ABSTRACT
This chapter investigates the acquisition of second language morphology by showcasing a series of experimental studies on second language learners of Persian and the way they process, comprehend, and acquire morphologically complex idiomatic expressions in Persian.
Idiomatic expressions are not only part of the language but also part of the culture of the speakers of that language. Therefore, they pose further problems for a second language learner. For certain languages, such as Persian, idiomatic expressions are so common that one cannot claim to know the language without knowing these expressions. To this end, the present chapter aims 1) to explore how idiomatic expressions are represented and accessed in the Mental Lexicon, 2) to compare first language and second language mental lexicons, 3) to review some current theories of idiomatic expressions processing, 4) to investigate the processing and acquisition of Persian idiomatic expressions, and finally 5) to evaluate techniques for teaching second language idiomatic expressions.
