1. Language Comparisons
Kerri Donahue
Wilkes University
Spring 2012

2. Key Features of L1
Spanish language is pronounced phonetically
 Informal and formal ways to address people
 Different words may mean the same thing but are used in different
contexts, for example ‘ser’ and ‘estar’
 Inflections are used for nouns, verbs, and even adjectives which
indicate the gender and number
 The vowels in Spanish use an accent mark, for example ‘á’.
 Sentences are punctuated by placing an upside-down punctuation mark
at the beginning of the sentence to show an exclamation or a question

3. Compare and Contrast with
English Structure
 share related vocabulary
 originate from Latin and Arabic
 each have subjects and verbs in their sentences
 Both have definite articles
 In Spanish, the article changes depending on whether it
is masculine or feminine and singular or plural
 English uses an apostrophe ‘s’ to show ownership (not
Spanish)
 In Spanish all the infinitives have special endings
 Spanish does not have long or short vowel sounds

4. Inter-language Development
of Case study Student: Lily
 Diagnosis of a learning disability
 Falls into the WIDA Can Do Descriptors for grades 9-12-
Developing
 Most of the errors Lily* makes involve leaving out
inflections
 Lily also makes the error of leaving off the ‘s’ when
showing possession and for plurals

5. Data Collection Insights
Reading/Speaking:
 Most errors in the category of omissions
Lily* omits the [‘s].
1. One possible reason for this is that Spanish does not show ownership with
apostrophes.
2. It is also very common in Puerto Rican colloquial Spanish to drop the [s] at the
end of words. Sometimes entire word endings are cut out altogether or are blended
into one.
o Inflection errors, forgetting [ed], [ing], and [er].
-Probably because in Spanish the present tense is frequently used
 English has more vowel sounds then Spanish has and Lily tends to pronounce many
words incorrectly
Writing:
 In Spanish there is more of a phonetic system of spelling, and Lily often spells things
as she thinks they sound

6. Instructional Implications
 Lessons need to be explicitly taught
 Expose Lily to a vast variety of reading, writing,
and conversational activities
 Teach Lily* these endings and to help her practice
them

7. References
 Elorrieta, J. (2006). Holt Spanish !expresate! grammar tutor for students of Spanish:
Level 1, 2 and 3. Orlando, FL: Holt McDougal.
 Freeman, D. E., & Freeman, Y. S. (2004). Essential linguistics what you need to
know to teach (pp. 2-48). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
 Liệu, T., Khảo, &., & Luận, &. (2010, March 31). (2010, March 31). Mother-Tongue
interference in Spanish-Speaking English language learners’ interlanguage. Retrieved
March 8, 2012, from Texas Woman’s University website: http://www.viethoc.com/Ti-
Liu/bien-khao/khao-luan/mother-tongueinterferenceinspanish-
speakingenglishlanguagelearners
 Rubba, J. (2011, October 6). English phonology. In Phonology, phonics, and English
spelling. Retrieved March 8, 2012, from Cal Poly State University website:
http://cla.calpoly.edu/~jrubba/phon/phon.spel.html
 Shoebottom, P. (2012). The differences between English and Spanish. Retrieved March
12, 2012, from Frankfurt International School website:
http://esl.fis.edu/grammar/langdiff/spanish.htm
 Spanish language facts. (n.d.). Retrieved March 8, 2012, from www.language-
capitals.com website: http://www.language-capitals.com/spanish_facts.php
 WIDA’s can do descriptors [Grades 9-12 CAN DO Descriptors ]. (2011). Retrieved March
8, 2012, from The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System website:
http://www.wida.us/standards/CAN_DOs/