scholarly journals Gradual development of L2 phrase structure

1996 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Vainikka ◽  
Martha Young-Scholten
Keyword(s):  
Phrase Structure ◽  
Spanish Speakers ◽  
Target Language ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Initial State ◽  
Final Value ◽  
Spanish Speaking ◽  
Formal Instruction ◽  
Gradual Development ◽  
Verb Raising

We begin by reviewing data from Korean, Turkish, Italian and Spanish-speaking adults acquiring German without formal instruction. Our findings have shown that these learners transfer their L1 VPs: the Korean and Turkish speakers transfer a head-final VP and the Italian and Spanish speakers first transfer a head-initial VP and then switch its headedness to the correct, head-final value for German. Although functional projections in Korean and Turkish are head-final and in Italian and Spanish head-initial, all four groups of learners subsequently posit head-initial functional projections in German (which are not always target-like). We conclude that only lexical projections constitute the L2 learner's initial state; the development of functional projections is driven solely by the interaction of X'-Theory with the target-language input. We then discuss some studies on the acquisition of French by English speakers and of English by speakers of various L1s which purport to bring evidence to bear against our approach. Upon closer examination, the evidence turns out to offer further support for the position that the sole projections which the learner transfers from the L1 are lexical ones. Finally, we account for potentially problematic verb-raising data from French learners of English. Rather than taking the stance that French raising to Agr is transferred, we propose that L2 learners' identification of free morphemes as salient triggers leads to a misanalysis of verb raising in English. We also apply this idea to a reanalysis of the morpheme-order studies of the 1970s.

Housing Stability and Transactional Sex among Spanish-Speaking and English-Speaking Transgender Women

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 135-141
Author(s):  
John A. Sauceda ◽  
Edda I. Santiago-Rodriguez ◽  
Gaspar Zaragoza ◽  
Catherine E. Rivas ◽  
Luz Venegas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Regression Model ◽  
San Francisco ◽  
Transgender Women ◽  
Spanish Speakers ◽  
Transactional Sex ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Lower Probability ◽  
Housing Stability ◽  
Spanish Speaking ◽  
English Speaking

There is evidence for a relationship between housing instability and transactional sex among transgender women. However, less is known about this relationship among monolingual Spanish-speaking transgender women. We compared Spanish- and English-speaking transgender women for differences in ever reporting transactional sex, and if perceived housing stability moderated these differences. Using a cross-sectional design, we surveyed 186 Spanish- and English-speaking transgender women in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and the San Francisco Bay Area, California. All variables in this study were from a brief demographic questionnaire in a larger parent study. Using a multivariate regression model for moderation, we tested whether the odds for reporting transactional sex were different between English and Spanish speakers, and whether housing stability moderated these odds. Overall, Spanish and English speakers reporting similar percentages of transactional sex (52.3–53.8%) and similar scores on the housing stability measure. In the moderation regression model, Spanish speakers had 7.9 times the adjusted odds of transaction sex, versus English speakers, but housing stability moderated the probability of transactional sex in the form of a crossover interaction. That is, lesser housing stability was associated with a higher probability of reporting transactional sex among Spanish speakers, yet greater housing stability was also associated with lower probability of reporting transactional sex. Housing stability evidenced both a risk and protective role for Spanish-speaking transgender women, which highlight the importance of this basic health need.

Motion-Verb Generalizations in English and Spanish: Influences of Language and Syntax

1998 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 363-369 ◽  
Author(s):  
Letitia R. Naigles ◽  
Paula Terrazas
Keyword(s):  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Spanish Speakers ◽  
Linguistic Relativity ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Motion Verbs ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Motion Events ◽  
Spanish Speaking ◽  
Motion Verb

English and Spanish speakers differ in the ways they talk about motion events, but how have these different modes of expression become instantiated as differing generalizations—as syntactic rules, lexical patterns, or both? In two studies, we asked English- and Spanish-speaking adults to interpret novel motion verbs presented in three types of sentence frames. Overall, English speakers expected novel verbs to encode the manner of motion, whereas Spanish speakers expected the verbs to encode the path of motion. The sentence frames also significantly affected how the speakers interpreted the novel verbs. We conclude that speakers of different languages represent their different generalizations about the composition of motion verbs both lexically and syntactically, and discuss how these generalizations might be important for issues of language acquisition and linguistic relativity.

Consumer Approach to Acculturation and Complementary/Alternative Medication: Differences between English Speakers, English Speakers of Color, and Spanish Speakers of Color

2021 ◽  
pp. 073998632199614
Author(s):  
Roberto Cancio
Keyword(s):  
Alternative Medicine ◽  
Conventional Care ◽  
Spanish Speakers ◽  
Complementary Alternative Medicine ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Racial Groups ◽  
Social Mechanisms ◽  
Spanish Speaking ◽  
The Social ◽  
Cam Use

The current study implements a qualitative explanatory framework of consumer acculturation to explore the perceptions of Complementary Alternative Medicine (CAM) among recently medicated persons from three different ethnic and racial groups: whites, Latino minority (English-speakers), and Latino minority (Spanish-speakers) to understand the social mechanisms that contribute to differences in perceptions of and experiences with CAM use. Findings suggest that there is a continuum of receptivity to CAM use based on levels of acculturation. Latinos speaking primarily English mirrored patterns of CAM use among non-Hispanic whites which showed that CAM is complementary rather than a substitute for conventional care. For Spanish-speaking Latinos, CAM was more about expressions of a culture rooted in ethnicity and acculturation. For Spanish-speaking Latinos, CAM is about identity and part of a culture-making process.

