Modeling variability in number marking in additional-language Spanish

Abstract

We extended sociolinguistic methods of investigating variability to number marking on determiners and adjectives in additional-language Spanish in the current study. The participants were learners of Spanish who were pursuing an undergraduate degree in Spanish ('N' = 135) in either the United States or France, and the data came from an argumentative essay. We analyzed all cases where participants marked plurality on noun-modifier pairs ('k' = 1950). A mixed-effects model demonstrated that both linguistic factors and individual characteristics influenced the participants’ expression of plurality. The results provided evidence of the multidimensionality of number marking and contributed to knowledge about variability in additional languages.

Keywords

• number marking
• plurality
• spanish
• variationist sla
• variability
• gender agreement