Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book investigates the acquisition of linguistic aspects found in the speech of L1, L2 and heritage speakers. It builds on the notion of adjunct. In this study, Katie VanDyne inquires about the distribution of clitic- and passive-licensed parasitic gaps in Spanish. The book provides additional insights into the nature of the preposition con “with” in Spanish. It provides a novel analysis of predicative noun phrases in Spanish. The book brings to light significant differences between Spanish-dominant and Basque-dominant participants: the first group presents more variation between rising and circumflex contours and displays more elevated high tones overall. It shows that in Spanish there is also a developmental trajectory in the acquisition of determiners. The book provides a series of structural, discourse and developmental analyses that highlight a number of linguistic patterns across monolingual and contact varieties of Spanish, Galician and Catalan.