Tania Leal Méndez
Dados Biográficos
| ID | 1498751 |
|---|---|
| NOME | Tania Leal Méndez |
| PRENOMES | Tania Leal |
| SOBRENOME | Méndez |
| ASSINATURA | MÉNDEZ T L |
| AFILIAÇÕES | University of Nevada, Reno |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-9653-3191 |
| VERIFICADO | Sim |
| TOTAL DE OBRAS | 15 |
| TOTAL DE CITAÇÕES | 11 |
| TOTAL COMO AUTOR | 15 |
| TOTAL COMO EDITOR | 0 |
| PRIMEIRO ANO DE PUBLICAÇÃO | 2013 |
| ANO MAIS RECENTE DE PUBLICAÇÃO | 2024 |
| ÍNDICE H | 2 |
The power paradox in bilingualism
Central to Lohndal and Putnam's proposal (2024; hence L&P) is a foundational goal underlying generative L2/Ln acquisition (GenSLA) research: to model language architecture. L&P answer calls to encourage research with bilinguals to advance linguistic theory (e.g., L&P do not put forth new mechanisms for explaining the acquisition of languages beyond the first; they call for a shift in perspective, namely, to make the theoretical machinery "as slim…
Crosslinguistic influence from Catalan and Yucatec Maya on judgments and processing of Spanish focus
Although a bilingual’s knowledge of one language can affect the other, crosslinguistic influence (CLI) is constrained: certain domains, such as the syntax-discourse interface, are more likely to be affected. Linguists have debated CLI’s nature and cause: the Structural Overlap Hypothesis identifies surface overlap between the languages as the key factor determining CLI, while the Interface Hypothesis highlights the role of processing overloads. O…
L2 representation and processing of Spanish focus
Research on second-language (L2) acquisition has identified linguistic domains that appear to be especially difficult to learn—one such sticking point being syntactic structures that depend on the surrounding discourse. The Interface Hypothesis (IH) explains what makes such constructions problematic by appealing to a modular view of language, arguing that integrating knowledge from language-internal domains (e.g., syntax) with language-external d…
Feature Matching Does Not Equal Convergence
Our study aims to determine whether formal similarity between two languages (operationalized via the Feature Reassembly Hypothesis) allows adult L2 learners of French (Spanish native speakers; NSs) to straightforwardly acquire third-person singular accusative clitics in their L2. Additionally, we examined the role of surface similarity, since French and Spanish overlap and diverge in several ways. In terms of formal similarity, third-person accus…
Object focus marking in Spanish
The literature on focus in Spanish contains a divide between theoretical claims and quantitative empirical evidence: While Spanish is often regarded as resorting to syntactic movement to mark focus, quantitative and/or experimental data often do not support this claim. Research focusing on non-final objects within the VP can provide valuable clarity to the empirical picture, especially when evidence is gathered using multiple methods, a practice …
Processing subject focus across two Spanish varieties
Linguists have keenly studied the realization of focus – the part of the sentence introducing new information – because it involves the interaction of different linguistic modules. Syntacticians have argued that Spanish uses word order for information-structural purposes, marking focused constituents via rightmost movement. However, recent studies have challenged this claim. To contribute sentence-processing evidence, we conducted a self-paced re…
Better together
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The realization of information focus in monolingual and bilingual native Spanish
The strategies used to signal information focus — the non-presupposed part of a sentence — in Spanish are under debate. The literature suggests that focus must appear rightmost; however, empirical evidence shows that speakers also realize focus in-situ. Moreover, there is limited research investigating the effects of language variety or knowledge of another language on focus marking. We address these questions via a paced elicited production task…
The acquisition of Focus in L2 Spanish
This paper examines the strategies used by speakers of Spanish as a second language (L2) for marking Information Focus, a phenomenon found at the syntax–discourse interface. Sorace and colleagues have proposed the Interface Hypothesis, according to which the syntax–discourse interface poses unique challenges for bilinguals (Sorace, 2011). With respect to Spanish, there exists a gap between the theoretical and empirical literatures on Focus realiz…
