LINGUIST List 22.3859 Tue Oct 04 2011 Diss: Lang Acq/Socioling: Salgado-Robles: 'The Acquisition of ...' Editor for this issue: Xiyan Wang <xiyanlinguistlist.org> To post to LINGUIST, use our convenient web form at http://linguistlist.org/LL/posttolinguist.cfm. Directory         1.     Francisco Salgado-Robles , The Acquisition of Sociolinguistic Variation by Learners of Spanish in a Study Abroad Context Message 1: The Acquisition of Sociolinguistic Variation by Learners of Spanish in a Study Abroad Context Date: 02-Oct-2011 From: Francisco Salgado-Robles <fsalgadoufl.edu> Subject: The Acquisition of Sociolinguistic Variation by Learners of Spanish in a Study Abroad Context E-mail this message to a friend Institution: University of Florida Program: Department of Spanish and Portuguese Studies Dissertation Status: Completed Degree Date: 2011 Author: Francisco Salgado-Robles Dissertation Title: The Acquisition of Sociolinguistic Variation by Learners of Spanish in a Study Abroad Context Dissertation URL: http://hispanismo.cervantes.es/detalleTesis.asp?ID=133 Linguistic Field(s): Language Acquisition                             Sociolinguistics Dissertation Director: Gillian Lord David Pharies Diana Boxer Dissertation Abstract: It is generally believed that study abroad (SA) is the most efficient and successful way to acquire proficiency in a second language (L2). SA is a crucial component of students' second language acquisition (SLA) process, for it puts them in situations in which they can use the language on a daily basis and interact with native speakers. More than two decades of research focused on the second language outcomes of Spanish immersion programs has produced a wealth of studies documenting the weaknesses and strengths of Spanish immersion students' communicative proficiency. For the most part, these studies have concentrated on L2 learners' acquisition of features of the target language, typically measured by categorical, as opposed to variable, standards. Consequently, many questions pertaining to the acquisition of patterns of language variation common to a particular community in a SA context remain unanswered. This dissertation explores the extent to which L2 learners of Spanish acquire variable structures of language -specifically, the leísmo phenomenon, i.e., the use of the dative pronoun le(s) instead of the accusative pronouns lo(s) and la(s) as direct objects- while participating in a five-month study abroad immersion program. The research is comprised of two groups (N = 40; n = 20 per group) of L2 learners of Spanish studying in two different regions of Spain where septentrional (Valladolid, Castilla-León) and meridional (Sevilla, Andalucía) dialects make this linguistic variation salient. In addition, baseline data from native speakers of both regions (N = 36; n = 18 per group) is compared to that of the L2 learners of Spanish. The present study is a quantitative and qualitative longitudinal investigation of oral and written data, which were elicited respectively through sociolinguistic interviews and written tasks with participants. The results suggest that SA learners do in fact develop an awareness of non-standard forms of the target language, which are, to a certain degree, incorporated into their sociolinguistic competence. In sum, this project contributes to an extensive body of research on the SLA of object pronouns by adding qualitative and quantitative longitudinal data, and helps to add further knowledge about the development of L2 linguistic competence during a sojourn abroad, and to fill a gap in the new strand of studies on the acquisition of sociolinguistic variation due to L2 learners' exposure to the target speech community. Read more issues|LINGUIST home page|Top of issue Page Updated: 04-Oct-2011       About LINGUIST    |   Contact Us       While the LINGUIST List makes every effort to ensure the linguistic relevance of sites listed on its pages, it cannot vouch for their contents.