The Acquisition of Interrogation: A Longitudinal Case Study of a Persian-Speaking Child

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

English Department, Faculty of Humanities, University of Neyshabur, Khorasan Razavi, Iran

Abstract

Despite a substantial body of research on the acquisition of interrogatives across languages, longitudinal and form–function–integrated evidence from Persian remains scarce, particularly beyond early toddlerhood. This longitudinal study investigates the developmental trajectory of interrogative acquisition in a Persian-speaking child. The data consists of spontaneous speech samples obtained from a 3;9 to 4;10-year-old Persian-speaking girl, totaling approximately 300 hours of naturalistic interactions. The primary aim was to document the systematic emergence of interrogative forms and their associated functions within the Persian language. The findings reveal a clear developmental sequence. Initially, the child acquired the utilization of yes/no questions, characterized by intonational variations, concurrently with the utilization of wh-words such as "chi" (what), "ku/koja" (where), and "chera" (why). This initial phase was succeeded by the gradual assimilation of additional wh-words, including "ki" ('who'), "kodum" ('which'), "chandta" ('how many'), "cheqadr" ('how much'), and "chetor" ('how'). Notably, the development of semantic functions associated with interrogatives mirrored established research, primarily adhering to two distinct categories: information-seeking functions, conveyed through wh-questions, and non-information-seeking functions, expressed through intonation or yes/no questions. In sum, this study contributes new empirical evidence to our understanding of interrogative acquisition in Persian within a specific age range by illuminating the intricate interplay between linguistic structures and nuanced semantic subtleties.

Keywords

References

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Journal of Studies in Language Learning and Teaching
Volume 2, Issue 2
July 2025
Pages 69-89

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History

  • Receive Date: 19 November 2025
  • Revise Date: 23 March 2026
  • Accept Date: 20 April 2026

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