Document Type
Paper Presentation
Presenter Language
English
Research Area
Applied Linguistics, Sociolinguistics, Second Language Acquisition
Location
MBSC Gallery Room 308
Start Date
17-10-2024 1:00 PM
End Date
17-10-2024 1:30 PM
Abstract
Although every person holds attitudes toward and perceptions of languages, the language attitudes of second language (L2) learners are of particular interest because they can affect the acquisition of the target language (TL). The present study concerns L2 Spanish learners’ attitudes toward four Spanish varieties, Argentinian, Caribbean, Mexican, and Peninsular Spanish, measured in a verbal guise task. The literature review reveals three key factors that have been found to influence L2 learners’ language attitudes: (1) themes of identity, (2) contact with the TL, and (3) perceptions of the “standard” TL. Results from the present study show that Mexican Spanish was rated highest in all judgments (solidarity, prestige, and comprehensibility) by the US university L2 Spanish learners who participated in the verbal guise task, and high levels of proficiency correlated with more positive language attitudes toward the Spanish varieties. Time using the TL did not sufficiently account for participants’ language attitudes.
L2 Learners' Attitudes toward and Perceptions of Spanish Varieties
MBSC Gallery Room 308
Although every person holds attitudes toward and perceptions of languages, the language attitudes of second language (L2) learners are of particular interest because they can affect the acquisition of the target language (TL). The present study concerns L2 Spanish learners’ attitudes toward four Spanish varieties, Argentinian, Caribbean, Mexican, and Peninsular Spanish, measured in a verbal guise task. The literature review reveals three key factors that have been found to influence L2 learners’ language attitudes: (1) themes of identity, (2) contact with the TL, and (3) perceptions of the “standard” TL. Results from the present study show that Mexican Spanish was rated highest in all judgments (solidarity, prestige, and comprehensibility) by the US university L2 Spanish learners who participated in the verbal guise task, and high levels of proficiency correlated with more positive language attitudes toward the Spanish varieties. Time using the TL did not sufficiently account for participants’ language attitudes.