This study explores the mental lexicon of Polish learners of Spanish as a foreign language (L2) through a qualitative analysis of lexical availability. Based on prototype theory and semantic network models, it analyzes learners' responses to two thematic prompts--'The Human Body' and 'The City'--to explore lexical associations, prototypicality,…

This study investigates the organization of the mental lexicon in Spanish as a foreign language in contrast to its structure in Spanish as a native language through semantic networks derived from lexical availability or semantic fluency tasks. To this end, we collected the responses of 75 American learners of Spanish and 75 native speakers in…

Research has demonstrated that features of lexical and lexicogrammatical use are important predictors of productive second language (L2) proficiency (e.g. Kyle et al. 2018). While some features of lexical use have been studied with L2s other than English (e.g. Tracy-Ventura 2017), multivariate lexical and lexicogrammatical approaches in these L2s…

The fluency task, which involves lexical retrieval from a categorical or thematic prompt, has been a crucial paradigm in studies about lexicon in bilingualism and additional languages. Particularly, there has been a very productive cognitive turn towards analytical models based on the exploration of the cognitive processes underlying the mental…

In this Methods Showcase Article, we illustrate mixed-effects modeling with a multinomial dependent variable as a means of explaining complexities in language. We model data on future-time reference in second language Spanish, which consists of a nominal dependent variable that has three levels, measured over 73 participants. We offer step-by-step…

Since the initial application of the 'affordances' concept to the context of language learning by van Lier, relatively few studies have continued to explore its implications for second language (L2) learning. This study examines from an emic perspective the affordances that 13 Spanish learners in a study abroad context perceived in their…

Learners who lack the perception of specific sounds or pronunciation can attain a measure of inability to participate in meaningful communication due to their difficulties in understanding and being understood. This article presents lesson plans that provide a framework for addressing the needs of learners as they move from perceiving sounds to…

Recent calls for the "annulment of Spain exceptionalism" (Herlihy-Mera 7) in Spanish programs across developmental levels in the United States, and a greater emphasis on local Spanish language communities and practices compelled the author to reassess her scholarly background as a "Peninsularist" and her approach to teaching…

Emotional vocabulary is an important element in daily conversations, and knowledge and teaching of this vocabulary in a second language (L2) should be a primary goal in migration contexts. This study aimed to identify the emotional words used in the written productions of 288 adult immigrants from different countries of origin who were…

Studies into the role of audiovisual input and captions (i.e., subtitles in the same language as the audio) for L2 learning have shown that such input can positively influence L2 learners' acquisition of lexical items. Few studies have explored the effects of captioning on learners' capacity to segment the speech stream. This study investigates…

Language ideologies can powerfully shape language learner perceptions and progress. This qualitative study investigated and reports findings based on analysis of interviews with 14 participants who self-identify as advanced users of Spanish. While dominant language ideologies in the U.S. often undermine learners reaching high levels of language…

The current research examined whether children's expectations about labeling conventions can be influenced by limited exposure to a foreign language. Three- to four-year-old Korean children were presented with two speakers who each assigned a novel label either in Korean or Spanish to a novel object. Children were asked whether both labels were…

This dissertation delves into second language acquisition, sociophonetic variation, and speech perception, investigating how prior linguistic experiences and exposure to regional variations in a second language influence the decoding of dialectal linguistic cues. It aims to enhance the understanding of words pronounced with different phones and…

The paper discusses the interpretation of adversative clauses introduced by "pero" and concessive clauses introduced by "aunque" in Spanish. Specifically, the discussion centers around structures that exhibit the forms: (i) "A, pero B," (ii) "A, aunque B-INDICATIVE," and (iii) "A, aunque…

The purpose of this study is to determine if heritage speakers can effectively instruct pronunciation to their non-native speaker peers to support faculty. The researcher of this study assessed non-native speaker participants' pronunciation of Spanish using pronunciation instruction and instructor background as variables (N=111: 91 underwent…