Spanish and English, A ComparisonBy Julie

Data Analysis Journal Poster• Information about person:• Name: Luigi• Location: Dominican Republic, North Coast• Age: 27 years old• Sex: male• Status: student at a university studying hotel business

administration• English Training:

• Five years ago he took one English class for one year• Is taking English classes again• Speaks English regularly with the people around him. (Many are

missionaries and tourists.)

Data Analysis Journal Poster

Data Analysis Journal Poster

Subject Verb Agreement Errors

What Luigi wrote Correct Form Error

God know everything God knows everything.

Incorrect use - plural verb

was used with a singular

proper noun

He work everyday for usHe works every day for

us.

Incorrect use - plural verb

was used with a singular

noun

my classes was four hour

everyday in the week

My classes were four

hours every day of the

week.

Incorrect use - singular

verb used for a plural

noun

my classes was four hour

everyday in the week

My classes were four

hours every day of the

week.

Incorrect use - singular

verb used for a plural

noun

Data Analysis Journal

Spelling Errors

Verb Tense ErrorsWhat Luigi wrote Correct Form Error

I finished on Dicember

2009

I finished in December

2009.

Incorrect spelling of

December.

What Luigi wrote Correct Form Error

I drop out the English

classes on 2007.

I dropped out of the

English classes in 2007.

The verb drop should be

written in past tense

I spend like nine month

for to learn English here

I spent about nine

months in order to learn

English here.

The past tense should be

used for the word spend

Data Analysis Journal

Sentence Structure Errors

What Luigi wrote Correct Form Error

here is ok It is okay here.The sentence is missing

the pronoun it.

is a pleasure to talk with

you Julie

It is a pleasure to talk

with you, Julie.

The sentence is missing

the pronoun it.

Im glad to hear about if I

want help you, I say yes!

I’m glad to hear you need

help. Yes, I will help you.

Incorrect sentence

structure

is a pleasure to help you,It is a pleasure to help

you.

The sentence is missing

the pronoun it.

sorry so much about

your Church Julie

I’m very sorry about your

church Julie.Missing the subject I

sorry so much about

your Church Julie

Julie, I’m very sorry about

your church.Missing the verb am

Data Analysis Journal

Sample of Punctuation Errors

What Luigi wrote Correct Form Error

im fine thank and you? I’m fine, thanks. And you?First letter is not

capitalized

im fine thank and you? I’m fine, thanks. And you?Missing an apostrophe to

form the contraction I’m

im fine thank and you? I’m fine, thanks. And you? Missing a comma

Data Analysis JournalImproper Use of Words

Im glad to hear that

everything is doing well

with you

I’m glad to hear that

everything is going well

with you

Used the verb doing in

place of the correct verb

going

sorry so much about

your Church Julie

Julie, I’m very sorry about

your church.

The adverb much should

be replaced by the

correct adverb very

I drop out the English

classes on 2007.

I dropped out of the

English classes in 2007.Incorrect preposition

I drop out the English

classes on 2007.

I dropped out of the

English classes in 2007.

The preposition of is

missing from the

sentence.

I spend like nine month

for to learn English here

I spent about nine

months in order to learn

English here.

“For” should be replaced

with “in order to”

Data Analysis Journal• Summary• Each section of errors had its own repetitive pattern, but all

errors relate back to differences between the L1 and the TL.

Language Comparison• Key Features of Spanish• Emphasis on phonology• Uses Roman Alphabet• Syllable structure dominated by Consonant (C) Vowel (V)

approach.• Other syllable structures:

• V, CVC, VC, and CCV• Stress and intonation pronounced in spoken language and shown

in written language

Language Comparison• Key features of Spanish• Verb agrees with the subject only• Verbs are conjugated• All nouns have gender• Definitive articles, indefinite articles and adjectives agree in

gender and number with the nouns they modify. • Spanish Syntax

• Flexible word order• Normally follows Subject-Verb-Object

Language Comparison• Key Features of Spanish• Lack of auxiliaries in questions• Double negatives are used to show negation• Modifiers: noun followed by an adjective

Language ComparisonDifferences

English• More sounds• 26 consonants phonemes• 13 vowel phonemes• Words end with a

consonant• Syllable structure• Consonant Clusters

English does not include the phonemes /rr/ or the /ɲ/ that Spanish includes.

Spanish• Emphasis on phonology• 18 consonants phonemes• 5 vowels phonemes• Words end with a vowel• Syllable structure• Consonant Vowel dominated

“Spanish lacks the glottal /’/, the voiced affricate /ʤ/, the voiced

/ð/ and unvoiced /ɵ/, the voiced /ž/ and unvoiced /ʃ/, the

/z/, the /ŋ/, and the flap /ɾ/” (Bilinguistics, 2007).

