English as a Second Language: when Spanish was the first languageA Comparison ByJayne Bass

Key Features of Spanish

• Spanish is a romance language

• 400 million native speakers

• Spoken in Spain, Latin America and the USA

• 34 million people, 12.2 percent, of the population more than five years old speak Spanish at home (Wikipedia)

• Spanish is written in the Latin Alphabet

• a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, ñ, o, p, q, r, s, t, u, v, w, x, y, z,

ch, ll.

• The letters "k" and "w" are used only in words and names coming from foreign languages

• pronunciation can be entirely determined from spelling

Spanish compared to English Both use the Roman alphabet 30% to 40% of all words in English have

related words in Spanish Spanish is a much more heavily

inflected language than English 5 pure vowels and 5 dipthongs

Impact of L1 on the Development of the English Language Learner Spanish is highly inflected language

(English is not) Affix usage is an area of difficulty Spanish does not use quotation marks Spanish does not use contractions Spanish does not use auxiliaries Spanish does use a subject – verb –

object but Spanish allows for flexibility in word movement.

Case Study

Student: Liz Grade: 5Th

From: Mexico Years in USA: 3.5 years Home Language: Spanish Proficiency: Speaking only – no ability in

reading or writing Hardest problem: Exception to sounds

Instruction Implication The following slides will show examples

of Liz’s incorrect word and the correct words

A probable reason for these errors is also given

Liz used the wrong affix in the following samples causing a shift in the tense of the word.

Incorrect word correct wordBuilding buildingsLeted letSharing sharedStart startedRoom roomsImmigrant immigrantsLive lived

In the following words she knew to change the affix but spelled it incorrectly.

Incorrect word correct wordInportnt importantLookd looked

Liz used the wrong vowel sound in the following:

Incorrect word correct wordWall will

Vowel clusters that end with”-r” are still confusing to Liz as shown in this example.

Incorrect word correct wordHre her 

The vowel cluster with [er] where the /r/ is not pronounced is a close cousin to the “her” problem.

Incorrect word correct wordAmreica America

Missing the silent e frequently occurs.

Incorrect word correct wordStor storeLik like

There are changes found in ordinal numbers.

Incorrect word correct wordFivth fifthForth fourthThree third

The famous spelling pattern – I before E except after C is lacking.

Incorrect word correct wordFrinds friends

Drop the e when adding –ing is troublesome for Liz.

Incorrect word correct wordHave ing havingShakeing shaking

Words that contained diphthongs are always a challenge for Liz.

Incorrect word correct wordAgane againBote boatPeapel peopleTerarer teacher

Internal changes for past tense occur often.

Incorrect word correct wordSpented spentTelled told

The incorrect use of determiner was used in the following examples. (These are only a few words from the sentences written by Liz.)

Incorrect word correct wordDidn’t have no work didn’t have workHelp the rebuild help rebuildIn earthquake an earthquakeIn the city the cityOver 2000,000 that people over 200,000 people 

She misused the /ei/ sound.

Incorrect word correct wordStae stay

The dd makes the /d/ sound and /d/ and /t/ are both consonant [anterior] stops.

Incorrect word correct wordMeted middle 

Incorrect vowel sounds.

Incorrect word correct wordTall tellTame time

Reduced vowel sounds.

Incorrect word correct wordCompter computerFrget forget

The second e is voiceless.

Incorrect word correct wordWednsday Wednesday

The correct word for the /ei/ sound.

Incorrect word correct wordThay they

The sound for /v/ and /f/ are both [LABIAL] – [ROUND]

Incorrect word correct wordBevfor before

Instruction Implications Use of suffixes Internal changes for past tense words Contractions Silent letters Diphthongs

Quotation:“Phonemic awareness is defined as the ability to perceive and manipulate the

sounds (phonemes) that make up words in oral language” (Freeman and Freeman

2004, Pg. 75)

Summary Liz is progressing but has obstacles that

slow her learning. Limited L1 learning to transfer to L2 Nervousness and anxiety towards tests No support in English at home

ConclusionLiz’s language situation is not unique. Many who move here from a Spanish speaking country stop learning in Spanish. This was done after the time when learning acquisition has past. Native learners learn from listening first to our families. Students who come into English during the school years only hear English spoken in school. Students develop an interlanguage and even fossilize errors in what knowledge they try to transfer between the two languages.