Teaching Infinitival Complements in Spanish as a Second Language: Spanish Textbook Explanations
Journal Title: International Journal of Langauges' Education and Teaching - Year 2018, Vol 6, Issue 4
Abstract
This study examines Spanish textbook explanations of infinitival complements and how they can affect a learner’s second-language acquisition process. Verbs taking infinitival complements are commonly found in mandate and volition verbs, both for Spanish and English. However, while some English verbs take gerunds (María avoids eating/*to eat meat), in Spanish a gerund never functions as the complement of a verb (María evita comer/*comiendo carne). Because of these differences, L1 English learners of L2 Spanish often have difficulty acquiring infinitival complement constructions in Spanish. Specifically, they may employ English-like complement structures, producing such ungrammatical utterances as *Odio comiendo tacos ‘I hate eating tacos’. A compounding factor is that many Spanish textbooks do not emphasize the usages of infinitival complements and, when explanations are provided, they are often vague and insufficient. This study examines Spanish textbook explanations of infinitival complements (intermediate and advanced college-level Spanish textbooks and grammar reference books published in the United States) to determine how they can affect the L2 learners’ second-language acquisition process. In this study, sample interactive activities are proposed as an alternative that can go beyond the traditional textbook explanations.
Authors and Affiliations
Jiyoung YOON
Keywords
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