable NP1 preference across varieties. Beginning L2 learners whose first language (L1) was English preferred NP2, while advanced learners shifted to NP1. L1 French speakers learning MSA exhibited a consistent NP1 pattern among beginners and advanced learners alike. A two-way ANOVA revealed significant effects of L1 and proficiency, and a significant interaction, reflecting a developmental shift for English speakers and stable target-like performance for French speakers. These findings support predicate proximity accounts of Arabic and challenge the shallow structure hypothesis, showing that L2 learners can acquire L2 parsing preferences. The study contributes to debates on transfer, convergence, and proficiency in L2 sentence processing.