Cognitive Semantics and Emotional Lexicon in L2 Spanish. Analysis of Derived and Parasynthetic Verbs

The study examines how Spanish native speakers (L1) and Italian learners of Spanish as a second language (L2) perceive the emotional intensity and morphological transparency of derived and parasynthetic emotional verbs. Based on cognitive semantics, we analyse whether verb structure influences comprehension and acquisition. Forty participants (20 L1 Spanish speakers, 20 L2 learners) completed two tasks: (I) rating the emotional intensity of verbs and (II) identifying their morphological bases. Regression analyses confirm a correlation between perceived transparency and semantic understanding, both for L1 and L2 speakers. These findings highlight the challenges of acquiring a morphologically complex emotional lexicon and underscore the role of cognitive transparency in L2 learning. The study has pedagogical implications, recommending an instructional approach that introduces transparent verbs first, followed by less transparent ones at advanced levels.