@article{ART003306392},
author={Joo Kyeong Kim},
title={Spanish Allomorph Selection by Heritage Speakers in the United States},
journal={Cross-Cultural Studies},
issn={1598-0685},
year={2026},
volume={77},
pages={27-54}
TY - JOUR
AU - Joo Kyeong Kim
TI - Spanish Allomorph Selection by Heritage Speakers in the United States
JO - Cross-Cultural Studies
PY - 2026
VL - 77
IS - null
PB - Center for Cross Culture Studies
SP - 27
EP - 54
SN - 1598-0685
AB - This study explores how Spanish heritage speakers acquire phonologically and morphologically conditioned allomorphy, specifically in their production of articles. In Spanish, articles must agree with the gender of the corresponding noun. While most Spanish nouns have canonical gender endings (i.e., /o/ for masculine and /a/ for feminine), some nouns exhibit non-transparent gender assignments or mismatched articles. The current study analyzes these two types of allomorphy: (i) nouns that end in a consonant with irregular gender assignments (e.g., un jabón), which represent morphologically conditioned allomorphy, and (ii) feminine nouns that begin with a stressed /a/, requiring masculine articles to avoid hiatus (e.g., un alma), illustrating phonologically conditioned allomorphy.
The results reveal that heritage speakers exhibited significantly lower accuracy in article selection compared to early bilingual speakers in the homeland, particularly in the stressed initial /a/ condition. Additionally, heritage speakers with higher proficiency tended to show greater accuracy in their article selection. Our findings indicate that heritage speakers, particularly those with lower proficiency, may encounter a higher cognitive processing load when accessing these irregular forms.
KW - heritage speakers;early bilingualism;allomorph;Spanish articles;language proficiency
DO -
UR -
ER -
Joo Kyeong Kim. (2026). Spanish Allomorph Selection by Heritage Speakers in the United States. Cross-Cultural Studies, 77, 27-54.
Joo Kyeong Kim. 2026, "Spanish Allomorph Selection by Heritage Speakers in the United States", Cross-Cultural Studies, vol.77, pp.27-54.
Joo Kyeong Kim "Spanish Allomorph Selection by Heritage Speakers in the United States" Cross-Cultural Studies 77 pp.27-54 (2026) : 27.
Joo Kyeong Kim. Spanish Allomorph Selection by Heritage Speakers in the United States. 2026; 77 27-54.
Joo Kyeong Kim. "Spanish Allomorph Selection by Heritage Speakers in the United States" Cross-Cultural Studies 77(2026) : 27-54.
Joo Kyeong Kim. Spanish Allomorph Selection by Heritage Speakers in the United States. Cross-Cultural Studies, 77, 27-54.
Joo Kyeong Kim. Spanish Allomorph Selection by Heritage Speakers in the United States. Cross-Cultural Studies. 2026; 77 27-54.
Joo Kyeong Kim. Spanish Allomorph Selection by Heritage Speakers in the United States. 2026; 77 27-54.
Joo Kyeong Kim. "Spanish Allomorph Selection by Heritage Speakers in the United States" Cross-Cultural Studies 77(2026) : 27-54.
