An Analysis of English–Spanish Cognates as a Source of General Academic Language

Datos Bibliográficos

ID12752007
AutoresShira Lubliner (California State University, East Bay, autor de correspondencia), Elfrieda H Hiebert (0000-0002-2864-7549, University of California, Berkeley)
Año2011
Volumen34
Número1
Páginas76-93
Fecha de publicación2011-04-29
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaBilingual Research Journal (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1523-5882 • E-ISSN: 1523-5890
EditorialTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/15235882.2011.568589
OpenAlexW2052980607
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas28
Referencias citadas35

Three analyses of Spanish–English cognates were conducted, with the purpose of identifying features that might facilitate or inhibit bilingual students' cognate recognition and cross-language transfer of vocabulary knowledge. Results revealed that both the General Service List and the Academic Word List (AWL) contain a substantial number of English–Spanish cognates, a high percentage of which can be categorized by 1 of 20 cognate patterns. Orthographic and phonological transparencies were analyzed, suggesting that cognates are more transparent in terms of orthography than phonology. A frequency analysis indicated that most AWL cognates are more common in Spanish than in English. Results suggest that carefully designed cognate instruction may provide Spanish-speaking students with a “cognate advantage” in comprehending English academic texts

Cognate · English as a second language · Linguistics · Orthography · Phonology · Reading (process · Vocabulary · Computer Science · EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning · Linguistic Variation and Morphology · Psychology · Second Language Acquisition and Learning