This empirical study examines the learning problem of the argument structure of psych
predicates such as The dog frightens John and the related V-ing adjectives such as The dog is
frightening to John. The problem is theoretically interesting because of the marked nature of
the thematic role mapping of these sentences in relation to the principle of the Uniformity of
Theta Assignment Hypothesis (UTAH). The problem is highly relevant to our understanding of
second language acquisition as this is known to be a prevalent difficulty among language
learners. The author has framed the learning problem within a coherent parametric framework
drawing on a sophisticated critical review of the syntax semantics literature and theories of
L2 development. The author has specifically developed a theory the Semantic Salience Hierarchy
Model (SSHM) to explain the learning process. The significance of the model is not confined
only to this particular study as the issues related to the L2 acquisition of other causative
verbs can also be examined within this model. The findings of this study also bear implications
to TESOL.
