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Multidisciplinary Approaches to Bilingualism in the Hispanic and Lusophone World
Edited by Kate Bellamy, Michael W. Child, Paz González, Antje Muntendam and M. Carmen Parafita Couto
[Issues in Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics 13] 2017
► pp. 41–64

Chapter 3
The Typological Primacy Model and bilingual types

Transfer differences between Spanish/English bilinguals in L3 Portuguese acquisition

| Leiden University | Brigham Young University

The Typological Primacy Model (TPM; Rothman, 2011, 2013, 2015) proposes that transfer in the initial stages of L3 acquisition will come from the most structurally similar background language, regardless of the order and context of previous language acquisition. However, research on L3 Brazilian Portuguese acquisition by Spanish speaking bilinguals has hinted at differences in transfer based on order and context of acquisition (Carvalho & da Silva, 2006; Johnson, 2004). Consequently, the present study measures three groups of Spanish/English bilinguals’ knowledge of mood in non-obligatory contexts in Spanish and subsequently in Portuguese. Results suggest that participants transfer from Spanish, although there are significant differences in their knowledge of mood distinctions and in the transfer of that knowledge to L3 Portuguese.

Keywords: Typological Primacy Model, L3 acquisition, heritage Spanish, mood, SLA
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Mood in Spanish and Portuguese
    • 2.1The subjunctive mood
    • 2.2Acquisition of mood distinctions in Spanish
      • 2.2.1L1 acquisition of mood distinctions
      • 2.2.2L2S speakers’ knowledge of mood distinctions
      • 2.2.3HS bilinguals’ knowledge of mood distinctions
  • 3.The study
    • 3.1Research questions
    • 3.2Participants
    • 3.3Tasks
      • 3.3.1The Spanish proficiency pretest
      • 3.3.2Preference/Grammaticality Judgment (P/GJ) tasks
    • 3.4Procedure
    • 3.5Hypotheses
  • 4.Results
    • 4.1Spanish proficiency pretest
    • 4.2Preference/Grammaticality Judgment (P/GJ) Tasks
      • 4.2.1Category 1: Comment/emotion
      • 4.2.2Category 2: Doubt/uncertainty/denial
      • 4.2.3Category 3: Adjective/relative clauses
  • 5.Discussion, limitations and contributions
    • 5.1Discussion
    • 5.2Limitations
    • 5.3Contributions
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 31 May 2017
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/ihll.13.03chi
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Garcia, Valerie, Caitlyn Pineault & Lara Bryfonski
2023. An evaluation of a multidimensional identity measurement instrument: The heritage language speaker identity tool (HLS‐IT). The Modern Language Journal 107:1 ► pp. 353 ff. DOI logo
Child, Michael W.
2022. Transfer in L3 cognate language acquisition: The role of language background on instructed L3 Portuguese acquisition . International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching 60:2 ► pp. 143 ff. DOI logo
Diaubalick, Tim & Pedro Guijarro Fuentes
2017. Chapter 2. L1 effects as manifestations of individual differences in the L2 acquisition of the Spanish tense-aspect-system. In Multidisciplinary Approaches to Bilingualism in the Hispanic and Lusophone World [Issues in Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics, 13], ► pp. 9 ff. DOI logo
Marcelino, Marcello
2017. Chapter 6. The Compounding Parameter and L2 acquisition. In Multidisciplinary Approaches to Bilingualism in the Hispanic and Lusophone World [Issues in Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics, 13], ► pp. 123 ff. DOI logo
Muysken, Pieter
2017. Chapter 13. The global and the local. In Multidisciplinary Approaches to Bilingualism in the Hispanic and Lusophone World [Issues in Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics, 13], ► pp. 313 ff. DOI logo
Osch, Brechje van, Aafke Hulk, Petra Sleeman & Suzanne Aalberse
2017. Chapter 4. Knowledge of mood in internal and external interface contexts in Spanish heritage speakers in the Netherlands. In Multidisciplinary Approaches to Bilingualism in the Hispanic and Lusophone World [Issues in Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics, 13], ► pp. 67 ff. DOI logo

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