| Prior research on ser/estar acquisition (VanPatten 1985, 1987; Ryan & Lafford 1992) states that these verbs are acquired in transitional stages of competence. VanPatten (1987) proposes that ser appears first, performing most copula functions, including those of estar. For example, ser is used correctly in (1), but in (2) it is used instead of estar.(UNFORMATTED TABLE OR EQUATION FOLLOWS);Ryan & Lafford agree with VanPatten's findings that ser is the first form in learner's speech. Because of the high frequency of use of ser among their students, both studies conclude that ser is acquired first. Their work also shows that acquisition is not affected by the students's first language (L1), textbook, or order of teaching. This research raises several questions: is ser truly acquired first? Do the L1, the textbook, or order of teaching play an important role in the acquisition of ser?;This dissertation addresses these questions on the basis of an in-depth study of the use of ser and estar in compositions from students learning Spanish as a second language. The study confirms that the students overuse ser, but this does not necessarily support the proposal that ser is acquired first. Indeed, overuse of ser shows that the students have not yet acquired the rules related to the correct use of ser or estar. It seems that the overuse of ser is the result of a simplification strategy (Richards 1975) and of the manner in which these verbs are presented and taught in class. For example, the textbook Puntos de partida (1993) formally introduces ser on p. 8, while estar is introduced on p. 176.;As observed in the compositions, the students simplify by extending the uses of ser to all contexts. The data also indicates that contexts in which ser and estar are not in opposition are easier to learn: ser is acquired first with predicate nominatives, and estar with progressive constructions. Furthermore, this study shows that L1, textbook and syllabus play important roles in the order of acquisition of the copulas, and that these are crucial factors in second language acquisition. |
