Inductive Strategies for Teaching Spanish-English Cognates

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1990

Abstract

English-speaking students of Spanish quickly learn to identify cognates - words in the two languages that "look alike & have the same or similar meanings" because they are etymologically related. Here, four ways are suggested to help students with the process of learning & using cognates: (1) the teacher can make students at all levels more aware of cognates by handing out a dittoed list of basic cognate patterns & asking them to guess new words based on these patterns; (2) one can explain & reiterate to students the rule-of-thumb for educated guesses: abstract or erudite words usually have corresponding cognates in Spanish (concept - concepto), whereas the common, concrete, everyday words usually do not (hammer - martillo); (3) it is helpful to test on cognates & to give partial credit for guesses that are not correct but show an awareness of relevant cognate patterns; & (4) instead of simply telling students new words, it is better to ask, eg, if communication is "comunicacion," how does one say transportation?

DOI

10.2307/342861

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