Abstract
There is strong agreement in the literature that the first language (L1) supports second language (L2) vocabulary learning particularly at early stages of learning. The present study examines the influence of word type on the use of L1 language to support L2 vocabulary learning. To this end, 130 Arabic-speaking tertiary elementary female learners of English were taught 24 unfamiliar English words in 4 sessions over 4 weeks. The participants were divided into three groups; (1) a group where target words were taught with the use of translation equivalents, (2) a group taught with L2-only-definitions and (3) a control group who received no special treatment. Comparing the participants’ performance in pre-, immediate post- and delayed post-tests showed that the two experimental groups outperformed the control group, reflecting the benefit of the treatment. The results also showed greater vocabulary gains in terms of long-term retrieval for L1 use, but did not show consistent patterns for the special benefit of L1 in terms of specific word types. The results are interpreted in light of the existing literature and relevant bilingual lexicon models. Pedagogical implications and suggested research directions are also proposed.
Highlights
It is widely acknowledged that effective vocabulary knowledge is central to second language (L2) learning as vocabulary is of critical importance to communicative competence and successful second language use (e.g., Nation, 2001; Schmitt, 2000; Zimmerman, 1997)
Comparisons of instructional type reflect significantly better performance for the experimental groups over the control group in the immediate post-tests, which was maintained in the delayed post-tests
Based on earlier research highlighting the benefits of L1 use in support of L2 vocabulary learning (e.g., Khan, 2016; Pakzadian, 2012; Tian & Macaro, 2012), the current study aimed to examine the L1 use from a relatively new direction
Summary
It is widely acknowledged that effective vocabulary knowledge is central to second language (L2) learning as vocabulary is of critical importance to communicative competence and successful second language use (e.g., Nation, 2001; Schmitt, 2000; Zimmerman, 1997) It is a major responsibility for second language acquisition (SLA) researchers to explore effective pedagogical methods to help L2 learners master vocabulary in the target language, that L2 vocabulary is considered problematic (e.g., Oxford, 1990; Meara, 1980) due to its huge size, its open-ended nature, lack of relevant governing rules and the multitude of meanings of lexical items. The present paper falls under the domain of intentional learning as it addresses the explicit instruction of L2 vocabulary using the learners’ native versus target language
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