A Comparison of Copula Choice: Native Spanish Speakers and Advanced Learners

A continuing concern in second language acquisition (SLA) research is whether problems with inflectional morphology are representational or related somehow to performance. In this study, we examine 25 non-advanced learners of L2 Spanish and compare them with 18 native Spanish speakers on three grammatical structures: subject-verb inversion, adverb placement and person-number inflections on verbs. We use self-paced reading as a measure of underlying sensitivity to grammatical violations. Our results clearly show that the L2 learners pattern like the native speakers on the two syntactic structures; both groups demonstrate sensitivity to grammatical violations while reading sentences for meaning. For person-number on verbs, L2 learners did not show sensitivity to grammatical violations whereas the native speakers did. We argue that these results suggest a representational problem for morphology in our L2 population.

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Effects of Spanish pragmatic and lexical constraints in the interpretation of L2 English anaphora

Pragmatics ◽

10.1075/prag.12.3.05fin ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

pp. 297-328

Author(s):

Malcolm A. Finney

Keyword(s):

Contextual Information ◽

First Language ◽

Native English Speakers ◽

Spanish Speakers ◽

English Speakers ◽

Native Spanish Speakers ◽

Advanced Learners ◽

Lexical Rules ◽

Lexical Constraints ◽

Processing Difficulty

This study examined the interpretation of English anaphora by native Spanish speakers and potential transfer of Spanish pragmatic and lexical requirements into English. It further evaluated whether appropriate contextual information might prime the preferred English interpretation of such constructions. Pragmatic and lexical rules governing co-indexation in Spanish and English anaphora constructions differ substantially and operate quite differently in the two languages. Spanish pragmatic rules require obligatory disjoint reference for subject pronominals in finite complement subjunctive clauses and pre-posed adjunct clauses. The lexical properties of verbs and anaphora in reflexive, reciprocal, and intransitive constructions in Spanish require obligatory retention of the anaphora element. English has no such pragmatic or lexical requirements. The study appraised the effects of the different pragmatic co-indexation requirements and different lexical requirements on the interpretation of English anaphora by native Spanish speakers. An act-out task, a corresponding written task, and a grammaticality judgement task in English were administered to adult native English speakers and adult native Spanish speakers categorized as intermediate and advanced learners of English. Subjects were instructed to match pronominals with appropriate referents in English subjunctives and pre-posed adjuncts. They were further required to judge the acceptability of sentences containing anaphora elements in English reflexives, reciprocals, and intransitives. Results indicated that subjects in general ignored pragmatic and lexical requirements of the first language in favour of the second language requirements governing anaphora. Less proficient subjects apparently encountered some processing difficulty when interpretation of sentences with anaphora was required within limited time constraints. The use of contextual information was also evident in the interpretation of some constructions.

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Role of English Fluency in Performance of Native Spanish-Speakers on the Trail-Making Test

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e663902011-001 ◽

2011 ◽

Author(s):

Paola Suarez ◽

Tamar H. Gollan ◽

Lidia Artiola ◽

Igor Grant ◽

Robert Heaton ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Spanish Speakers ◽

Trail Making Test ◽

Native Spanish Speakers ◽

English Fluency ◽

Trail Making

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A matched-guise study on L2, heritage, and native Spanish speakers’ attitudes to Spanish in the State of Washington

Sociolinguistic Studies ◽

10.1558/sols.30856 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 175-198

Author(s):

Víctor Fernández-Mallat ◽

Max Carey

Keyword(s):

The State ◽

Spanish Speakers ◽

Native Spanish Speakers

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Strategies for teaching Geography electives in English to native Spanish speakers at a Colombian University

Latin American Journal of Content and Language Integrated Learning ◽

10.5294/laclil.2008.1.1.1 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 1-14 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Bryan Nohora ◽

Ezana Habte-Gabr

Keyword(s):

Spanish Speakers ◽

Native Spanish Speakers

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What is the source of L1 attrition? The effect of recent L1 re-exposure on Spanish speakers under L1 attrition

