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The objective of this study is to examine the factors that influence the acquisition of sociolinguistic competence by second-language learners who study abroad. Sociolinguistic competence is the ability to vary one’s language according to the speech context and includes the modifications we make to reflect the seriousness of the topic of conversation, the audience to whom we are speaking and our own individual characteristics. Indeed, this type of linguistic competence often differs across dialects of the same language. Hence, the linguistic input that students receive while abroad depends crucially on the region in which they study abroad. In order to better understand the second language acquisition of sociolinguistic competence and the potential effects of varied input, this study examines the development of dialect-specific variation of forms in Spanish that express grammatical subjects, objects, and the past tense; all of which have been shown to vary across and within dialects of Spanish. A total of 22 students participated in the study; 11 students who studied in Madrid, Spain and 11 students who studied in Santiago, Dominican Republic. Students completed four research tasks at the beginning and end of a semester-long study abroad experience. The tasks included an oral interview and three online tasks: a written contextualized task, a short grammar test, and a background questionnaire. 11 native speakers from each region also completed the oral interview and written contextualized tasks. Results show that after studying abroad, students show some development toward native-like patterns of use of the linguistic structures. However, development and patterns of use of the forms depend crucially on the linguistic structure under examination, the task, the location of the study abroad, the students' proficiency in Spanish, the students' attitudes toward the language, as well as other factors. |
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