The aim of this essay is to identify the factors that exert an influence on university students' use of the imperfect indicative and the preterite in Spanish. The present study is based on an empirical study consisting of questionnaries carried out with 102 university students who study Spanish as a foreign language at four different universities in Sweden. The hypothesis of this essay is that not only internal factors and external factors but also individual factors and learner strategies used by the students have an influence on the students' correct and incorrect use of the imperfect indicative and the preterite. In the theoretical background of this essay, the internal, external and individual factors related to the acquisition of Spanish as a foreign language are presented. In the next part of the essay, the results of the empirical study are presented and analized. In order to determine if there are any correlations between the variables in question, a series of statistical tests are carried out and analized. Taking in consideration the factors of the aim of this study, the independent variables, i.e. the internal, external and individual factors, are confronted with the dependent variable, i.e. the amount of correct and incorrect answers, in order to identify which of these independent variables favour and prevent the correct use of the imperfect indicative and the preterite. The statistical analyses carried out verify the initial hypothesis: internal and external factors as well as individual factors exert an influence on the students' correct and incorrect use of the imperfect indicative and the preterite.

O presente trabalho é um estudo acerca do processo de compreensão do sentido das Expressões Idiomáticas (EIs) do espanhol por parte de aprendizes brasileiros adolescentes de espanhol como língua estrangeira (E/LE) à luz do Pensamento Complexo (MORIN, 2011) ou Complexidade, com base no modelo interpretativo de aquisição/aprendizagem de línguas estrangeiras de Bruno (2006). Nesta pesquisa, foram aplicados dois testes de caráter qualitativo e experimental a aprendizes de um Centro de Estudos de Línguas do Estado de São Paulo, situado na cidade de São Paulo, de níveis com menos tempo de exposição à língua estrangeira (aproximadamente 240h/a), neste caso, o espanhol, e a aprendizes com mais tempo de exposição (a partir de 320h/a). Pedimos aos alunos que reformulassem em espanhol e em português dois enunciados na língua alvo, com uma EI verbal e com uma EI adverbial, respectivamente em diferentes momentos do curso. Os resultados revelam que nos dois testes há elementos linguísticos relevantes da língua meta no processo de compreensão do sentido da EI em espanhol, tal como, a forma apresentada que ativa aspectos gramaticais, semânticos e pragmático-discursivos bem próximos do que um falante nativo compreenderia, independente da faixa etária do aprendiz. Os dados também revelam que os gêneros discursivos e, mais especificamente, a cena enunciativa, são importantes nesse processo. No entanto, ao compararmos os dados, nota-se uma maior desestabilização no processamento destes por parte dos aprendizes ao terem contato com a EI adverbial. / The present job is a study about the process of comprehension of sense Spanish idioms for teenagers Brazilian apprentices of Spanish Foreign Language at light of Complex Thinking (MORIN, 2011) or Complexity, based on interpretative model of acquisition/learning of foreign languages from Bruno (2006). In this research, we applied two tests of qualitative and experimental character for apprentices of a public Centro de Estudos de Línguas from São Paulo State, situated in the city of São Paulo, with levels with less time of contact to the target language (about 240h/classes), in this case, Spanish Language, and for apprentices with more time of contact to this language (about 320h/classes). We asked to students that reformulate in Spanish and in Portuguese two enunciations in the target language, with a verbal idiom and a adverbial idiom, respectively, in different moments of the course. The results reveals that in the both tests there are important linguistics elements of the target language on the process of comprehension of the Spanish idioms sense, like the form presented that actives grammatical, active grammatical , semantic and pragmatic-discursive aspects closer than a native speaker would understand regardless of the age of the apprentice. The data also reveal that the genres, and more specifically, the scene enunciation are important in this process. However, when comparing the data, there is a greater destabilization processing those of apprentices to have contact with the adverbial EI.

Thesis (M.A.)--Miami University, Dept. of Spanish and Portguese, 2004. / Title from first page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 46-52).

