Lexical Frequency Effects on the Acquisition of Syntactic Properties in Heritage Spanish: A Study on Unaccusative and Unergative Predicates

Abstract

This study investigates the acquisition of subject placement in unergative and unaccusative predicates among heritage speakers of Spanish by addressing two constraints ruling the distribution of subject placement (i.e., verb type and focus) as well as by examining whether lexical frequency impacts their acquisition. Sixty-three heritage speakers and twenty-five Spanish-dominant bilinguals completed an oral elicited production task and an acceptability judgment task. Results show that verb type constraints in the heritage speakers are shaped by their proficiency and self-reported lexical frequency: more proficient heritage speakers rated VS sentences higher than their lower-proficient counterparts, and more instances of VS sentences were produced with more frequent unaccusative verbs. Focus constraints only impact the heritage speakers’ acceptability: in narrow focus contexts, heritage speakers rate SV higher than VS sentences. Lexical frequency effects in unaccusative predicates are argued to be the result of spell-outs favoring compatible linear orders as a way to reduce computational costs.

Infinitive vs. Gerund Use and Interpretation in Heritage Spanish

“…This approach argues that the divergences in heritage grammars can be explained in relation to factors such as patterns of language activation and use, proficiency, and lexical frequency for both production and comprehension purposes. The lack of activation of the heritage language might contribute to morphosyntactic variability and potential restructuring of L1 features (Goldin et al 2023;Hur 2020;Hur et al 2020;López Otero 2022;López Otero et al 2023;Perez-Cortes 2016;Putnam and Sánchez 2013;Putnam et al 2019;Sánchez et al 2023;Thane 2023). Thus, it is possible that some properties of the heritage grammar undergo grammatical reconfiguration or reassembly of their internal representation due to low lexical activation, crucially when difficulties in both production and interpretation seem to converge.…”

Syntactic optionality in heritage Spanish: How patterns of exposure and use affect clitic climbing

“…The MiNT is administered orally and focuses on vocabulary, while the DELE relies heavily on reading and writing. MiNT scores correlate with overall proficiency and morphosyntactic knowledge (Bedore et al, 2012; Gollan et al, 2012; Hur et al, 2020; López Otero, 2020, 2022; Sheng et al, 2014; Treffers-Daller & Korybski, 2015). In addition, MiNT scores allow us to explore productive vocabulary knowledge in both Spanish and English as well as to consider HL proficiency as a continuous rather than as a categorical variable (i.e., low, intermediate, or advanced proficiency), consistent with views on bilingualism and language proficiency as a continuum, particularly among HSs (Ortega, 2020).…”

“…HLs may experience remapping and restructuring of FFs to different semantic and PF features as HSs activate their second and dominant language more frequently than their HL, which is often inhibited (Putnam et al, 2019). Putnam and Sánchez’s (2013) approach has been tested in numerous studies investigating the acquisition of heritage morphosyntax (e.g., Hur et al, 2020; López Otero, 2020; Putnam & Schwarz, 2014; Yager, 2016; Yager et al, 2015) as well as how acquisition processes are impacted by patterns of HL comprehension and use, a proxy for HL activation (Cuza & Pérez-Tattam, 2015; López Otero et al, 2021; Perez-Cortes, 2016).…”

“…Recent studies have extended extralinguistic variables to explain HL optionality by including amount of HL activation for production and comprehension purposes. Following Putnam and Sánchez (2013), this body of work has considered amount of HL use and lexical frequency as proxies for activation of the HL (Giancaspro, 2017, 2020; Goldin, 2020; Goldin et al, 2023; Hur, 2020, 2022; Hur et al, 2020; López Otero, 2020, 2022; Perez-Cortes, 2016).…”

(In)frequently asked questions: On types of frequency and their role(s) in heritage language variability

“…In line with the suggestions documented in Karayayla (2021) , several studies have moved towards a more ecologically-valid approach of obtaining lexical frequency data, putting speakers’ individual experience with the HL at the forefront. (As Uygun & Clahsen (2021 : 424) note, “frequencies for lexical entries may be highly variable for heritage speakers given their individual linguistic experience.”) Hur et al (2020) , in their investigation of the effects of token frequency on gender assignment and agreement in heritage Spanish, implemented a self-rating lexical frequency task (SRLFT)—adapted from López Otero (2020) —with this particular purpose in mind. In the SRLFT, HSs reported their use of and exposure to the 32 lexical items included in the subsequent elicited production and forced-choice tasks.…”