The Prospects for Portuguese for Spanish Speakers: Potentializing Multicompetence

Response 2 to "The Impact of Portuguese on the Study of Third Language Acquisition"

How much have we progressed in the area of Portuguese for Spanish speakers (PSS) in the United States? The essay provides a thorough examination of previous research, raising issues of linguistic multicompetence also relevant to the field of third language acquisition (TLA). It dialogues with other research being done in Europe and elsewhere (see Aronin and Hufeisen 2009: 4; Cenoz, Hufeisen, and Jessner 2001: 2–3; De Angelis 2007: 10; Lindqvist and Bardel 2010: 87; Ó Laoire 2005: 82, and the role of language transfer in the learning process. PSS in the United States exists since the 1970s, gaining increased attention in the United States in the last decade with the support of associations such as AATSP and ACTFL, and conferences specifically tailored to the field (Carvalho 2013: 1).

The author of the article proposes this particular context in the United States as a unique research setting where we encounter Spanish bilinguals, Spanish heritage learners, and English-speakers who learned Spanish as an L2. Rather than focusing on language teaching, the article successfully summarizes main acquisition theories, such as the role of interlanguage transfer, typology, recency, and proficiency of the L1 and L2 as factors that impact L3 learning, and consequently useful to PSS. Also relevant is the order and age of acquisition of the second and third language, as well as the role of metalinguistic awareness to their L3 learning process.

As we know, transfer is a prominent question guiding current research in both TLA and PSS, and a better understanding of the process will allow us to design programs that capitalize on the strengths and address weaknesses of learning a similar language appropriately (Åkerberg 2002: 1–2). I am glad to see a growing concern with this developing field, thus creating this discussion on how to implement a curriculum tailored appropriately to this subgroup of students.

Our main concern when discussing the teaching of similar languages should be on the attention given to form in a contextualized manner, in order to address negative and positive transfer (which is not completely addressed in TLA or SLAT in general) (Carvalho, Luna Freire, and Silva 2010: 73). We need to understand these processes in order to better prepare courses, focusing on language that is relevant to their linguistic background and helping students overcome interlanguage faster. This is particularly visible when the author discusses the need for collaboration for a large-scale longitudinal research, and for more dialogue about the impact of pedagogical practices and L3 acquisition.

Ultimately, the repercussions of this research will create a better understanding of the learners' acquisition processes, and improved pedagogical practices, including for the learning of other Romance languages. The need to study subsequent language development is evident, and how these theories impacts high intermediate and advanced students (Cabrelli Amaro, Flynn, and Rothman 2012: 5) because, as mentioned by the author, most of the research currently available is being done at the beginner levels.

Other concerns, perhaps not mentioned but of equal importance is the maintenance of such an enrolment growth that we have recently experienced in the United States, thinking of program development as we worry about the shrinking numbers in the humanities in general. Would other possibilities exist to collaborate with different departments to become more visible and stronger, and thus continue to boost our presence in academic institutions? Also, how do we capitalize on these Spanish-speaking students and motivate them to add a third language to their linguistic repertoire?