Spanish as an International Language

Spanish as an International Language
Author: Deborah Arteaga
Publisher: Multilingual Matters
Total Pages: 269
Release: 2009
Genre: Foreign Language Study
ISBN: 1847691714

Spanish is a pluricentric language, meaning that it has several centers of prestige (e.g., San Juan, Buenos Aires, Mexico City, and Lima). Moreover, Spanish, like all languages, evinces socio linguistic variation, in that levels of formality are expressed through the use of different structures. Given this variety, students of Spanish will inevitably come into contact with variation in Spanish. This variation in Spanish adds layers of complexity to the learning and instruction of the Spanish language; therefore, a linguistic understanding of variation is crucial for our students to achieve communicative competence. This unique work, which provides an overview of the most important linguistic aspects of Spanish within a context that recognizes variation, assumes no prior linguistic knowledge and is appropriate as a valuable resource manual for teachers and learners of Spanish alike.

Gender Acquisition in Spanish

Gender Acquisition in Spanish
Author: Jessica Diebowski
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
Total Pages: 344
Release: 2021-04-06
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 3110703041

The comparative investigation of the acquisition of gender in Spanish by early and late bilinguals of different language combinations is highly debated and crucial as the phenomenon of gender involves grammatical features that differ in all three languages under investigation. Against this background, both early and late bilinguals face an arduous learning task which differs in complexity. Couched within a generative framework, the empirical study focuses on 257 participants with different levels of proficiency in Spanish ranging from low to advanced, and through a series of tests aims to discover which extra-linguistic and intra-linguistic factors act as triggers for non-native outcomes in adult heritage speakers and L2 learners. The observed morphological variability is argued not to stem from a representational (i.e. syntactic) deficit, but rather from a mapping problem in L2 learners and heritage speakers. Successful attainment in terms of gender is possible but dependent on the interplay between various extralinguistic and linguistic factors.

Language and Bilingual Cognition

Language and Bilingual Cognition
Author: Reader in Applied Linguistics Vivian Cook
Publisher: Psychology Press
Total Pages: 606
Release: 2011-04-27
Genre: Education
ISBN: 113686640X

This volume provides a state-of-the-art overview of the relationship between language and cognition with a focus on bilinguals, bringing together contributions from international leading figures in various disciplines . It is essential reading for researchers and postgraduate students with an interest in language and cognition, or in bilingualism and second languages.

The Routledge Handbook of Second Language Acquisition, Morphosyntax, and Semantics

The Routledge Handbook of Second Language Acquisition, Morphosyntax, and Semantics
Author: Tania Ionin
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 586
Release: 2024-03-11
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1003823505

This handbook provides innovative and comprehensive coverage of research on the second language acquisition (SLA) of morphosyntax, semantics, and the interface between the two. Organized by grammatical topic, the chapters are written by experts from formal and functional perspectives in the SLA of morphosyntax and semantics, providing in-depth yet accessible coverage of these areas. All chapters highlight the theoretical underpinnings of much work in SLA and their links to theoretical syntax and semantics; making comparisons to other populations, including child language acquirers, bilinguals, and heritage speakers (links to first language acquisition and bilingualism); dedicating a portion of each chapter to the research methods used to investigate the linguistic phenomenon in question (links to psycholinguistics and experimental linguistics); and, where relevant, including intervention studies on the phenomenon in question (links to applied linguistics). The volume will be indispensable to SLA researchers and students who work on any aspect of the SLA of morphosyntax or semantics. With its coverage of a variety of methodologies and comparisons to other populations (such as child language acquirers, early bilinguals, heritage speakers, and monolingual adults), the handbook is expected to also be of much interest to linguists who work in psycholinguistics, first language acquisition, and bilingualism.

Crosslinguistic Influence in Language and Cognition

Crosslinguistic Influence in Language and Cognition
Author: Scott Jarvis
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 302
Release: 2008-03-03
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1135646686

A cogent, clearly-written synthesis of new and classic work on crosslinguistic influences on language and thought, this book is intended as a text for upper-level undergraduates and graduate students, as well as a resource for instructors and scholars in applied linguistics, linguistics, and psycholinguistics courses.

Thinking and Speaking in a Second Language

Thinking and Speaking in a Second Language
Author: Yi Wang
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 150
Release: 2022-06-23
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1009084356

Does the language we speak affect the way we think? This Element provides a synthesis of contemporary research on the interplay between language and cognition in speakers of two or more languages and examines variables deemed to impact bilingual acquisition and conceptualization of language-specific thinking patterns during L2 learning. An overview of different yet interrelated studies is offered across a variety of conceptual domains to illustrate different approaches and key variables. The comparison of monolingual and bilingual data demonstrates the highly integrative nature between L2 learning and the changing of one's entire cognitive outlook in L2 speakers. This Element makes relevant connections between language learning and bilingual cognition, aiming to shed new light on how learners acquire conceptual distinctions of the target language(s). It also raises theoretical and pedagogical issues that encourage teachers to reflect upon how to incorporate recent advances in language-and-cognition research with aspects of L2 teaching.