ABSTRACT

This chapter reviews research on bilingual children’s Spanish morphosyntax. The review focuses primarily on Latin@ children in the United States who are exposed to Spanish at home and are often English-dominant bilinguals (Merino, 1983; Zentella, 1997). Given that these children are learning Spanish as a minority language, they are often considered ‘heritage speakers’ (e.g., Montrul, this volume; Valdés, 2005). As such, and in keeping with the theme of this volume, I will use the term ‘heritage speakers’ when referring to children who are acquiring Spanish in the U.S. I will also sometimes refer to these heritage speakers as English-Spanish bilinguals, especially when highlighting the role that English plays in the children’s acquisition of Spanish.