Bilingualism Language and Cognition ◽

10.1017/s1366728915000152 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 19 (3) ◽

pp. 520-532 ◽

Cited By ~ 39

Author(s):

GLORIA CHAMORRO ◽

ANTONELLA SORACE ◽

PATRICK STURT

Keyword(s):

Eye Tracking ◽

Spanish Speakers ◽

Control Group ◽

Tracking Data ◽

Native Spanish Speakers ◽

Knowledge Representations ◽

Permanent Change ◽

L1 Attrition ◽

Interface Structures

The recent hypothesis that L1 attrition affects the ability to process interface structures but not knowledge representations (Sorace, 2011) is tested by investigating the effects of recent L1 re-exposure on antecedent preferences for Spanish pronominal subjects, using offline judgements and online eye-tracking measures. Participants included a group of native Spanish speakers experiencing L1 attrition (‘attriters’), a second group of attriters exposed exclusively to Spanish before they were tested (‘re-exposed’), and a control group of Spanish monolinguals. The judgement data shows no significant differences between the groups. Moreover, the monolingual and re-exposed groups are not significantly different from each other in the eye-tracking data. The results of this novel manipulation indicate that attrition effects decrease due to L1 re-exposure, and that bilinguals are sensitive to input changes. Taken together, the findings suggest that attrition affects online sensitivity with interface structures rather than causing a permanent change in speakers’ L1 knowledge representations.

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Identity Markers and L2 Pronunciation

Studies in Second Language Acquisition ◽

10.1017/s027226310000694x ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 33-49 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

Jane Zuengler

Keyword(s):

Second Language ◽

American English ◽

Spanish Speakers ◽

American Identity ◽

Native Spanish Speakers ◽

Sociolinguistic Variation ◽

English Pronunciation ◽

Identity Markers ◽

Social Markers ◽

Social Marking

This is a report of a study of social marking in second language pronunciation. In particular, it tested out Trudgill's (1981) suggestion that sounds that are most likely to undergo sociolinguistic variation, that is, that may become social markers, are those that Labov (1972a, 1972b), calls stereotypes. This study sought to determine whether there were certain aspects of English pronunciation that native Spanish speakers would, at some level of awareness, associate with American English/American identity. The speakers were asked to perform several tasks, including a mimic of an American speaking Spanish with an American accent (following Flege & Hammond, 1982). Among the results, speakers displayed a tacit awareness of English-Spanish sound distinctions (in particular, allophonic differences) in performing the mimic (supporting Flege & Hammond, 1982). Additionally, some of the alterations they were very conscious of held as stereotypes of American English. Support was found for Trudgill's (1981) suggestion.

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Shrinking Your Deictic System: How Far Can You Go?

Frontiers in Psychology ◽

10.3389/fpsyg.2020.575497 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 ◽

Author(s):

Mila Vulchanova ◽

Pedro Guijarro-Fuentes ◽

Jacqueline Collier ◽

Valentin Vulchanov

Keyword(s):

First Language ◽

Group Living ◽

Spanish Speakers ◽

Control Group ◽

Language Attrition ◽

Native Spanish Speakers ◽

Language Competence ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Language Exposure ◽

Open Question

Languages around the world differ in terms of the number of adnominal and pronominal demonstratives they require, as well as the factors that impact on their felicitous use. Given this cross-linguistic variation in deictic demonstrative terms, and the features that determine their felicitous use, an open question is how this is accommodated within bilingual cognition and language. In particular, we were interested in the extent to which bilingual language exposure and practice might alter the way in which a bilingual is using deictic demonstratives in their first language. Recent research on language attrition suggests that L2 learning selectively affects aspects of the native language, with some domains of language competence being more vulnerable than others. If demonstratives are basic, and acquired relatively early, they should be less susceptible to change and attrition. This was the hypothesis we went on to test in the current study. We tested two groups of native Spanish speakers, a control group living in Spain and an experimental group living in Norway using the (Spatial) Memory game paradigm. Contra to our expectations, the results indicate a significant difference between the two groups in use of deictic terms, indicative of a change in the preferred number of terms used. This suggests that deictic referential systems may change over time under pressure from bilingual language exposure.

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