Tiffany Judy and Silvia Perpiñán
Rumors of UG's Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated
Debate and discussion are crucial for the advancement of our fields in order to understand the phenomena we seek to explain. When these debates are cast from an adversarial position, the value of the discussion is lost. In this sense, we are disappointed by the acrimony of de Bot’s reaction to our Forum essay. Most of his points, even those he characterizes as ‘beyond doubt’, are anecdotal and subjectively selected, whereas others are plainly wro…
Discourse-sensitive clitic-doubled dislocations in heritage Spanish
We Have Moved On
In this Forum piece, we address several common misunderstandings of the generative L2A framework that are current in the wider L2A literature. Many of these misunderstandings stem from proposals that, although tested and eventually discarded, are still cited as though they were still accepted and in active use. We hope that by addressing four of the most persistent myths, we can persuade the wider L2A field to let them go and move on. By highligh…
The Interpretability Hypothesis again
Tsimpli and Dimitrakopoulou (2007) propose the Interpretability Hypothesis (IH), according to which uninterpretable features present an insurmountable difficulty in adult second language acquisition. The experimental study supporting the IH examines Greek native speakers’ knowledge of gaps versus resumptive pronouns in English wh-movement. A crucial assumption is that Greek allows resumptives optionally. Alexopoulou and Keller’s (2002, 2007) find…
Experimental Methodologies
The current article examines two experimental investigations of the syntaxdiscourse interface, which address theoretical questions in different ways: the first is an L1 investigation of Galician speakers in Gupton (2010) and the second is a dual investigation of L1 and L2 Spanish reported on in Leal Méndez & Slabakova (2011). These investigations gathered quantitative data via psycholinguistic tasks with accompanying audio utilizing the WebSurvey…
Discourse-sensitive clitic-doubled dislocations in heritage Spanish
The acquisition of Focus in L2 Spanish
This paper examines the strategies used by speakers of Spanish as a second language (L2) for marking Information Focus, a phenomenon found at the syntax–discourse interface. Sorace and colleagues have proposed the Interface Hypothesis, according to which the syntax–discourse interface poses unique challenges for bilinguals (Sorace, 2011). With respect to Spanish, there exists a gap between the theoretical and empirical literatures on Focus realiz…
Experimental Methodologies
The current article examines two experimental investigations of the syntaxdiscourse interface, which address theoretical questions in different ways: the first is an L1 investigation of Galician speakers in Gupton (2010) and the second is a dual investigation of L1 and L2 Spanish reported on in Leal Méndez & Slabakova (2011). These investigations gathered quantitative data via psycholinguistic tasks with accompanying audio utilizing the WebSurvey…
We Have Moved On
In this Forum piece, we address several common misunderstandings of the generative L2A framework that are current in the wider L2A literature. Many of these misunderstandings stem from proposals that, although tested and eventually discarded, are still cited as though they were still accepted and in active use. We hope that by addressing four of the most persistent myths, we can persuade the wider L2A field to let them go and move on. By highligh…
The Interpretability Hypothesis again
Tsimpli and Dimitrakopoulou (2007) propose the Interpretability Hypothesis (IH), according to which uninterpretable features present an insurmountable difficulty in adult second language acquisition. The experimental study supporting the IH examines Greek native speakers’ knowledge of gaps versus resumptive pronouns in English wh-movement. A crucial assumption is that Greek allows resumptives optionally. Alexopoulou and Keller’s (2002, 2007) find…
Rumors of UG's Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated
Debate and discussion are crucial for the advancement of our fields in order to understand the phenomena we seek to explain. When these debates are cast from an adversarial position, the value of the discussion is lost. In this sense, we are disappointed by the acrimony of de Bot’s reaction to our Forum essay. Most of his points, even those he characterizes as ‘beyond doubt’, are anecdotal and subjectively selected, whereas others are plainly wro…
