Contrastive analysis of the prepositions 'para/por' in Spanish, English and German and its learning through Digital Platforms

Abstract

Contrastive linguistic studies show that one of the grammatical areas that presents the highest level of difficulty in second language teaching and learning environments is the usage of prepositional phrases and, concretely, the usage of 'para' and 'por'. In fact, the distinction between these prepositions does not seem to be so obvious in an intralinguistic level. In this sense, this study intends to identify the potential areas of difficulty that may obstacle the teaching and learning processes of Spanish students, specifically the acquisition of these prepositions in both English and German through a contrastive analysis. In addition, the popular M-Learning application Duolingo will be proposed as a possible tool that does not only stimulate the development of the general and specific competences that the Common European Framework of Reference for languages: learning, teaching, assessment (2020) points out, but also encourage the learner's motivation towards the teaching and learning processes and the acquisition of digital competences.