Examining the role of cross-generational attrition in the development of Spanish as a heritage language

Abstract

Abstract The goal of this article is to contribute to the literature on heritage speaker bilingualism by weighing in on the current debate regarding the source(s) of heritage speaker linguistic differences. Focusing on Spanish dative experiencers -gustar-like verbs-, I report on production and comprehension data from heritage speaker children and adults, from monolingual children and adults, as well as from adult bilingual immigrants. The results show (i) comprehension differences from expected outcomes for all heritage groups but not for the adult monolingual and bilingual control groups, and (ii) significant variation in the adult bilingual immigrant group’s production of the dative marker ‘a’ in obligatory contexts. I posit that this variation is at least in part responsible for the heritage speaker outcomes observed.