Term
2013
Capstone
Restricted Access Thesis
Degree Name
MAESL
Abstract
The research question addressed in this capstone was: are Native Spanish Speakers learning English aware of cognates and false friends within a text? This capstone details theories of language learner errors regarding false friends and discusses results of previous studies in the field such as ChacÌ_n BeltrÌÁn, Holmes and Guerra Ramos, Frantzen, and Nassaji. Results of prior studies have shown that cognate awareness is a natural strategy for English learners, but false friends pose problems. Participants completed four assessments which demonstrated their awareness, metacognition, and their lexical knowledge of words. The researcher concluded that Native Spanish Speakers were aware of cognates and false friends within a text, but revealed that differentiation between words was a challenge. Results also suggest that participants were able to: identify words, effectively think about their word choices, define known words independently, and decipher word meaning using the context when provided with possible definitions.
Recommended Citation
Walseth, Heather Marie, "Friend or foe: metacognitive awareness of false friends and cognates" (2013). School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations. 520.
https://digitalcommons.hamline.edu/hse_all/520