The use of address pronouns in Bogota: A comparative study of two stages of acquisition by nonnative speakers

This study examined the use of address pronouns in Spanish as perceived by U.S. nonnative speakers before and after residence in a Spanish speaking community. The data used for the analysis were collected with a questionnaire from 56 subjects divided into three groups as follows: 23 Spanish learners in Illinois (NNI), 23 Spanish learners who have lived in Bogota for a period of no less than four months (NNB), and 10 college students from Bogota (NB). The variables included in this research were the between subjects-variable group membership and the within subjects variables age, status, acquaintanceship, closeness and family.The most significant finding of the study is that second language learners (later-stage learners) who have been exposed to the native Spanish-speaking community show a pattern of address analogous to that of the native speakers, and significantly different from that of the foreign language learners (early-stage learners) who have been exposed only to the formal environment. The semantic representation relevant to the native culture, however, has not yet been fully acquired, particularly with respect to the social factors which underlie nonreciprocal use.U of I OnlyETDs are only available to UIUC Users without author permissio