The Development of Complex Syntax and Mood-Selection Abilities by Intermediate-Level Learners of Spanish

Foreign language learners of Spanish seemingly cannot master mood selection-the indicative/ subjunctive distinction-by the end of the intermediate level of instruction (within four semesters). Yet their courses ordinarily reserve a considerable amount of time for the study of mood selection. An analysis of two oral-production tasks suggests that, by the end of the intermediate level, learners are not likely to reach a stage at which they have the essential linguisticfouwndation to fully benefit from instruction in mood-selection. These learners still struggle to generate complex syntax, such as subordinate clauses. The strain of process- ing complex syntax probably leaves learners with an insufficient amount of energy to process morphology, thus resulting in poor mood-selection accuracy. Results of the investigation imply that, in addition to assisting learners with the morphological aspects of mood selection, instructors should seek ways to assist learners with the syntactic aspects, namely, with the production of complex syntax.