Aural Processing of Cognates in Learners of Spanish as a Second Language

Abstract

The present study investigates the role of phonology in the aural processing of cognates in learners of Spanish as a second language. First, this thesis expands on the body of research on cognate processing to include the aural modality. In doing so, it proposes a definition and a classification of Spanish-English cognates based on their shared phonological features and the degree of phonological overlap. To address this topic, data was collected through experimental tasks performed by learners of Spanish as a second language. Second, the study contributes to clarify: a) whether cognates are perceived and comprehended aurally more accurately than non-cognates; b) whether the degree of phonological overlap has a facilitative effect on the perception and comprehension of cognates aurally; c) whether cognates are perceived and comprehended more accurately in the visual modality than in the aural modality. Overall results indicate that cognates are perceived and comprehended more accurately than non-cognates. Also, study suggests that the degree of phonological overlap may affect the perception and comprehension of cognates. Finally, results show that cognates presented in the visual modality are perceived and comprehended better than in the aural modality.