English and Spanish speakers’ interpretations of L2 Chinese applicative double object constructions

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuhsin Huang ◽  
Boping Yuan
Keyword(s):  
First Language ◽  
Spanish Speakers ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Matching Task ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Double Object ◽  
Misleading Evidence ◽  
Thematic Relations ◽  
L2 Chinese ◽  
Surface Similarity

Abstract This article reports an empirical study investigating whether English and Spanish speakers can reconstruct thematic structures in their second language (L2) grammars of Chinese Double Object Constructions. Data collected from an acceptability judgement task and an animation matching task suggest that learners are able to reconstruct L2 grammars to accommodate new target properties. However, it is also found that learners have difficulty removing thematic relations transferred from their first language (L1), implying that adult L2 grammars might permanently deviate from grammars of native speakers. The difficulty is accounted for on the basis of Yuan's (2014) Dormant-Feature Hypothesis, which assumes Full Transfer and that if the input provides no evidence confirming or disconfirming the transferred property, the property will lose its vigour and become dormant. This dormant status leads to random behaviours in L2 judgements and interpretations. This is confirmed in this study, in which English speakers are found to transfer one interpretation of indirect objects from their L1 and Spanish speakers are found to transfer two interpretations from their L1 that are not instantiated in the target language Chinese. Due to the misleading evidence in the Chinese input that shares surface similarity with the transferred property, English speakers are hindered from restructuring their L2 grammars, and the transferred interpretation remains active. On the other hand, the absence of informative evidence in the Chinese input leaves the two transferred interpretations to a dormant status in Spanish speakers’ L2 Chinese grammars.

scholarly journals Using Contextual Analyses to Examine the Meaning of Neuropsychological Variables Across Samples of English-Speaking and Spanish-Speaking Older Adults

2011 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 223-233 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen L. Siedlecki ◽  
Tatjana Rundek ◽  
Mitchell S.V. Elkind ◽  
Ralph L. Sacco ◽  
Yaakov Stern ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spanish Speakers ◽  
Contextual Analysis ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Unique Contribution ◽  
Psychomotor Speed ◽  
Latent Constructs ◽  
Spanish Speaking ◽  
Visual Spatial ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Neuropsychological Variables

AbstractThe meanings of several target neuropsychological variables, including measures of executive functioning, were examined using contextual analysis across a sample of English-speakers and a sample of Spanish-speakers. Results of the contextual analysis, which examined the contributions of the latent constructs of memory, psychomotor speed, visual spatial ability, and knowledge and comprehension, to the target neuropsychological variables indicate that each of the target variables likely reflects the unique contribution of several reference abilities. These findings provide evidence that the neuropsychological variables are multi-dimensional. The patterns of relations were similar across the samples of English and Spanish speakers. (JINS, 2012, 18, 223–233)

scholarly journals Spanish adaptation of the Ambivalent Classism Inventory (ACI)

2021 ◽  
Vol 53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mario Sainz ◽  
◽  
Roberto M. Lobato ◽  
Gloria Jiménez-Moya ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Factor Structure ◽  
Spanish Speakers ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Poor People ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Divergent Validity ◽  
Spanish Speaking ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Convergent And Divergent Validity ◽  
Spanish Speaking Population

Introduction: Hostile and benevolent classism influence the derogation of poor people and groups, with negative consequences. The present study aims to adapt and validate the Ambivalent Classism Inventory (ACI) to obtain an adequate tool for expanding research on this topic among the Spanish-speaking population. Method: Toward this end, the researchers back-translated the ACI version originally developed for English speakers. Exploratory and confirmatory analyses verify the ACI’s reliability and factor structure with a sample of Mexican participants. Results: The results demonstrated that the adapted scale’s psychometric properties are acceptable. Its original and factor structure are similar to those of the original scale:hostile classism (12 items), protective paternalism (4 items), and complementary class differentiation (4 items). Furthermore, the study tests the convergent and divergent validity of the scale´s sub-dimensions concerning other ideological and socioeconomic variables. Conclusion:The proposed ACI adaptation should contribute to understanding attitudes toward the poor as well as their consequences among Spanish speakers.