O presente trabalho é um estudo acerca do processo de compreensão do sentido das Expressões Idiomáticas (EIs) do espanhol por parte de aprendizes brasileiros adolescentes de espanhol como língua estrangeira (E/LE) à luz do Pensamento Complexo (MORIN, 2011) ou Complexidade, com base no modelo interpretativo de aquisição/aprendizagem de línguas estrangeiras de Bruno (2006). Nesta pesquisa, foram aplicados dois testes de caráter qualitativo e experimental a aprendizes de um Centro de Estudos de Línguas do Estado de São Paulo, situado na cidade de São Paulo, de níveis com menos tempo de exposição à língua estrangeira (aproximadamente 240h/a), neste caso, o espanhol, e a aprendizes com mais tempo de exposição (a partir de 320h/a). Pedimos aos alunos que reformulassem em espanhol e em português dois enunciados na língua alvo, com uma EI verbal e com uma EI adverbial, respectivamente em diferentes momentos do curso. Os resultados revelam que nos dois testes há elementos linguísticos relevantes da língua meta no processo de compreensão do sentido da EI em espanhol, tal como, a forma apresentada que ativa aspectos gramaticais, semânticos e pragmático-discursivos bem próximos do que um falante nativo compreenderia, independente da faixa etária do aprendiz. Os dados também revelam que os gêneros discursivos e, mais especificamente, a cena enunciativa, são importantes nesse processo. No entanto, ao compararmos os dados, nota-se uma maior desestabilização no processamento destes por parte dos aprendizes ao terem contato com a EI adverbial. / The present job is a study about the process of comprehension of sense Spanish idioms for teenagers Brazilian apprentices of Spanish Foreign Language at light of Complex Thinking (MORIN, 2011) or Complexity, based on interpretative model of acquisition/learning of foreign languages from Bruno (2006). In this research, we applied two tests of qualitative and experimental character for apprentices of a public Centro de Estudos de Línguas from São Paulo State, situated in the city of São Paulo, with levels with less time of contact to the target language (about 240h/classes), in this case, Spanish Language, and for apprentices with more time of contact to this language (about 320h/classes). We asked to students that reformulate in Spanish and in Portuguese two enunciations in the target language, with a verbal idiom and a adverbial idiom, respectively, in different moments of the course. The results reveals that in the both tests there are important linguistics elements of the target language on the process of comprehension of the Spanish idioms sense, like the form presented that actives grammatical, active grammatical , semantic and pragmatic-discursive aspects closer than a native speaker would understand regardless of the age of the apprentice. The data also reveal that the genres, and more specifically, the scene enunciation are important in this process. However, when comparing the data, there is a greater destabilization processing those of apprentices to have contact with the adverbial EI.

This research is logged in the field of language acquisition, focusing on Spanish as a foreign language learnt at university level. It investigates how learning strategies are used by students to develop proficiency in Spanish over a three-year period (from the first year to the third year). Adopting a cognitive lens that places special attention to how linguistic knowledge is constructed, deconstructed and reconstructed, this study focuses on the language learning process, specifically on what the students do to learn a language. Taking into account that the learning of foreign language poses particular and distinctive challenges – as opposed to the learning of a second language – and using a multiphase design that combines sequential strands encompassing quantitative and qualitative techniques, this study finds that those who successfully complete all the Spanish courses are the ones who report significantly more use of metacognitive strategies in the first year. The study concludes by proposing a framework that helps to classify the role that the use of strategies play in learning a foreign language from a student’s perspective. This framework adds a new dimension and provides valuable information to similar types of studies. Considering the above-mentioned findings, the study recommends introducing first-year students to the potential value of using metacognitive strategies in foreign language learning, and suggests that lecturers should recommend more activities for students to engage in the language outside the classroom. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Modern European Languages / PhD / Unrestricted

