Turkish L1 speakers’ use of the article in Spanish: An error analysis

Abstract

For Turkish learners of Spanish, the correct use of the article is particularly difficult area of grammar. Regardless of their level, such learners struggle to master this crucial aspect of the language. Accordingly, the present study combines a recent review of literature on article usage to investigate and classify errors in article use produced by Turkish students learning Spanish as a second foreign language (L2). The study was conducted at a private university in Türkiye during the fall term of the 2019–2020 academic year. The undergraduate participants (N=31) were enrolled on a range of degree programs and were taking Spanish as an elective at CEFR level A1. Data for the study came from the review exercises completed by the students in the final week of classes. For the purposes of this study, three activities were analyzed: one open-ended writing task and two controlled exercises. The analysis revealed that the most frequent errors involved gender agreement in noun-article pairs, incorrect article selection, omission, or inappropriate addition of the article. The theoretical and pedagogical implications of these findings for Turkish L1 learners of Spanish as a foreign language are discussed in order to provide a reference for SFL instructors tasked with helping their students overcome the difficulties that typically arise when encountering this element of grammar.