Chapter published in:
Linguistic Approaches to Portuguese as an Additional Language
Edited by Karina Veronica Molsing, Cristina Becker Lopes Perna and Ana Maria Tramunt Ibaños
[Issues in Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics 24] 2020
► pp. 191–230

Leveraging Spanish knowledge and cognitive aptitude in Portuguese learning

| George Mason University
| University of Maryland
| University of Maryland
| University of Maryland
| University of Maryland
| University of Maryland
| University of Maryland
| University of Maryland
This chapter describes a study investigating the question of whether and to what extent the presence of the donor language (L2; Spanish) and the first language (L1; English) in a reading comprehension task facilitates or impedes lexical learning in a related language (L3; Portuguese). The study also addresses the role of the learner’s cognitive aptitude (as measured by the High-level Language Aptitude Battery, Hi-LAB; Doughty et al., 2010; Linck et al., 2013). We discuss the results in light of the importance of perceived similarities and differences between related languages in multilingual learning, as well as the importance of understanding the ways in which learners with different levels of cognitive aptitude may be differentially able to leverage existing linguistic knowledge.
Keywords: cross-training, third language acquisition, multilingualism, bilingual glosses, inhibitory control, cognates, cross-linguistic influence, aptitude, reading comprehension, vocabulary learning
Published online: 26 March 2020
https://doi.org/10.1075/ihll.24.08bon
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Linck, Jared A., Martyn Clark, Carrie L. Bonilla, Ewa Golonka, Catherine J. Doughty, TaraLee Mecham & William Burns
2020.  In Linguistic Approaches to Portuguese as an Additional Language [Issues in Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics, 24], ► pp. 231 ff. Crossref logo

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