El The development of lexical-semantic competence through derivative morphology

Abstract

Derivative morphology can have a key influence on the development of the lexical-semantic competence of the Spanish learner, although these linguistic realities are often presented as unrelated. Knowing the morphological mechanisms of the language not only helps to understand the meaning of unknown terms, but also increases lexical productivity, improves access to the terms stored in the mental lexicon and allows the speaker to handle the meanings of known terms more precisely. In this way, the knowledge of the rules of inflection and morphological derivation becomes a method to access a different linguistic level and reinforce, from a double perspective, the communicative competence of the speaker. This fact makes it necessary to reconsider the importance given to derivative morphology both in the teaching of Spanish as a foreign language and in the teaching of the Spanish Language in Secondary Education.