Language ComparisonDifferences

English• Syllable timed language• Words are built from roots

that are free morphemes• English verbs use different

forms of a word to change tense

• Nouns do not have gender• Do not use double

negatives

Spanish• Stress timed language• Verbal roots are bound and

cannot stand alone• Spanish verbs are

conjugated to change tense

• Nouns have gender• Adjectives, demonstratives

and articles change according to gender

• Subject pronouns are only used for emphasis

• Use double negatives

Language Comparison• Causes of Errors during language development• Difficulties students will face include

• recognizing that phonemes represent different speech sounds• creating morphemes and sentences

• ELLs will have difficulty creating words “because the majority of complex words in English are built from roots that are free morphemes” (O’Grady et al, 2010, p.121).

• Creating sentences will be difficult because of a lack of verb conjugation.

Language Comparison• Causes of errors during language development• ELLs will need to specify who or what the subject is before the

verb instead of including it with the verb. • Interlanguage will also affect the pronunciation of the English

phoneme /h/ and cause difficulty in pronouncing clusters.

Language Comparison• Causes of errors during language development• Challenges ELLs will face in grammar include developing

sentences with single negative construction, correctly using English prepositions and pronouns, and adjusting to rigid word order.

• Interlanguage might also cause Spanish speakers to place the modifier after the noun in the English language and/or forget about the auxiliary, or drop articles.

Language Comparison• The errors Luigi made were due to the differences in language

structure of English and Spanish. He tried to apply Spanish syntax rules when creating English sentences.

Language Comparison

Instructional Implications

•Develop lessons where students learn, practice, and reinforce specific language concepts. •Design instruction to focus on the new and unfamiliar sounds; including certain vowels, consonants, diphthongs, and syllables” (Hagan, 2010). •Unfamiliar sounds, syllables, and consonant clusters will be a key area on which to focus.

Language Comparison

Instructional Implications

•Minimal pairs may help Spanish speakers distinguish between different vowel sounds and clusters. •Investigating spelling rules and showing students cognates will develop a better understanding of written English and pronunciation. •In order to help ELLs, they should be shown the similarities between their native language and the target language, ultimately building on what they already know (Hagan, 2010).

Language Comparison

Instructional Implications

•“The instructor should use words in context and provide extensive practice for English language learners to master the understanding and use of the new vocabulary words” (Hagan, 2010).•Explicitly instruct students in words with multiple meanings and then provide many opportunities to use these words in various contexts (Hagan, 2010). •Knowing the students’ needs will help the instructor provide opportunities to meet these needs by using a variety of strategies while creating a positive learning environment.

References• Bilinguistics. (2007). Basic Communication Processes:

Introductory [.pdf]. Bilinguistics Inc. Retrieved from http://www.pediastaff.com/resources-typical-development-of-speech-in -spanish-in-comparison-to-english

• Chamot, A., Mado, J., & Hollie, S. (2009) Longman keystone level B (Teacher’s Edition) White Plains, NY, USA: Pearson Longman.

• Colorín Colorado. (2007). Capitalizing on similarities and differences between Spanish and English. Retrieved from http://www.colorincolorado.org/educators/background/capitalizing/

• Frankfurt International School. (2011). The differences between English and Spanish. Retrieved from http://esl.fis.edu/grammar/langdiff/spanish.htm

• Gifted Speech. (2010). For teachers. Retrieved from http://www.giftedspeech.com/how-does-it-work/for-teachers/

References• Hagan, E. (2010). Response to intervention: implications for Spanish-speaking

English language learners. Perspectives on language and literacy, (Spring 2010), 36(2). Retrieved from http://www.rtinetwork.org/learn/diversity/response-to-intervention-implications-for -spanish-speaking-english-language-learners

• Mackenzie, I. (1993). The transparency of Spanish orthography. Journal of the SimplifiedSpelling Society, 1993(2), 15-21. Retrieved from http://www.spellingsociety.org/journals/j15/spanish.php

• O’Grady, W., Archibald, J., Aronoff, M., and Rees-Miller, J. (2010). Contemporary Linguistics An Introduction (6th ed.). Boston, MA, USA: Bedford/St.Martin’s.

• Speech Pathology CEUs. (2011). Speech development in Spanish and English quick reference slides. Retrieved from http://speechpathologyceus.net/cld-resource-library/

• Speech Pathology CEUs. (2011). Common Semantic and Syntactic Errors in the English Language Learners Retrieved from http://speechpathologyceus.net/wp -content/uploads/2010/10/Common-Semantic-and-Syntactic-Errors.pdf

• Williams, E. (1987). The batnam new college Spanish and English Dictionary. New York, NY, USA: Batnam Books.