On the acquisition and maintenance of periphrastic and se-passives in L2 and heritage Spanish

Aug 23, 2026

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This study investigates how second language (L2), heritage (HS), and Spanish-dominant native speakers (NS) acquire and maintain periphrastic and se-passive constructions in Spanish. It asks (i) how accessible these passives are in L2 production and HS production, (ii) whether productions show fully target-like grammar, and (iii) how age of acquisition, exposure type, and proficiency shape productive and receptive performance. A structural priming task shows priming for both passives across groups, while acceptability judgment results indicate L2ers accept verbal agreement mismatches with se-passives but not periphrastic passives.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages186

Reading Time7 h 49 min

AccessFree to download

Chapter 1: Introduction

1.1. Overview and Significance

1.2. Linguistic Theory

1.2.1. Theoretical Framework: Generative Approaches to Language Acquisition

1.2.2. Speaker Groups of Interest

1.2.3. Generative Approaches to Second Language Acquisition

1.2.3.2. Partial Access

1.2.3.3. No Access

1.2.3.4. Other Relevant Accounts

1.2.3.5. Usage-based Accounts

1.2.4. Interim Summary

1.3. Heritage Language Acquisition

1.4. Linguistic Properties of Spanish Passives

1.4.1. Periphrastic Passive

1.4.2. Se-passive

1.4.2.1. Se-passive versus Impersonal Se

1.4.3. Frequency and Register

UCLA UCLA Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title On the acquisition and maintenance of periphrastic and se-passives in L2 and heritage Spanish Permalink [https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5hj4z2h7](https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5hj4z2h7) Author Mauffray, Erin Publication Date 2024 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation [eScholarship.org](eScholarship.org) Powered by the California Digital Library University of California UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Los Angeles On the Acquisition of Periphrastic and Se-Passivesin L2 and Heritage Spanish A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Hispanic Languages and Literatures by Erin Mauffray © Copyright by Erin Mauffray 2024 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION On the Acquisition and Maintenance of Periphrastic and Se-Passives in L2 and Heritage Spanish by Erin Mauffray Doctor of Philosophy in Hispanic Languages and Literatures University of California, Los Angeles, 2024 Professor Victoria Eugenia Mateu Martin, Chair This study investigates the acquisition and maintenance of periphrastic and se-passives in second language (L2), heritage (HS), and (Spanish-dominant) native Spanish speakers (NS) by addressing: (i) How accessible are Spanish periphrastic passives (which also exist in English) and se-passives (unique to Spanish) for L2ers and HSs in production? (ii) Do their productions reflect fully acquired, target-like grammatical representations of these structures? (iii) How are L2ers’and HSs’ productive and receptive performance on passives affected by linguistic experience, i.e., age of acquisition, nature of language exposure, and proficiency? While some theoretical accounts predict an advantage for HSs due to exposure to the target structures during childhood (e.g., Partial Access, Interpretability Hypothesis, Hawkins & Franceschina, 2004; Byland, 2009), others predict successful ultimate attainment by both groups albeit with initial difficulties with the se-passive for L2ers (e.g., Full Access, Schwartz & Sprouse, 1996) . Contrastively, usage-based accounts (e.g., Ellis, 1994, Hur et al., 2020; López-Beltrán & Carlson, 2020; O'Grady et al., 2011; Perez-Cortés & Giancaspro, 2022, a.o.) predict an advantage for the more frequent se-passive across groups. The study consists of two web-based tasks: a structural priming (production) task and a timed acceptability judgment (receptive) task (AJT) . Results from the priming task show that all groups can be primed to produce both passives. However, results from the AJT show that L2ers accept mismatched verbal agreement with se-passives to some extent, but not with periphrastic passives, consistent with the Partial Access accounts. In other words, their native-like behavior in production likely reflects a superficial, probability-based strategy, not a fully represented, targetlike abstract structural representation. On the other hand, HSs perform at ceiling on both structures and converge with NSs in production and receptive abilities, suggesting robust knowledge of these structures. This dissertation constitutes the first experimental study to test both passive constructions in production and comprehension in any of these three speaker groups, offering insight into the particular abilities and pedagogical needs of L2ers and HSs and contributing to the discussion of how language is organized in the bilingual brain. The dissertation of Erin Mauffray is approved. Jesse Aron Harris Ji Young Kim Antonio C. Quicoli Victoria Eugenia Mateu Martin, Committee Chair University of California, Los Angeles 2024 This dissertation is dedicated to the Murrah High School community, and especially to my students, the softball team, and Mustang Debate team 2015-2019. TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION................................................................................................ 1 1.1. Overview and Signific

FAQs

What key research questions does the dissertation address about Spanish passives?

It examines how accessible periphrastic and se-passives are for L2 and heritage speakers in production, whether those productions reflect target-like grammatical representations, and how linguistic experience and proficiency affect productive and receptive performance.

What tasks does the study use to test production and comprehension?

The dissertation uses two web-based tasks: a structural priming (production) task and a timed acceptability judgment task to assess receptive performance.

What do the results show about L2ers’ performance on se-passives versus periphrastic passives?

L2ers can be primed to produce both passive types, but on the acceptability judgments they accept mismatched verbal agreement with se-passives to some extent, while not showing the same pattern for periphrastic passives.

Aug 23, 2026

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