Mood and Aspect in Spanish L2 and L3: Positive Transfer and Intercomprehension in British Education

• Lourdes Barquín Sanmartín ^[1]
  1. [1] University of Reading

     University of Reading

     Reino Unido

     
• Localización: Bellaterra: journal of teaching and learning language and literature, ISSN-e 2013-6196, Vol. 18, Nº. 2, 2025 (Ejemplar dedicado a: Multilingualism and teaching grammar in the foreign Language classroom)
• Idioma: inglés
• Títulos paralelos:
  • El modo y el aspecto en el español L2 y L3: transferencia positiva y intercomprensión en la educación británica
• Enlaces
  • Texto completo
• Resumen
  • español

    Este estudio examina la adquisición del modo y el aspecto en aprendientes de español L2 y L3 en universidades británicas. Compara a estudiantes británicos cuya L2 es el francés y el español como L3, con aquellos que solo estudian español como L2. Los resultados muestran que el conocimiento previo de francés facilita el aprendizaje del español, especialmente en el uso del subjuntivo y del imperfecto. Este beneficio se vincula a la transferencia positiva entre lenguas tipológicamente cercanas. El estudio propone integrar la intercomprensión en la enseñanza para mejorar la conciencia metalingüística y el uso estratégico de la transferencia. Se aboga por enfoques pluralistas en la educación lingüística del Reino Unido para aprovechar los conocimientos previos de los estudiantes y optimizar el aprendizaje de lenguas extranjeras.

  • English

    This article presents a transdisciplinary doctoral study at the intersection of second and third language acquisition and foreign language pedagogy in British Higher Education. It investigates the common language sequence among British students: English (L1), French (L2), and Spanish (L3). The study offers a quantitative, yet descriptive comparison of native English speakers enrolled in Hispanic Studies at the University of Edinburgh, distinguishing between students of Spanish only (Spanish L2 group) and of both French and Spanish (Spanish L3 group). Findings reveal that the L3 group demonstrates higher proficiency across A2, B1, and B1+ levels. This advantage is linked to positive transfer from French to Spanish—two typologically related Romance languages. The analysis focuses on mood selection (indicativo/subjuntivo) and aspectual contrast (imperfecto/indefinido), both absent in English. Pedagogically, the study advocates for fostering Intercomprehension competence in the classroom to enhance interlinguistic awareness and strategic use of positive transfer in language learning.

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