Abstract

SPICER-ESCALANTE, Maria Luisa. Exploring oral and written bilingual narratives in spanish and english. Zona prox. [online]. 2015, n.23, pp.18-30. ISSN 2145-9444.  https://doi.org/10.14482/zp.22.5832.

This study investigates the similarities and/or difference on the oral and written personal narratives told by bilingual Spanish and English high school students. Previous research suggests that bilingual Spanish native speakers tend to use different narratives strategies, depending on the language in which they tell a personal story. Participants for this study wrote a personal narration in Spanish first; and few days later, they were asked to write the same narration in English. Later, during a personal interview, students were asked to orally narrate the story that they had written, first in Spanish and then in English. The oral and written narratives were analyzed based on the Labovian Highpoint Analysis, which examines personal narratives according six different features. The results support previous research and suggest that there are very important differences in the structures that students use when narrating a personal story orally or in a written fashion.

Keywords : bilingual narratives; structural narrative; personal narratives; oral and written discourse; Spanish and English writing.

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