This book is a reference that provides an overview of the major work done in Spanish second language acquisition. It contains a section on the major theoretical approaches (generative, cognitive, and sociocultural), a section on the major elements of language (phonemes, morphemes, tense, syntax, discourse, pragmatics), and a concluding chapter on the effects of different instructional approaches. We are publishing it primarily for its potential course use, but the quality of the contributors will also attract attention from scholars.

Sample Text

This volume offers an introduction to the field of second language acquisition with a particular focus on second language Spanish. It connects key issues in the acquisition of Spanish as a second language to theoretical and empirical issues in the field of second language acquisition more generally by exemplifying central concepts in second language acquisition through the exploration of the most widely researched structures and most recent developments in the field of second language Spanish. It is written for a non-specialist audience, making it suitable for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses and readers, while its treatment of recent empirical developments also makes it of interest to researchers in second language Spanish as well as allied fields.

Bringing together a comprehensive collection of newly-commissioned articles, this Handbook covers the most recent developments across a range of sub-fields relevant to the study of second language Spanish. Provides a unique and much-needed collection of new research in this subject, compiled and written by experts in the field Offers a critical account of the most current, ground-breaking developments across key fields, each of which has seen innovative empirical research in the past decade Covers a broad range of issues including current theoretical approaches, alongside a variety of entries within such areas as the sound system, morphosyntax, individual and social factors, and instructed language learning Presents a variety of methodological approaches spanning the active areas of research in language acquisition

The problematic pursuit of defining advancedness / Mandy R. Menke and Paul A. Malovrh -- The (limited) contributions of proficiency assessments in defining advancedness / Mandy R. Menke and Paul A. Malovrh -- ACTFL OPIc question prompt and advanced Spanish fluency / Alan V. Brown, Gregory L. Thompson and Troy L. Cox -- Advanced users of Spanish : relationships among modalities of speaking, reading, and listening / Dan Soneson -- The role of late-acquired structures in advanced oral proficiency : a consideration of complexity and variability as indicators of development / Paul A. Malovrh and Mandy R. Menke -- Allowable temporal distances for future-time forms : the case of advanced L2 Spanish learners / Matthew Kanwit -- What does advanced L2 pronunciation look like? : evidence from the ultimate attainment of Spanish consonants / Timothy L. Face -- An exploration of advanced-level learners' verb choices in variable mood-distinction contexts / Aarnes Gudmestad -- L2 proficiency and L2 dialect processing during study abroad / Christine Shea -- Sophisticated language use in context : the contributions of variationist approaches to the study of advanced learners of Spanish / Kimberly L. Geeslin -- Linguistic markers of stance in advanced second language Spanish academic writing / Mandy R. Menke -- Sophisticated language use in context : using the L2 to express intercultural competence / Lori Czerwionka -- Spanish-language advancedness : grammatical metaphor and the oral-written continuum / Omar Velázquez-Mendoza -- Developing advanced pragmatic competence in Spanish / J. César Félix-Brasdefer and Megan DiBartolomeo -- Advancing notions of advancedness : clarifying the differential and dynamic effects of working memory across the second language proficiency spectrum / Ellen Johnson Serafini -- Individual characteristics in advanced Spanish proficiency : cluster and case-matching analyses on 127 advanced learners / Paula Winke, Emily Heidrich Uebel and Susan M. Gass -- The effects of study abroad on interlanguage development : a concept-oriented analysis of advanced Spanish majors' direct object expression / Paul A. Malovrh and James F. Lee -- The role of individual characteristics in the acquisition of Spanish copula choice : the case of Korean learners / Avizia Long -- The role of language anxiety and enjoyment in advanced proficiency : considerations for task-based language teaching research / Ángela Donate -- Language aptitude and foreign accent in advanced L2 speakers of Spanish / Gisela Granena -- Looking ahead : future directions for research on advancednesss and instructional practice in second language Spanish / Paul A. Malovrh and Mandy R. Menke.

"This is the most comprehensive book I’ve ever read about the use of Spanish in the U.S. Incredible research. Read it to understand our country. Spanish is, indeed, an American language."—Jorge Ramos An American Language is a tour de force that revolutionizes our understanding of U.S. history. It reveals the origins of Spanish as a language binding residents of the Southwest to the politics and culture of an expanding nation in the 1840s. As the West increasingly integrated into the United States over the following century, struggles over power, identity, and citizenship transformed the place of the Spanish language in the nation. An American Language is a history that reimagines what it means to be an American—with profound implications for our own time.

The Development of Spanish as a Second Language: A Guide for Teachers ©2015 | Ballman, Mandell The Development of Spanish as a Second Language: A Guide for Teachers was inspired by the many dedicated language teachers who feel responsible for their students' errors, particularly in speech. The Development of Spanish as a Second Language: A Guide for Teachers has as its centerpiece the exploration of 40 speech samples produced by four levels of Spanish university students (first through fourth year). This is the only book that specifically (a) describes and illustrates the developmental patterns of several grammatical and lexical features (e.g., ser and estar, subject-verb agreement) commonly included in Spanish L2 course syllabi and class materials; and (b) draws on examples from actual cross-sectional Spanish learner data in a user-friendly format. This book is intended for readers with little to no knowledge of contemporary theory and/or research about Second Language Acquisition. The target audience includes: students in a course about teaching Spanish as a second/foreign language. (This book may serve as a supplement to books such as Making Communicative Language Teaching Happen [Lee & VanPatten, 1995, 2013, McGraw-Hill] and How Languages are Learned [Lightbrown & Spada, 1993, 2008 Oxford].); undergraduate Spanish majors enrolled in an applied linguistics course about Spanish or second language acquisition; Spanish teachers at the high school or college levels; and other Spanish-teaching faculty, administrators, or readers who wish to become more familiar with how L2 proficiency in general, and Spanish as an L2 in particular, develops over time.