Subtle differences, rigorous implications: German and Dutch representation of tense-aspect features in SLA research of Spanish

González, Paz; Diaubalick, Tim

doi:10.1515/9783110668476-011

German and Dutch in Contrast 2020

DOI: 10.1515/9783110668476-011

|View full text |Cite

Subtle differences, rigorous implications: German and Dutch representation of tense-aspect features in SLA research of Spanish

Paz González¹,

Tim Diaubalick²

Abstract: This article presents original evidence for an L1-effect in SLA by comparing empirical studies on German and Dutch learners of L2 Spanish (written production). In Spanish, grammatical aspect plays a far more prominent role (perfectivity is grammaticalized) and thus both learner groups are faced with new linguistic features. In both cases, L1-like performance is not achieved. However, the ways learners deal with this aspectual phenomenon in their written production is completely different: German learners base … Show more

Help me understand this report

Search citation statements

Order By: Relevance

Paper Sections

Select...

Citation Types

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Publication Types

Select...

Article2

Relationship

Self Cite1

Independent1

Authors

Journals

Cited by 2 publications

References 7 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

Introduction

González¹,

Diaubalick²,

Jong³

2019

DuJAL

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This special issue comprises a selection of studies on the acquisition of tense, aspect and modality (TAM) in second languages (L2) which aim to gain insight into the acquiring and learning of TAM representations, as this is one of the most challenging tasks for second language learners (Comajoan, 2014).The seven articles are based on talks presented at the 3rd edition of TAML2 (Tense, Aspect and Modality in a Second Language) in Leiden, The Netherlands which brought together researchers working on different aspects of the acquisition, learning and teaching of TAM in second languages. The papers cover research on (a) aspectual, temporal and modal representations in an L2; (b) pedagogical implications of TAML2 research findings; (c) methodological issues; and (d) contributions to theory building. These research topics are a reflection of a widely recognized need for an updated knowledge base and for innovative methodological tools in the study of temporal, aspectual and modal representations in a second language (see McManus, Vanek, Leclercq, &Roberts, 2017 andSalaberry, 2018).The first article by Verkuyl argues that the Lexical Aspect Hypothesis (Andersen, 1986), which to date still dominates a great part of TAML2 studies, suffers from being based on naïve physics assumed by language philosophers and needs to be reevaluated. Due to their understanding of aspect, a verb has been taken as a predicate rather than as a linguistic unit with its own lexical meaning. This article puts forward the need of understanding the availability of the verb to accept a wide variety of arguments.González and Diaubalick's pilot study on the understudied language combination Dutch-Spanish highlights the importance of methodological questions in TAM research: only in certain experiments, an L1-effect was revealed. Especially due to the high complexity of TAM features, such task effects are not unknown (see Domínguez, Tracy-Ventura, Arche, Michell, & Myles, 2013). The findings of this paper, however, show possible interactions between these effects and a learner's L1. Only by taking all results together, a tendency to overgeneralize the Imperfect was visible. Interestingly, this contrasts to findings on English-speaking

show abstract

Introduction

González¹,

Diaubalick²,

Jong³

2019

DuJAL

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Task and L1 effects

González

Diaubalick

2019

DuJAL

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Research on tense-aspect phenomena has shown that the type of experimental task can affect the performance of L2 learners. This pilot study on the understudied language combination Dutch-Spanish investigates this issue by focusing on the interaction between known affecting variables (inherent aspect; L1 effects) and different tasks (multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blanks, free production). First findings show that, indeed, both task type and L1 have an influence on the outcome. Generally, Dutch learners seem to prefer the Imperfect over the Preterit. This stands in contrast to previous research but can be explained by the imperfective features of the Dutch Simple Past with which the learners associate the L2 forms. Whereas this L1 effect is not visible in the multiple-choice task where the choice is forced, it manifests itself in tasks where students can choose freely between forms they know. Especially in the free production task, the L1 effect interacts with a high individual variability.

show abstract

scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.

Contact Info

hi@scite.ai

10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614

Henderson, NV 89052, USA

Blog Terms and Conditions API Terms Privacy Policy Contact Cookie Preferences Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

Made with 💙 for researchers

Part of the Research Solutions Family.

Subtle differences, rigorous implications: German and Dutch representation of tense-aspect features in SLA research of Spanish

Cited by 2 publications

References 7 publications

Introduction

Introduction

Task and L1 effects

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About