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Chapter 3. A corpus analysis of the structural elaboration of Spanish heritage language learners

  • Karina Collentine and Joseph Collentine
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Variation and Evolution
This chapter is in the book Variation and Evolution

Abstract

Research on heritage language learner (HLL) grammar provides insights into bilingual developmental trajectories (Bolger & Zapata, 2011). More research is needed on the effects of cognitive processes on HLL grammar under real-time communicative pressures (Jegerski, 2017). The present corpus-based study analyzes the role of cognitive factors on HLLs’ (N = 65) production of structural elaboration (i.e., syntactic modifiers and embedding), which is cognitively challenging to monolinguals (Ferreira, 1991). The analysis of the participants’ production in an instant-messaging task indicates that, even though advanced HLLs may be fairly homogeneous in their general grammatical and lexical abilities, they vary significantly in the production of structural elaboration in syntactic frames (e.g., verb phrases with clitics, relative clauses) that interact strongly with working memory and attentional resources.

Abstract

Research on heritage language learner (HLL) grammar provides insights into bilingual developmental trajectories (Bolger & Zapata, 2011). More research is needed on the effects of cognitive processes on HLL grammar under real-time communicative pressures (Jegerski, 2017). The present corpus-based study analyzes the role of cognitive factors on HLLs’ (N = 65) production of structural elaboration (i.e., syntactic modifiers and embedding), which is cognitively challenging to monolinguals (Ferreira, 1991). The analysis of the participants’ production in an instant-messaging task indicates that, even though advanced HLLs may be fairly homogeneous in their general grammatical and lexical abilities, they vary significantly in the production of structural elaboration in syntactic frames (e.g., verb phrases with clitics, relative clauses) that interact strongly with working memory and attentional resources.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents vii
  3. Social and linguistic factors shaping language dynamics across the Spanish-speaking world 1
  4. Part I. Morpho-syntax & semantics
  5. Chapter 1. Cross-dialectal productivity of the Spanish subjunctive in nominal clause complements 11
  6. Chapter 2. Mood selection in a contact variety 33
  7. Chapter 3. A corpus analysis of the structural elaboration of Spanish heritage language learners 55
  8. Chapter 4. Evidentiality and epistemic modality in the Andean Spanish verb 75
  9. Part II. Phonetics & phonology
  10. Chapter 5. Realizations of /b/ in the Spanish of Lima, Peru 107
  11. Chapter 6. Did you say peso or beso ? 127
  12. Chapter 7. Sheísmo in Montevideo Spanish 163
  13. Part III. Language attitudes & choice
  14. Chapter 8. ‘Debemos aprender y manejar un poco mejor el español’ 189
  15. Chapter 9. Language choice and use by bilingual preschoolers 211
  16. Chapter 10. Decolonial sociolinguistics gestures of Andean Quechua-Spanish bilingual college students promoting Quechua 231
  17. Chapter 11. New Mochica and the challenge of reviving an extinct language 253
  18. Index 275
https://doi.org/10.1075/ihll.29.03col

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents vii
  3. Social and linguistic factors shaping language dynamics across the Spanish-speaking world 1
  4. Part I. Morpho-syntax & semantics
  5. Chapter 1. Cross-dialectal productivity of the Spanish subjunctive in nominal clause complements 11
  6. Chapter 2. Mood selection in a contact variety 33
  7. Chapter 3. A corpus analysis of the structural elaboration of Spanish heritage language learners 55
  8. Chapter 4. Evidentiality and epistemic modality in the Andean Spanish verb 75
  9. Part II. Phonetics & phonology
  10. Chapter 5. Realizations of /b/ in the Spanish of Lima, Peru 107
  11. Chapter 6. Did you say peso or beso ? 127
  12. Chapter 7. Sheísmo in Montevideo Spanish 163
  13. Part III. Language attitudes & choice
  14. Chapter 8. ‘Debemos aprender y manejar un poco mejor el español’ 189
  15. Chapter 9. Language choice and use by bilingual preschoolers 211
  16. Chapter 10. Decolonial sociolinguistics gestures of Andean Quechua-Spanish bilingual college students promoting Quechua 231
  17. Chapter 11. New Mochica and the challenge of reviving an extinct language 253
  18. Index 275
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