The current study explores the second language(L2) acquisition of subconsciously held language attitudes. Specifically, we determine whether L2 learners perceive differences between Spanish speakers of four geographic varieties and evaluate them differently, and if these perceptions change with proficiency. Following sociolinguistic methodological practices, we administered a verbal guise task to American English-speaking learners of Spanish from four university enrollment levels. We found that the learners differentially evaluated speakers of these regional varieties across dimensions of solidarity (kindness) and standardness (prestige). We observed development across levels in the evaluation of regional varieties for prestige, while differentiations in kindness ratings remained consistent across levels. We also show that, for our highest-level group, study abroad experience may contribute to patterns of subconscious evaluation. Although one would not expect L2 classroom learners to possess native-like subconscious attitudes, the present study is an essential step in understanding how such attitudes develop in L2 acquisition.
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Cited by (4)
Cited by four other publications
Geeslin, Kimberly L. & Stacey Hanson
2023.
Collecting and Analyzing
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Sociolinguistic Data
. In Current Approaches in Second Language Acquisition Research, ► pp. 143 ff.
2023. Variability and individual differences in L2 sociolinguistic evaluations: The GROUP, the INDIVIDUAL and the HOMOGENEOUS ENSEMBLE. Studies in Second Language Acquisition 45:5 ► pp. 1186 ff.
Wirtz, Mason A. & Simone E. Pfenninger
2024. Signature Dynamics of Development in Second Language Sociolinguistic Competence: Evidence From an Intensive Microlongitudinal Study. Language Learning
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