Category Fluency Test: Normative data for English- and Spanish-speaking elderly

2000 ◽  
Vol 6 (7) ◽  
pp. 760-769 ◽  
Author(s):  
AMARILIS ACEVEDO ◽  
DAVID A. LOEWENSTEIN ◽  
WARREN W. BARKER ◽  
DYLAN G. HARWOOD ◽  
CHERYL LUIS ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Normative Data ◽  
The United States ◽  
Spanish Speakers ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Neuropsychological Measures ◽  
Spanish Speaking ◽  
Category Fluency ◽  
And Gender ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Cognitively Intact

Category fluency tasks are an important component of neuropsychological assessment, especially when evaluating for dementia syndromes. The growth in the number of Spanish-speaking elderly in the United States has increased the need for appropriate neuropsychological measures and normative data for this population. This study provides norms for English and Spanish speakers, over the age of 50, on 3 frequently used measures of category fluency: animals, vegetables, and fruits. In addition, it examines the impact of age, education, gender, language, and depressed mood on total fluency scores and on scores on each of these fluency measures. A sample of 702 cognitively intact elderly, 424 English speakers, and 278 Spanish speakers, participated in the study. Normative data are provided stratified by language, age, education, and gender. Results evidence that regardless of the primary language of the examinee, age, education, and gender are the strongest predictors of total category fluency scores, with gender being the best predictor of performance after adjusting for age and education. English and Spanish speakers obtained similar scores on animal and fruit fluency, but English speakers generated more vegetable exemplars than Spanish speakers. Results also indicate that different fluency measures are affected by various factors to different degrees. (JINS, 2000, 6, 760–769.)

scholarly journals Production and perception of the English /æ/–/ɑ/ contrast in switched-dominance speakers

2015 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 171-195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph V Casillas ◽  
Miquel Simonet
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
American English ◽  
Age At Onset ◽  
Target Language ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Spanish Speaking ◽  
Language Exposure ◽  
Vowel Contrast ◽  
Communicative Abilities ◽  
Shed Light

This study investigates how fluent second-language (L2) learners of English produce and perceive the /æ/–/ɑ/ vowel contrast of Southwestern American English. Two learner groups are examined: (1) early, proficient English speakers who were raised by Spanish-speaking families but who became dominant in English during childhood and, as adults, lack communicative abilities in Spanish, and (2) Spanish-speaking late learners of English who continue to be dominant in Spanish. The participants provided data in three tasks: one production and two perceptual. The study finds that both learner groups differ from native controls in their production and perception of the /æ/–/ɑ/ contrast. The findings shed light on our understanding of the relative effects of age (at onset of language exposure) and language dominance (at time of testing) by showing that sequential bilingualism impacts phonetic behavior even when speakers have become dominant in the target language.

Production of Subject-Verb Agreement in Spanish as a Second Language

2003 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
pp. 196-203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janet Nicol ◽  
Delia Greth
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Spanish Speakers ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Error Patterns ◽  
Verb Agreement ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Semantic Variables ◽  
Advanced Proficiency

Abstract. In this paper, we report the results of a study of English speakers who have learned Spanish as a second language. All were late learners who have achieved near- advanced proficiency in Spanish. The focus of the research is on the production of subject-verb agreement errors and the factors that influence the incidence of such errors. There is some evidence that English and Spanish subject-verb agreement differ in susceptibility to interference from different types of variables; specifically, it has been reported that Spanish speakers show a greater influence of semantic factors in their implementation of subject-verb agreement ( Vigliocco, Butterworth, & Garrett, 1996 ). In our study, all participants were tested in English (L1) and Spanish (L2). Results indicate nearly identical error patterns: these speakers show no greater influence of semantic variables in the computation of agreement when they are speaking Spanish than when they are speaking English.

Reaching Spanish-Speakers in Self-Administered Surveys

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
J Michael Brick ◽  
Andrew Caporaso ◽  
Douglas Williams ◽  
David Cantor
Keyword(s):  
Single Phase ◽  
Spanish Language ◽  
Spanish Speakers ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Future Research ◽  
The Internet ◽  
English Only ◽  
Eligible Population ◽  
The Us ◽  
Survey Estimates

Decisions on public policy can be affected if important segments of the population are systematically excluded from the data used to drive the decisions. In the US, Spanishspeakers make up an important subgroup that surveys conducted in English-only underrepresent. This subgroup differs in a variety of characteristics and they are less likely to respond to surveys in English-only. These factors lead to nonresponse biases that are problematic for survey estimates. For surveys conducted by mail, one solution is to include both English and Spanish materials in the survey package. For addresses in the US where Spanish-speakers are likely to be living, this approach is effective, but it still may omit some non-English-speakers. Traditionally, including both English and Spanish materials for addresses not identified as likely to have Spanish-speakers was considered problematic due to concerns of a backlash effect. The backlash effect is that predominantly English-speakers might respond at a lower rate because of the inclusion of Spanish materials. Prior research found no evidence of a backlash, but used a twophase approach with a short screener questionnaire to identify the eligible population for an education survey. In this paper, we report on experiments in two surveys that extend the previous research to criminal victimization and health communication single-phase surveys. These experiments test the effect of the inclusion of Spanish language materials for addresses not identified as likely to have Spanish-speakers. Our findings confirm most results of the previous research; however we find no substantial increase in Spanish-only participation when the materials are offered in both languages for addresses that are not likely to have Spanish-speakers. We offer some thoughts on these results and directions for future research, especially with respect to collecting data by the Internet.

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