Works pending to be submitted

Summary
This study investigates the specific difficulties that Chinese-speaking students encounter when learning Spanish motion verbs. Drawing on Talmy’s theory of cognitive semantics, the study analyzes the typological divergence between Spanish, a verb-framed language, and Mandarin Chinese and English, which are satellite-framed languages. Whereas Spanish encodes the path of motion in the verb root (e.g., entrar, salir), Chinese and English prioritize the manner of motion in the main verb, expressing the path through peripheral elements. This structural difference leads to negative cognitive transfer and predictable errors. Through a qualitative analysis of verbs in the Nuevo Sueña (A1-B1) textbooks, key conceptual challenges are identified. The study demonstrates that the problem is not merely lexical but requires the learner to reconceptualize the motion event itself. As a solution, practical pedagogical strategies are proposed to facilitate this cognitive shift. These include the use of visual schemas, teaching through collocations (chunks), explicit contrastive analysis, and real-world context simulation. The study highlights the teacher’s role as a mediator who must enrich instructional materials, clarify grammatical patterns, and connect learning to authentic language use. In conclusion, effectively teaching motion verbs to Chinese-speaking students requires moving beyond direct translation and guiding learners in constructing new mental models to achieve more fluid and natural communication in Spanish.

Direction
LUBKE , BARBARA (Tutorships)

Court
Dubert García, Francisco Xosé (Chairman)
MIGUEZ REGO, VITOR (Secretary)
Gamallo Otero, Pablo (Member)