SPAN3706: Spanish Applied Linguistics

Spanish Applied Linguistics examines the ways in which linguistic research can be applied to the learning and teaching of Spanish. The first part of this course provides an overview of the main theories and processes of second language acquisition as they apply to Spanish second language learners and heritage speakers of Spanish to answer questions such as: How do individuals acquire a second language? In what ways is the process similar to or different from first language acquisition? In what ways are heritage learners similar to or different from second language learners? What level of proficiency do most Spanish majors attain by the time they graduate? What strategies can language learners use to reach higher levels of proficiency? The second part of the course will focus on the aspects of Spanish that are especially challenging for both second language learners and heritage speakers. For example, we’ll analyze why the distinction between the preterite and imperfect past tenses is so difficult for English-speakers to acquire. We’ll also examine pragmatic differences in the way people interact in Spanish and English. For example, is making a request in a restaurant done the same way in Minneapolis as in Madrid, Spain or Quito, Ecuador? How do English speakers learn to make appropriate requests in Spanish? Students will analyze actual native speaker and learner production of Spanish so they can develop a greater awareness of how the language works in context and how it varies across the Spanish-speaking world.prereq: A grade of C- or better in SPAN 3104W or SPAN 3104V or TLDO 3104W or ARGN 3104W or SPAN 3105W or SPAN 3105V or TLDO 3105W or SPAN 3107W or SPAN 3107V or TLDO 3107W.

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