Abstract
<p class="Abstract">Breadth and depth of vocabulary knowledge have been studied from many different perspectives, but the related literature lacks serious studies dealing with their effects on vocabulary profiles of EFL learners. In this paper, with an aim to fill this gap, the relative effects of breadth and depth of vocabulary knowledge on L2 vocabulary profiles were analysed. In the first stage of the study, learner essays (n=84) and native essays (n=75) were compared in terms of vocabulary profiles through the use of an online database, and each participant obtained vocabulary profile scores from four different levels. In the next stage, the learners’ depth and breadth of vocabulary knowledge were measured by using two different vocabulary tests, and then the scores they obtained on these tests were hierarchically regressed on their profile scores. The results suggested that both breadth and depth of vocabulary knowledge had significant and robust effects on the L2 vocabulary profiles of the EFL learners; however, depth of vocabulary knowledge appeared to be a better predictor of vocabulary profiles than breadth of vocabulary knowledge.</p>
Highlights
It has been discussed that, unlike syntactic and morphological developments, lexical development in L2 has been ignored since the 1950s, and from the 2000s onwards a rediscovery period of L2 lexicon has been underway (Meara, 2002)
The results suggested that both breadth and depth of vocabulary knowledge had significant and robust effects on the L2 vocabulary profiles of the EFL learners; depth of vocabulary knowledge appeared to be a better predictor of vocabulary profiles than breadth of vocabulary knowledge
The results presented in this paper add a new dimension to these discussions by showing that when compared to the breadth dimension, the depth of vocabulary knowledge is a stronger predictor of vocabulary profiles of EFL learners
Summary
It has been discussed that, unlike syntactic and morphological developments, lexical development in L2 has been ignored since the 1950s, and from the 2000s onwards a rediscovery period of L2 lexicon has been underway (Meara, 2002). Wolter (2001) suggests that as the second language speakers of English gain depth of knowledge, their mental lexicon begins to resemble that of native speakers. Another important issue is the selection of the target words for foreign language learners. There are about 2,000 words in the English language that are repeated in every possible context and register. Another point worth mentioning is the dimensions of L2 vocabulary knowledge. One needs knowledge concerning different facets of target words, such as their different meanings, collocations and connotations, which are known as the depth dimension
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