Kohatarindid noore eesti keele kui teise keele õppija suulises ja kirjalikus tekstis
Locative constructions in the spoken and written texts of young learners of Estonian as a second language

Summary/Abstract: &is study investigates how children aged 8–11 learning Estonian as a second language express spatial relations in both spoken and written texts. While numerous studies have examined the acquisition of spatial expressions in Estonian as a "rst language, research on second language learners remains scarce. Using data from the project Professional Estonian-speaking Teacher in the Classroom (2022–2024), the study the frequency, accuracy, and development of locative constructions based on the DEMfad model. &e spoken data (n = 24) revealed "ve main types of locative constructions: noun phrases (NPs), adverbial phrases (AdvPs), postpositional phrases (PPs), the illative form of the MA-in"nitive/supine and the inessive form of the MA-in"nitive/supine (ma-, mas-constructions), subordinate clauses beginning with a locative demonstrative or a postpositional phrase. NPs, AdvPs, and PPs were the most frequent. &e use of PPs increased notably over time, while ma-, mas-constructions and subordinate clauses were rare. In writing (n = 20), NPs were dominant, and directional expressions became more frequent in 2024 due to task design. Accuracy in spoken language increased over time (from 78.63% to 84.98%), while it slightly declined in writing (from 80.11% to 77%), likely due to the growing complexity of learner output. Learners most frequently used static locative expressions, followed by directional, and rarely source expressions – mirroring patterns found in "rst language acquisition. Individual developmental trajectories were also examined. Student B showed signi"cant growth in writing, T in speech, and K displayed the initial emergence of locative constructions. Development typically began with simple NPs and AdvPs, with PPs appearing later as vocabulary improved. More complex constructions emerged at higher pro"ciency levels. &e "ndings highlight di#erences between spoken and written production and show that task design signi"cantly a#ects the types of constructions used. While the study o#ers a "rst look at how young learners express spatial relations in Estonian, broader conclusions require larger datasets.

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