Analyzing the gap in mood choice of L1 and advanced L2 Spanish speakers with expressions of emotion in the past tense
Document Type
Paper Presentation
Presenter Language
English
Research Area
Language variation and change and Second language acquisition
Location
MBSC Council Room 306
Start Date
18-10-2024 12:30 PM
End Date
18-10-2024 1:00 PM
Abstract
Standard Spanish grammar states that mood selection following expressions of emotion requires the subjunctive (e.g.,¡Qué bueno que estés aquí!). While this rule consistently accounts for the present tense, it falls short in the past tense; that is, there are many first language (L1) Spanish speakers who utilize the preterit in these expressions. While previous research has investigated mood variation after expressions such as no sé si, quizás, caso de que, etc., and in relation to hypotheticality, among L1 speakers, and between L1 and L2 speakers, to my knowledge, no current research has focused on expressions of emotion in the past tense. Also, textbooks teach these expressions as the same in the present and past tense by requiring the present perfect subjunctive (PPS) (e.g., haya estado) or the past subjunctive (PS) (e.g., estuviera).
I explore this gap by presenting an empirical study that investigates mood choice in expressions of emotion with past tense verbs in L1 and advanced L2 Spanish speakers. Pilot results with three language tasks using expressions of emotion in the past tense showed the following noteworthy findings: 1) when completing a sentence, L1 speakers used the preterit 27.78% of the time, while L2 speakers never used the preterit; 2) with multiple choice, L1 speakers chose the preterit 37.00% of the time while L2 speakers chose the preterit 11.11% of the time; finally, 3) on a scale of 1 (Very Unacceptable) to 7 (Very Acceptable), L1 speakers ranked sentences with the preterit at 6.44 (SD=1.20) while L2 speakers ranked the same sentences at 4.07 (SD=1.91). L2 speakers, many of whom were language teachers, favored the PPS or PS forms throughout all tasks. Also, when analyzing the L1 speakers, results showed that speakers from Spain were more closely aligned with L2 speakers in comparison to other countries, revealing a potential dialectal influence of grammar in L2 curriculum. These results inspired the in-progress larger data collection process, allowing for a more in-depth exploration of this understudied feature of mood variation and the work to bridging the gap between real-world language use of L1 speakers and L2 teaching and learning.
Analyzing the gap in mood choice of L1 and advanced L2 Spanish speakers with expressions of emotion in the past tense
MBSC Council Room 306
Standard Spanish grammar states that mood selection following expressions of emotion requires the subjunctive (e.g.,¡Qué bueno que estés aquí!). While this rule consistently accounts for the present tense, it falls short in the past tense; that is, there are many first language (L1) Spanish speakers who utilize the preterit in these expressions. While previous research has investigated mood variation after expressions such as no sé si, quizás, caso de que, etc., and in relation to hypotheticality, among L1 speakers, and between L1 and L2 speakers, to my knowledge, no current research has focused on expressions of emotion in the past tense. Also, textbooks teach these expressions as the same in the present and past tense by requiring the present perfect subjunctive (PPS) (e.g., haya estado) or the past subjunctive (PS) (e.g., estuviera).
I explore this gap by presenting an empirical study that investigates mood choice in expressions of emotion with past tense verbs in L1 and advanced L2 Spanish speakers. Pilot results with three language tasks using expressions of emotion in the past tense showed the following noteworthy findings: 1) when completing a sentence, L1 speakers used the preterit 27.78% of the time, while L2 speakers never used the preterit; 2) with multiple choice, L1 speakers chose the preterit 37.00% of the time while L2 speakers chose the preterit 11.11% of the time; finally, 3) on a scale of 1 (Very Unacceptable) to 7 (Very Acceptable), L1 speakers ranked sentences with the preterit at 6.44 (SD=1.20) while L2 speakers ranked the same sentences at 4.07 (SD=1.91). L2 speakers, many of whom were language teachers, favored the PPS or PS forms throughout all tasks. Also, when analyzing the L1 speakers, results showed that speakers from Spain were more closely aligned with L2 speakers in comparison to other countries, revealing a potential dialectal influence of grammar in L2 curriculum. These results inspired the in-progress larger data collection process, allowing for a more in-depth exploration of this understudied feature of mood variation and the work to bridging the gap between real-world language use of L1 speakers and L2 teaching and learning.