The study described in this book is a multivariable analysis of the use of the copular verb estar “to be” by second-language learners of Spanish. Two pragmatic variables hypothesized to favor the use of estar with adjectives are examined: individual frame of reference and immediate experience. A critical methodological challenge in the study of copula choice is that most tasks do not elicit clear pragmatic contexts nor do they confirm speaker intent. To overcome these obstacles, Woolsey designed two tasks for the study: a sequential picture description task and a contextualized preference task. Individual frame of reference was created by prompting side-by-side comparisons of the referent (i.e., before and now). Immediate experience was defined as a visual encounter with the referent. An interesting innovation was the addition of a first-language English repeat-aloud component to the picture description task in order to clarify speaker intent.
Despite the complexity of the research design (i.e., two tasks and four levels of proficiency), the results are presented in a clear and systematic way. First, overall frequencies of ser “to be” and estar “to be” are presented, confirming the increasing frequency of estar as learners make proficiency gains. Woolsey’s analysis of the picture description data convincingly shows that the verb parecer “to seem” is a positive indicator of development as well. Afterwards, Woolsey focuses on the two pragmatic variables that motivated the study. Contrary to his predictions, individual frame of reference did not significantly favor the use of estar. In contrast, the context of immediate experience was found to be significant—but only among the most advanced learners in the sample.
This book is an important resource for SLA researchers studying copula choice in Spanish as well as other grammatical phenomena that cannot be analyzed without considering speaker intent (e.g., the preterit-imperfect contrast). Because this is a dissertation project, the literature review is comprehensive and addresses both theoretical descriptions of ser “to be” and estar “to be” and an overview of SLA research on the topic.
