Bidirectional cross-linguistic influence on DOM in Romanian-Spanish bilinguals

Abstract

Aims and objectives: This study aims to explore the acquisition of differential object marking (DOM) of Spanish and Romanian in balanced Romanian-speaking L2 speakers of Spanish. The study is motivated by the paucity of studies analyzing bidirectional cross-linguistic influence (BCLI) in DOM. Methodology: Romanian-Spanish bilinguals completed a background language questionnaire, a productive vocabulary test, an elicited production task, and an acceptability judgment task in Romanian and Spanish. Two groups of Spanish and Romanian monolinguals completed the same tasks in their languages for comparison purposes. Findings: The bilinguals show signs of BCLI at their DOM in Spanish and Romanian. They may also be at an incipient stage of L1 attrition. Originality: This is the first study that examines BCLI at DOM and the acquisition of DOM in Spanish by speakers of Romanian in a naturalistic setting. Significance: This project highlights the importance of examining both the L1 and the L2 when examining cross-linguistic influence. Limitations: This study cannot examine proficiency effects or acquisition stages because all the participants are highly proficient in Spanish.