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Part of
Hispanic Linguistics: Current issues and new directions
Edited by Alfonso Morales-Front, Michael J. Ferreira, Ronald P. Leow and Cristina Sanz
[Issues in Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics 26] 2020
► pp. 75–94

What derivational suffixes should we teach in Spanish as a Second Language courses?

| University of California, Davis
| Denison University
| University of California-Davis

Morphological awareness in a second language (L2) enhances depth of vocabulary knowledge and is better developed when taught explicitly than by mere exposure to morphologically complex words. However, suffixes are not sufficiently treated in L2 textbooks, and little is known about which suffixes should be taught and which suffixes are more easily learned. Based on a corpus analysis of Spanish L1 and L2 speakers, as well as a correlational study about the characteristics of Spanish suffixes, this paper proposes 12 derivational suffixes that should be introduced in Spanish L2 classrooms.

Keywords: corpus, L2 learners, Spanish, textbooks, suffixes, derivational morphology
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Background
    • 2.1Spanish derivational morphology
    • 2.2L2 derivational morphology instruction
    • 2.3Suffixes characteristics
    • 2.4Research questions
  • 3.Methodology
    • 3.1CEDEL2 corpus (L2 learners and native speakers)
    • 3.2Textbook corpus
    • 3.3Selection and analysis of the suffixes in the corpora
  • 4.Results
    • 4.1Distribution of suffixes across corpora
    • 4.2Lexical innovations in CEDEL2
    • 4.3Characteristics influencing suffixal learning
  • 5.Discussion
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 13 May 2020
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/ihll.26.04san
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