This study investigates the preferences for attachment of a relative clause (RC) to a complex noun phrase (NP) of the type: NP1 of NP2, in Spanish-English bilinguals and advanced learners of Spanish. Spanish speakers show a moderate preference for attaching the RC to the first NP, while speakers of English prefer the second NP. Subjects were presented this construction in written (Experiment 1) and oral (Experiment 2) forms. Results show no group had a preference for either attachment in silent reading, Low Attachment was preferred with a pause after NP1 by learners, and High Attachment was preferred in the absence of any pause by bilinguals and learners. However, the learner group behaved distinctively in Experiment 2 in two ways: their reaction times were shorter, and their choice for the kind of RC attachment was more sensitive to the absence of a pause being more likely to choose Low Attachment, as English monolinguals. These results suggest that advanced learners are influenced by their L1 more heavily in oral comprehension than in reading, while bilinguals take longer for processing prosodic cues. Reasons for a slower bilingual processing are posited. Lastly, implications for prosody teaching are drawn from these results.

This study will demonstrate that group differences on a morphosyntactic measure used for the identification of specific language impairment (SLI) do not guarantee validity for diagnosis and tracking, and will exemplify this with a case study of the Spanish version of the Clinical Evaluation of Preschool Language–2 Estructura de Palabras subtest for SLI and typically developing (TD) Spanish–English incipient bilinguals. The use of standardized tests beyond identification, for planning intervention and monitoring progress, requires that validity evidence be provided if and when extended purposes are involved. Results show that although group differences on total subtest score were observed, some of the items exhibited a distinct pattern, that is, high standard deviations and lower rate of correct responses. A careful analysis of these items points to design problems and content-validity deficiencies as causes. Solutions for the different problems are proposed. We conclude on the importance of a careful linguistic analysis to support test validity in order for the test to serve its broader purposes.

Older adults in nursing homes represent a highly vulnerable group regarding suicidal ideation. Despite its prevalence, validated screening tools adapted to institutionalized older adults are scarce. This study aimed to validate the Paykel Suicide Scale (PSS) by assessing its psychometric properties of in a Spanish sample of institutionalized older adults. A total of 231 participants aged 60-97 years (M = 78.99, SD = 8.83) from nine long-term care facilities completed the PSS alongside other measures of suicidal ideation (SSI), hopelessness (BHS), and life satisfaction (SWLS). Factor structure, internal consistency, convergent validity, and measurement invariance by age group were tested. The unidimensional model of the PSS showed acceptable fit indices (CFI = 0.991, SRMR = 0.078; RMSEA = 0.089 [0.037-0.146]), with high internal consistency (ordinal α = 0.917). Items 1 and 2 discriminated across all levels of suicidal ideation, while Items 3-5 were informative at higher severity. The PSS correlated significantly with suicidal ideation (r > 0.58), hopelessness (r = 0.33), and life satisfaction (r = -0.37). Measurement invariance was supported across age groups (60-80 vs. 81+ years). The Paykel Suicide Scale is a brief, valid, and reliable screening instrument for suicidal ideation among institutionalized older adults and is recommended for use in residential care settings.

Spanish relative clauses, as in other languages, can contain a resumptive pronoun or other resumptive element. This study attempts to explain what factors favor the presence of such resumptive elements in the production of Spanish relative clauses. In order to do so, 1237 relatives clauses were extracted from an oral corpus of Peninsular Spanish conversations. A total of 18 factors, some new and some known from previous studies, pertaining to semantic and syntactic processing difficulties, were coded as potentially influencing the choice of a resumptive pronoun. Multivariate analysis (conditional tree and random forest) was then used to determine the significant factors and the most explicative minimal model. The results suggest that the conditions with the most impact are related to difficulties in determining the function of the relativizer. A discussion follows about how these difficulties relate to the different factors studied and how they could be due to a looser relationship between the clauses involved.

Adaptaciones de una obra literaria al cine son frecuentes. La más directa acaso sea de obra teatral a película. Sin embargo, incluso en ese caso son necesarios cambios. Entre ellos se ha destacado en la literatura ocupada de teatro y cine la necesidad de adaptar el lenguaje de los personajes, sobre todo mediante la “naturalización” de dicho lenguaje por medio de espontaneidad, verosimilitud, simplificación, etc. Para todas estas características se hace fundamental el uso de un registro coloquial. En este estudio, usando como ejemplo la obra Bajarse al moro, proponemos un método objetivo y cuantitativo para la comparación de la coloquialidad en la versión teatral y la fílmica de esta obra. Para ello seleccionamos seis escenas teatrales y sus correspondientes versiones fílmica conforme a 17 rasgos sintácticos y léxicos relacionados con la coloquialidad. Los resultados indican que la película es en general más coloquial que la obra teatral, salvo en dos de las variables usadas, si bien las medidas de complejidad sintáctica y las variables de tipo de persona gramatical resultaron irrelevantes y no distintivas, frente a otras medidas sintácticas y las medidas léxicas usadas que sí reflejaron una mayor coloquilidad en la versión fílmica.