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ERIC Number: ED165473
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1978-Jul
Pages: 84
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
The Acquisition of Spanish Grammar by Native Spanish Speaking Children.
Gonzalez, Gustavo
The normal sequence of development of Spanish phonology and Spanish grammatical patterns in the speech of native Spanish-speaking children, two to five years old, was studied to determine the syntactic structures and range of language variability at each chronological age level. Middle-class children, living in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas, whose parents earned between $4500 and $20,000 a year, were interviewed for a total of about two hours. The elicitation technique was basically conversational and materials of different types were used, including dolls, cars, and storybooks. The first interview consisted mostly of general questions; the second concentrated on verb tenses and moods; and the final interview included a morphology test which utilizes Spanish nonsense words. An experimental Spanish phonology test was also administered. The child was asked to repeat certain sentences that contain all the phonemes and significant allophones of Spanish. Syntactic structures found in each age group, a discussion of certain grammatical features, and an examination of the deviations encountered at the age levels are presented. Examples are given for almost every structure, but the deviations are not included. It is suggested that the findings would be valuable to kindergarten and primary teachers, curriculum writers, and test developers. (SW)
National Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education, 1500 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 802, Rosslyn, Virginia 22209
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Inst. of Education (DHEW), Washington, DC.
Authoring Institution: National Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education, Arlington, VA.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A