Selon une démarche relevant autant de la linguistique formelle que de la linguistique appliquée, le présent travail vise à analyser trois « faits de langue » qui posent aux francophones des problèmes d’acquisition : 1) l’emploi des temps verbaux, 2) le choix modal et 3) l’opposition ser/estar. Nous utilisons l’appareil critique de la linguistique formelle afin d’analyser l’organisation des temps verbaux. Nous les considérons comme des déictiques et, pour leur analyse, proposons de ne pas détacher la notion d’espace de celle de temps. De plus, nous introduisons deux notions qui nous permettent d’expliquer les valeurs modales de ces déictiques : celle d’espace épistémique (siège du locuteur) et celle de centre déictique (espace depuis lequel le locuteur organise son discours). Par ailleurs, nous tentons de montrer l’influence que jouent les procédés de topicalisation (thème/rhème) sur le choix du temps et du mode verbal. Quant à l’opposition ser/estar plus spécifiquement, nous nous intéressons aux nuances aspectuelles véhiculées par ces verbes, à savoir dynamique vs statif. Ce travail de systématisation est complété par une démarche propre à la linguistique appliquée et notamment à la recherche en acquisition (RALE) et en didactique (DLE). Une étude transversale en RALE nous permet de décrire l’IL d’un groupe échantillon d’étudiants universitaires francophones de niveau B2. Nous avons également mené trois études de cas en DLE avec des étudiants universitaires de première et deuxième années de licence d’espagnol. Ces études en RALE et DLE permettent de cerner les règles qui régissent les trois faits de langue étudiés, tant en espagnol qu’en français. / Under a multidisciplinary approach that combines linguistics, foreign language acquisition and applied linguistics, this dissertation aims to analyze three features of the Spanish language that French-speaking learners find hard to master and use effectively 1) past tenses, 2) modal choice and 3) ser vs estar. We consider tenses as deictics and, therefore, we propose not to separate them from the notions of time and space. Moreover, the existence of an epistemic space (the speaker’s situation) and a deictic centre (the space from which the speaker organizes his utterance) will enable us to explain the modal values of the tenses. Furthermore, we intend to demonstrate that the organization topic-comment influences the choice of the tense and the mood in a sentence. As for the difference between ser and estar, we focus on the aspectual nuances (dynamic versus static) that each verb carries. Our conclusions in linguistics are completed by case studies: one case study in foreign language acquisition and three case studies in applied linguistics. Through a cross-sectional study in language acquisition, we have been able to describe the interlanguage of a sample group whose subjects were French monolingual college students. We also carried three study cases in order to determine how our teaching, which was inspired by the analysis of these features, helped first and second year French college students perform better. The case studies in foreign language acquisition and applied linguistics have helped us to identify the rules that govern these features of the Spanish language.

The study is based on the answers of 106 international students of Spanish as a foreign language from three different private schools in Madrid. The purpose of this paper is to study, firstly, whether or how the intrinsic motivation of adult Spanish learners, their choice of strategies and the time they spend on vocabulary learning outside of the school, are influenced by the their age, gender or mother tongue. Secondly, the aim of this study is to identify whether learners with a higher degree of intrinsic motivation use more of their free time on vocabulary learning and whether they use a greater variety of vocabulary learning strategies than learners with a lesser degree of intrinsic motivation. Apart from the learning intensity and strategic variety, there is the aim of finding particular strategies preferred by the two different motivation groups. The hypothesis regarding the first part of the study is that, while gender and mother tongue probably won't influence the students' intrinsic motivation or the time they spend on vocabulary learning outside of the classroom, age, and in that sense, responsibility, will. Also, learners from different parts of the world are likely to apply different strategies in order to learn and remember the vocabulary so the mother tongue is important regarding their choice of strategies. The hypothesis regarding the second part of this study is that learners with a high degree of intrinsic motivation will use more of their time on vocabulary learning, they will apply a greater variety of vocabulary learning strategies and are more likely to use mnemotechnics and look for conversation possibilities than learners with a lesser degree of intrinsic motivation. The evidence from this empirical study partly supports the hypothesis. Gender had influence on the participants' intrinsic motivation. The evidence suggests that female learners have a higher degree of intrinsic motivation than the male learners. Correlations were found between the metacognitive and cognitive learning strategies of the Romanic and Germanic language group suggesting that learners with a Romanic mother tongue tend to use more metacognitive strategies than any other language group of the research. As for the Germanic mother tongue, the evidence suggest that learners belonging to this group tend to use more cognitive strategies than learners with a Romanic mother tongue. Also, the research results suggest that learners with a higher degree of intrinsic motivation use more time on vocabulary learning. Furthermore, the results indicate that learners with a higher degree of the intrinsic motivation tend to use more memory strategies than those learners with a lower degree of intrinsic motivation.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Cotidianamente los profesores se hacen esta pregunta: ¿cómo pueden relacionarse mis estudiantes con la lección? Saben que si los estudiantes pudieran acoplarse con el contenido de la lección, entenderían y aprenderían con gran eficacia. En la mayoría de los distritos escolares urbanos de Indianapolis, Estados Unidos hay muchos estudiantes afroamericanos que están en clases de lengua extranjera que piensan que no existen atributos de conexión --como tradiciones y costumbres-- que tienen aspectos en común con sus propias culturas. Por otro lado, hay estudiantes afrolatinos que son nativos de esas lenguas pero a quienes no se les expone a elementos que pertenecen a su cultura o herencia. Esta investigación se enfocará en cómo los profesores pueden utilizar la poesía para enseñar una lengua extranjera; específicamente, cómo se puede utilizar la poesía afrocubana para vincular la lección a los estudiantes minoritarios y su cultura.