Chapter 7. Linguistic variation and second language Spanish
-
Kimberly L. Geeslin✝
Abstract
Research on progressive and habitual aspectual marking in Spanish provides a productive test case for second language variation research. In Spanish, two forms can be used to reference ongoing action at speech time (simple present and present progressive) while English predominantly makes use of the present progressive (Torres Cacoullos 2000). Nevertheless, the patterns of use and their acquisition are complex. One key difference for advanced non-natives (as compared to natives) is related to the range of lexical bases (e.g., estar ‘to be,’ andar ‘to walk,’ venir ‘to come,’ etc.) that form the progressive (Fafulas 2015). Additionally, the alternation between the simple present and the progressive is conditioned by a host of linguistic factors, such as lexical aspect, the presence of an adverb, clause type, and animacy, among others (Geeslin & Fafulas 2012). Finally, differences exist between these same two forms cross-linguistically for habitual aspectual marking such that the simple present is more likely to occur in English in habitual contexts than in Spanish and this constitutes another context for these variable forms (Fafulas 2012). Thus, the predictions for English-speaking learners are highly context-dependent.
The present study uses a written contextualized task designed to examine patterns of selection across the categories of lexical aspect (e.g., activities, statives, etc.) in combination with the influence that the presence or absence of adverbial phrases may have. We employ a cross-sectional design, collecting data from learners from multiple levels of enrollment, and compare these to native speakers of Spanish and to native speakers of English (tested in English). Our analysis provides an account of the patterns attested in English, in Spanish, and across levels of second language Spanish development.
Abstract
Research on progressive and habitual aspectual marking in Spanish provides a productive test case for second language variation research. In Spanish, two forms can be used to reference ongoing action at speech time (simple present and present progressive) while English predominantly makes use of the present progressive (Torres Cacoullos 2000). Nevertheless, the patterns of use and their acquisition are complex. One key difference for advanced non-natives (as compared to natives) is related to the range of lexical bases (e.g., estar ‘to be,’ andar ‘to walk,’ venir ‘to come,’ etc.) that form the progressive (Fafulas 2015). Additionally, the alternation between the simple present and the progressive is conditioned by a host of linguistic factors, such as lexical aspect, the presence of an adverb, clause type, and animacy, among others (Geeslin & Fafulas 2012). Finally, differences exist between these same two forms cross-linguistically for habitual aspectual marking such that the simple present is more likely to occur in English in habitual contexts than in Spanish and this constitutes another context for these variable forms (Fafulas 2012). Thus, the predictions for English-speaking learners are highly context-dependent.
The present study uses a written contextualized task designed to examine patterns of selection across the categories of lexical aspect (e.g., activities, statives, etc.) in combination with the influence that the presence or absence of adverbial phrases may have. We employ a cross-sectional design, collecting data from learners from multiple levels of enrollment, and compare these to native speakers of Spanish and to native speakers of English (tested in English). Our analysis provides an account of the patterns attested in English, in Spanish, and across levels of second language Spanish development.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents vii
- List of tables ix
- List of figures xiii
- Acknowledgements xv
- Editors and contributors xvii
- Chapter 1. Variation and second language acquisition 1
- Chapter 2. An investigation of the use of the multifunctional particle ‑ le by second language learners of Mandarin Chinese 15
- Chapter 3. Production and evaluation of sociolinguistic variation in Mandarin Chinese among children in Singapore 43
- Chapter 4. Cross-linguistic influence in the acquisition of L3 variation 71
- Chapter 5. What can Cantonese heritage speakers tell us about age of acquisition, linguistic dominance, and sociophonetic variation? 97
- Chapter 6. Spanish rhotic variation and development in uninstructed immersion 127
- Chapter 7. Linguistic variation and second language Spanish 159
- Chapter 8. Acquiring sociolinguistic competence during study abroad 199
- Chapter 9. Variation in choice of prepositions with place names on the French L1–L2 continuum in Ontario, Canada 223
- Chapter 10. Variation, identity and language attitudes 253
- Chapter 11. Sociostylistic variation in L2 French 279
- Chapter 12. Differential object marking in heritage and homeland Italian 311
- Chapter 13. On (not) acquiring a sociolinguistic stereotype 337
- Author index 359
- Subject index 363
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents vii
- List of tables ix
- List of figures xiii
- Acknowledgements xv
- Editors and contributors xvii
- Chapter 1. Variation and second language acquisition 1
- Chapter 2. An investigation of the use of the multifunctional particle ‑ le by second language learners of Mandarin Chinese 15
- Chapter 3. Production and evaluation of sociolinguistic variation in Mandarin Chinese among children in Singapore 43
- Chapter 4. Cross-linguistic influence in the acquisition of L3 variation 71
- Chapter 5. What can Cantonese heritage speakers tell us about age of acquisition, linguistic dominance, and sociophonetic variation? 97
- Chapter 6. Spanish rhotic variation and development in uninstructed immersion 127
- Chapter 7. Linguistic variation and second language Spanish 159
- Chapter 8. Acquiring sociolinguistic competence during study abroad 199
- Chapter 9. Variation in choice of prepositions with place names on the French L1–L2 continuum in Ontario, Canada 223
- Chapter 10. Variation, identity and language attitudes 253
- Chapter 11. Sociostylistic variation in L2 French 279
- Chapter 12. Differential object marking in heritage and homeland Italian 311
- Chapter 13. On (not) acquiring a sociolinguistic stereotype 337
- Author index 359
- Subject index 363