Discourse-sensitive clitic-doubled dislocations in heritage Spanish
Tiffany Judy and Silvia Perpiñán
The realization of information focus in monolingual and bilingual native Spanish
The strategies used to signal information focus — the non-presupposed part of a sentence — in Spanish are under debate. The literature suggests that focus must appear rightmost; however, empirical evidence shows that speakers also realize focus in-situ. Moreover, there is limited research investigating the effects of language variety or knowledge of another language on focus marking. We address these questions via a paced elicited production task…
The acquisition of Focus in L2 Spanish
This paper examines the strategies used by speakers of Spanish as a second language (L2) for marking Information Focus, a phenomenon found at the syntax–discourse interface. Sorace and colleagues have proposed the Interface Hypothesis, according to which the syntax–discourse interface poses unique challenges for bilinguals (Sorace, 2011). With respect to Spanish, there exists a gap between the theoretical and empirical literatures on Focus realiz…
Better together
Preview this article: Better together, Page 1 of 1 /docserver/preview/fulltext/lab.19062.lea-1.gif
Object focus marking in Spanish
The literature on focus in Spanish contains a divide between theoretical claims and quantitative empirical evidence: While Spanish is often regarded as resorting to syntactic movement to mark focus, quantitative and/or experimental data often do not support this claim. Research focusing on non-final objects within the VP can provide valuable clarity to the empirical picture, especially when evidence is gathered using multiple methods, a practice …
Processing subject focus across two Spanish varieties
Linguists have keenly studied the realization of focus – the part of the sentence introducing new information – because it involves the interaction of different linguistic modules. Syntacticians have argued that Spanish uses word order for information-structural purposes, marking focused constituents via rightmost movement. However, recent studies have challenged this claim. To contribute sentence-processing evidence, we conducted a self-paced re…
Feature Matching Does Not Equal Convergence
Our study aims to determine whether formal similarity between two languages (operationalized via the Feature Reassembly Hypothesis) allows adult L2 learners of French (Spanish native speakers; NSs) to straightforwardly acquire third-person singular accusative clitics in their L2. Additionally, we examined the role of surface similarity, since French and Spanish overlap and diverge in several ways. In terms of formal similarity, third-person accus…
L2 representation and processing of Spanish focus
Research on second-language (L2) acquisition has identified linguistic domains that appear to be especially difficult to learn—one such sticking point being syntactic structures that depend on the surrounding discourse. The Interface Hypothesis (IH) explains what makes such constructions problematic by appealing to a modular view of language, arguing that integrating knowledge from language-internal domains (e.g., syntax) with language-external d…
Crosslinguistic influence from Catalan and Yucatec Maya on judgments and processing of Spanish focus
Although a bilingual’s knowledge of one language can affect the other, crosslinguistic influence (CLI) is constrained: certain domains, such as the syntax-discourse interface, are more likely to be affected. Linguists have debated CLI’s nature and cause: the Structural Overlap Hypothesis identifies surface overlap between the languages as the key factor determining CLI, while the Interface Hypothesis highlights the role of processing overloads. O…
The power paradox in bilingualism
Central to Lohndal and Putnam's proposal (2024; hence L&P) is a foundational goal underlying generative L2/Ln acquisition (GenSLA) research: to model language architecture. L&P answer calls to encourage research with bilinguals to advance linguistic theory (e.g., L&P do not put forth new mechanisms for explaining the acquisition of languages beyond the first; they call for a shift in perspective, namely, to make the theoretical machinery "as slim…
Psychology (13 obras) · Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation (13 obras) · Computer Science (12 obras) · Linguistics (12 obras) · Neurobiology of Language and Bilingualism (7 obras) · Artificial Intelligence (6 obras) · Syntax (6 obras) · Natural language processing (5 obras) · Philosophy (5 obras) · Cognitive psychology (4 obras)