Internal and external interfaces: Some challenges in acquiring SER and ESTAR in L2 Spanish

Abstract

Understanding how ser and estar contrast is one of the greatest challenges in the grammar of L2 Spanish, but not all the uses of these verbs are equally complex to learn. This study explores two kinds of uses: (a) the alternation between ser and estar with participles; and (b), the combination of estar with unbounded adjectives. Thus, we analyse two types of L2 learning challenges: the combination of these copulas with participles involves the syntax-semantics interface, whereas interpreting estar uses with unbounded adjectives requires processing at the syntax-semantics-pragmatics interface. As an exploration into the challenges of acquiring these different interface phenomena, we present a study comparing the copula choices, interpretations and acceptability judgements of three groups of Spanish speakers: native speakers of European Spanish (N=48), upper intermediate and advanced L2 Spanish learners with two different L1s: L1 French (N=46) and Portuguese (N=30). Results show clear effects of crosslinguistic influence on the acquisition process. All of the participant groups showed greater variability in the tasks probing the syntax/semantics/pragmatics interface as compared to those involving syntax/semantics interface phenomena. However, the learner groups, especially the L1 French group, were prone to greater variability than the L1 Spanish speakers.