Abstract
Abstract This study investigated how L1 English adults interpret subject-verb-object (SVO), VSO, and VOS sentences in an L2. First- (n = 37), third- (n = 42), and fifthsemester (n = 28) Spanish learners heard 8 sentences of each type and indicated which noun was the subject. A repeated-measures ANOVA revealed significant effects (p < .01) for word order and learner level. Fifth-semester participants consistently responded most correctly, but all levels were more accurate (p < .01) with SVO than both VSO and VOS sentences. First-semester learners also scored higher (p < .01) with VSO than VOS structures. Results suggest early influence of the First Noun Principle, dependence on a verb-centric word-order strategy, and growing awareness of the Spanish object marker.