Locatives and existentials in L2 Spanish: The acquisition of the semantic contrasts amongser, estarandhaber

Abstract

This study analyses the expression of locative and existential predicates elicited through an oral production task in the speech of two groups of learners of Spanish as a second language (L2) (first language English, n = 18; first language Moroccan Arabic, n = 14), and a native control group ( n = 18). A total of 25,000 words were analysed, with over 1,000 locative and existential predicates. These predicates were coded according to the lexical verb used as well as the semantics of the theme; special attention was given to the use of copular verbs. Results indicated a delayed development of estar to express location, some overextension of haber with definite themes, and a small incorrect use of ser to locate objects in the English group. Overall, it is argued that given the case of complex semantics but simple syntax, the phenomenon is relatively unproblematic for L2 learners even at intermediate proficiency, probably due to the fact that these semantic concepts are already present in the first languages (L1s) of the learners, and particularly because these are mapped onto lexical pieces and not onto functional morphology, the bottleneck for L2 acquisition.

Indirectstructural crosslinguistic influence in early Catalan–Spanish bilinguals in adulthood: Predicate selection in Catalan existential constructions

“…Participants completed a difference finding/telling task, as in Perpiñán (2014Perpiñán ( , 2015. In this activity, participants were shown five pairs of pictures (see Figure 1) that only differed in ten minor features.…”

The role of aspect in the acquisition ofserandestarin locative contexts by English-speaking learners of Spanish

“…Very few studies have investigated the L2 acquisition of the copulas in locative constructions. In a study that examined the semi-spontaneous use of copulas in locative and existential constructions in the interlanguage of English and Arabic speakers, Perpiñán (2014) documented a general delay of the acquisition of estar, compared to the use of haber, which is in contrast with estar in [-definite] (existential) contexts. The study also observed a low percentage of errors in expressing location in oral production, and concluded that the use of the copulas in these contexts is relatively unproblematic due to This is the post print of the article.…”

“…Another factor that could have contributed to the low percentage of errors was that the mapping was done through lexical items and not inflectional morphology, which is considered the bottleneck of SLA (Slabakova, 2009). However, Perpiñán (2014) did not take into account the locative contexts in which ser and estar are in direct competition, such as when locating events (ser) and objects (estar), which is the focus of this investigation.…”