ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on questioning 'native speakerness' through consideration of participants' conceptual frameworks in relation to the word meaning. It describes the word association data provided by the 62 NS Spanish and 62 NS English contributors who did not take part in tandem conversations is presented and discussed, in particular focusing on possible differences in conceptual understanding between the groups. The chapter discusses the outcomes of the word association tasks from 22 tandem learners involved in the 10-minute conversations are discussed, raising questions around the relationship between a cognitive model and what actually happens in use. It considers the comments of the tandem participants as to whether and why they felt their understanding of the word meaning changed, with particular reference to the word association task. The long lists show that in some cases there are some clear differences between the Spanish and English word associations cooperate and society.
