Spanish and Portuguese Language and Literature Commons^™

Mi Mama Es Bonito: Acquisition Of Spanish Gender By Native English Speakers, Scott M. Alvord, Lisa Griebling Mccowen

Faculty Publications

For an adult, learning a second language can be a complex and demanding task. Differences between one’s native language and the target language can contribute to the complexity of the task. One significant way in which languages can differ is the system of gender. The difference between gender in English and Spanish provides a challenge for adult native English speakers learning Spanish as a second language. The aim of the current study is to examine gender marking on a variety of tasks by adult NS of English as beginning learners of Spanish, with hopes that such examination will provide insight …