A study of transfer of native language training and/or interference in learning English idioms had as its subjects 12 Venezuelan students in an American university who were advanced learners of English as a second language. Fifteen equivalent and commonly used English and Spanish idioms were used in tests of recognition, comprehension, recall, and…

Using the translation of Isabel Allende's novel "The House of the Spirits," this essay demonstrates that the mastery of a foreign language does not guarantee a translation true to the original. The Spanish of the Latin American countries exhibits numerous differences and does not always share a uniform vocabulary. Concrete measures are…

Describes the results of a study conducted with 28 adult third-year learners of Spanish to investigate the degree to which idiom type affects the speed and ease of idiom comprehension and interpretation, and the effect that context exerts on idiom understanding. Findings are discussed. (VWL)

Reports results from two questionnaires given to third-year adult learners of Spanish, French, German on beliefs regarding idiomaticity. Analysis of data showed that learners want idioms to be part of their language learning; they can predict their performances on idiomatic tasks; and they have specific beliefs on the importance of learning…

Part of a continuing series. (DD)

A pedagogical idea for addressing National Standard 4.1 (Students demonstrate understanding of the nature of language through comparisons of language studied and their own) suggests the deliberate use of the online translator to illustrate to students the syntactical errors that occur when translating idioms from one language to another. (VWL)

The lesson in Spanish includes a short text, followed by exercises in vocabulary, idioms, grammar and translation. (Text is in Spanish.) (DS)

Presents an abbreviated version of a large scale investigation of second language attrition covering 50 years. Results yield benefits to teachers and students of foreign languages by leading to an understanding of how various procedures of acquisition affect the rate of loss and ultimately minimize the potential for later attrition. (SL)

A Spanish lesson is presented with sections on grammar, vocabulary, and expressions (modismos) with written test exercises and an assigned composition. (Text is in Spanish.) (NCR)

Describes an investigation into whether second language learners use knowledge of their first language to comprehend and produce idioms in the second language. Results showed identical idioms were the easiest to comprehend, similar idioms were comprehended almost as well, and different idioms were the most difficult to comprehend and produce.…

This text was developed to enable students of Spanish to use idiomatic expressions from the early learning stages to the more advanced levels. Students can use idiomatic Spanish as soon as they have learned regular -ER, -AR, and -IR verbs, and as they become more proficient, they can apply their knowledge of the irregular verbs in studying other…

A study of advanced English learners' use or avoidance of English idioms is described. The investigation looked at whether the subjects would attempt to use English idioms in a translation task containing idioms, or would instead use non-idiomatic synonyms or paraphrase. It also looked at which idioms are used and which are avoided: those that are…

This workbook is designed for second level students of Spanish and contains thirty units, each unit focusing on a selected topic and the Spanish idioms relevant to that topic. Each unit includes a list of the idioms, a dialogue containing the idioms, completion exercises, paraphrase exercises, and suggestions of activities to help students learn…

This textbook for ESL contains ten lessons, plus a preface lesson to introduce the format. It is designed for use by Spanish-speaking high school students. All directions are given in both languages. Each lesson contains a statement of rationale and learning objectives, a pre-test, a list of sources of information to aid in learning the lesson…

Designed to be used in the Spanish training program for probationary officers at the Border Patrol Academy in El Paso, Texas, this revised 21-lesson traditional grammar text includes special features that make it pertinent to the job of a patrol inspector in the Mexican border area. An extensive appendix is comprised of exercise translations,…