Spanish-speaking children do not always overuse estar

Abstract

Current research has shown that young Spanish-speaking children distinguish between ser and estar but fail to provide clear answers to questions such as which copula is easier/first to acquire. Some studies show that children perform worse with estar while others show that ser is mastered with more difficulty than estar. The current study presents the results of two experiments that tested children's comprehension of ser and estar. The results indicate that i) children compute the inferences associated with estar when natural contextual information is provided, ii) children's copular distinction is supported by syntactic factors, iii) children perform poorly when copula choice depends on contextual factors alone, and most importantly, iv) children do not assign estar interpretations to ser compatible environments. It is concluded that Spanish-speaking children do not always overuse estar as opposed to ser. © 2012 PUCV, Chile.