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Part of
Current Theoretical and Applied Perspectives on Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics
Edited by Diego Pascual y Cabo and Idoia Elola
[Issues in Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics 27] 2020
► pp. 319–342

Chapter 15
The acquisition of obligatory and variable mood selection in epistemic predicates by L2 learners and heritage speakers of Spanish

| Purdue University
| Purdue University
| Purdue University

The present study examines the extent to which L2 learners and HS of Spanish acquire target knowledge of subjunctive mood selection in Spanish. Specifically, we analyze obligatory and variable selection in temporal and concessive constructions. Ten HS of Spanish, ten English-speaking L2 learners and fifteen controls from Mexico completed a sentence completion task. Results indicate significant differences between the two experimental groups and the monolingual control group. The HS outperformed the L2 learners in three of the six conditions-tested. No significant differences were found between obligatory and variable subjunctive selection within the epistemic modality. Results suggest that the obligatory nature of mood selection does not play a role in the acquisition of the Spanish subjunctive within the epistemic modality.

Keywords: subjunctive mood, Spanish HS, L2 acquisition of Spanish, age effects, obligatoriness
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Subjunctive mood selection in Spanish
  • 3.The acquisition of subjunctive mood selection in Spanish
    • 3.1Previous research on the acquisition of subjunctive mood selection in Spanish
    • 3.2Research questions and hypotheses
  • 4.The study
    • 4.1Participants
    • 4.2Tasks
    • 4.3Procedure
    • 4.4Data analysis and coding
  • 5.Results
    • 5.1Results: Temporal clauses
    • 5.2Results: Concessive clauses
  • 6.Discussion and conclusions
  • References
Published online: 4 June 2020
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/ihll.27.15lus
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Cited by 3 other publications

Dracos, Melisa & Pablo E. Requena
2023. Child heritage speakers’ acquisition of the Spanish subjunctive in volitional and adverbial clauses. Language Acquisition 30:1 ► pp. 1 ff. DOI logo
Perez-Cortes, Silvia
2023. Obviating the mood, but mostly under control: Spanish heritage speakers’ acquisition of the binding constraints of desiderative complements. Language Acquisition ► pp. 1 ff. DOI logo
Perez-Cortes, Silvia
2023. Re-examining the role of mood selection type in Spanish heritage speakers’ subjunctive production. Linguistic Approaches to Bilingualism 13:2 ► pp. 238 ff. DOI logo

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