Verbs usage and Narratives. An analysis of the verbal system in Spanish heritage speakers’ productions

Abstract

This article aims to study the use of verb tenses in written narratives produced by Spanish heritage speakers (SHS) children, growing up in a multilingual context. We analyze the distribution and level of adequacy of verb tenses, focusing on two problematic aspects for heritage speakers: the contrast “perfective/ imperfective” and the use of the subjunctive. Moreover, we compare the heritage speakers’ texts with narratives produced by children growing up in a Spanish monolingual context. Participants were 165 children (8.6 -13.7 years old): 118 SHS children and 47 children growing up in a Spanish-speaking context. Results showed a similar distribution of verb tenses and level of adequacy in both groups. However, the SHS group presented some particular uses of past tenses and seemed to be less accurate in the aspectual opposition and in the use of subjunctive mode.