The present study tested Spanish heritage speakers' (HSs') production and selection of subjunctive mood in volitional clauses. Four groups participated to expose the effects of age on subjunctive acquisition: Spanish-dominant bilingual adults (SDBA; n = 18), HSs in fifth grade (HS5; n = 41), HSs in seventh/eighth grades (HS7/8; n = 34) and HS adults (HSA; n = 34). SDBAs produced and selected the subjunctive more than HS groups. There were no differences in production and selection between the HS7/8 and HSA groups, both of whom produced and selected subjunctive mood more frequently than the HS5 group. These results point toward protracted heritage language development. HSs selected the subjunctive more than they produced it, supporting theories that dissociate between mapping forms onto morphology and underlying syntactic competence. Finally, proficiency and frequency of use modulated individual variability between HSs. Results are addressed relative to incomplete acquisition, protracted development and feature reassembly.

中文翻译：

---

作为传统语言的西班牙语通过青春期获得形态：虚拟语气的案例


本研究测试了西班牙语传统使用者（HS）在意志从句中虚拟语气的产生和选择。四个小组参与揭示年龄对虚拟语气习得的影响：以西班牙语为主的双语成人 (SDBA；n = 18)、五年级高中生 (HS5；n = 41)、七年级/八年级高中生 (HS7/8；n = 41) = 34) 和 HS 成人 (HSA; n = 34)。 SDBA 比 HS 组产生和选择虚拟语气更多。 HS7/8 组和 HSA 组之间的产生和选择没有差异，两者都比 HS5 组更频繁地产生和选择虚拟语气。这些结果表明遗产语言的发展是长期的。 HS 选择虚拟语气的次数多于他们产生虚拟语气的次数，支持将形式映射到形态和潜在句法能力之间分离的理论。最后，熟练程度和使用频率调节 HS 之间的个体差异。解决了与不完整采集、长期开发和功能重组相关的结果。