Language Lexical Knowledge Research Articles

Exploring the learning burden and decay of foreign language vocabulary knowledge

Abstract Research has shown that several intralexical factors affect the learning burden of foreign language vocabulary (e.g., Laufer, 1997) and that some accrued lexical knowledge is forgotten. It is often assumed that the lexical items most difficult to acquire are those easiest to forget. However, few studies have provided empirical evidence to support this claim. This study examined the effect of two intralexical factors, part of speech and word length, on the learning burden and decay of intentionally learned foreign language lexical knowledge, as well as the role that learning burden played in the decay process. Forty-eight learners of English studied words of various parts of speech and lengths using flashcard software. Knowledge (form recall and recognition) of target items was assessed immediately after learning and four weeks later. Results of mixed-effects models showed that part of speech and word length have differential impacts on learning burden and decay and that increased burden mitigated loss of form recognition knowledge.

Cognate frequency and assessment of second language lexical knowledge

Aims and objectives/purpose/research questions: Few studies have investigated different-script cognate effects in language assessment contexts. This paper examines the impact of Japanese cognates in a test of English receptive lexical knowledge that is widely used for placement purposes in second language learning contexts. Specifically, the present paper utilizes Japanese cognate frequency to predict test accuracy. 1. Does Japanese cognate frequency influence response accuracy? 2. Does the effect vary by English word frequency and/or lexical proficiency? Design/methodology/approach: Seventy Japanese-English bilinguals completed the multiple-choice English VLT. Data and analysis: Accuracy data for 150 target items and 150 distractor items were analysed separately (10,500 data points in each analysis). Generalized linear mixed-effects models were used with Japanese cognate frequency as the primary predictor and English word frequency and lexical proficiency as covariates. Findings/conclusions: A strong facilitatory cognate frequency effect was observed on both the selection of targets and the rejection of distractor items. This effect was marginally greater for lower proficiency learners. The English word frequency effect was also greater for lower proficiency test takers in the distractor analysis. Originality: The paper is the first to utilize cognate frequency to estimate the cognate effect in different-script languages in language testing. Significance/implications: The study provides robust evidence for the Japanese-English cognate effect in a test of lexical knowledge. This finding is broadly in line with the predictions of the bilingual interactive activation plus model of bilingual lexical processing. In addition, the paper demonstrates that the proportion of Japanese cognates in the test is significantly greater than the proportion of cognates in the language in general, indicating that it may over-estimate Japanese learners’ knowledge of English lexis. Test designers and users are thus recommended to be aware of the impact of cognates when making inferences about language ability based on such tests of lexical knowledge.

Cognate facilitation effects in trilingual word recognition

Research on bilingual word recognition suggests that lexical access is nonselective with respect to language, i.e., that word representations of both languages become active during recognition. One piece of evidence supporting nonselective access is that bilinguals recognize cognates (words that are identical or similar in form and meaning in two or more languages) faster than noncognates. In fact, any difference between how cognates and ‘monolingual’ words are processed by multilinguals would indicate that the other, currently irrelevant language must have played a role as well, at least as long as the two groups of words are comparable with respect to all dimensions other than language membership. The aim of the present paper is to report on two visual perceptual experiments conducted within the lexical decision task paradigm whose aim was to test the assumptions concerning the special position of cognates (the cognate facilitation effect, cf. Dijkstra, 2005) within a trilingual mind and to answer the question whether trilinguals rely upon their second language lexical knowledge when recognizing L3 words. The results of the experiments attest to simultaneous activation and parallel processing as well as interaction among all the three languages. At the same time, they point to the fact that cross-linguistic lexical access and the source and strength of transfer may be constrained by variables such task demands.

Socio-linguistic factors in second language lexical knowledge: the case of second-generation children of Russian-Jewish immigrants in Israel

The factors affecting the mastery of the host country's language by the children of immigrants are important in the study of immigration-related issues. This exploratory study analyses the possible link between parental socio-linguistic background factors (parent–child language choice, parental proficiency in L2, educational level, socio-economic status, and the length of residence in the host country) and the children's social milieu on the one hand and children's lexical knowledge of L2 on the other among Russian-Jewish immigrants to Israel. Participants in the study were 70 Russian–Hebrew speaking children with a mean age of 7 years 2 months and their parents, all Russian-Jewish immigrants in Israel. After investigating the factors that influence Hebrew (L2) vocabulary knowledge, we constructed a composite measure of Hebrew lexical knowledge. In addition, structured questionnaires for parents and children were developed to collect data on target socio-linguistic factors. The findings showed that variability in children's L2 lexical knowledge can be understood, to some extent, by three background factors: parents' educational level, parents' educational experience in the host country, and the length of family residence in the host country. At the same time, the role of parent–child language choice, parental L2 proficiency, and children's social milieu was found to be insignificant. These data are discussed in the context of the distinctive socio-cultural characteristics of the Russian-Jewish immigrant community in Israel.

Second Language Lexical Knowledge and Listening Comprehension

This study investigates the interaction between lexical knowledge and listening comprehension in a second language. Fifty-nine Japanese university students of low-intermediate to advanced English ability were tested using first-language recall protocols as comprehension measures, and dictation as measures of lexical familiarity on four texts of increasing amounts of low-frequency lexical words. Comprehension correlated with text-lexis familiarity at .45; acceptable comprehension levels were significantly associated with higher text-lexis familiarity; good comprehension seldom occurred with text-lexis familiarity levels lower than 75 percent, but occurred frequently at 90+ percent levels. This pattern was observed equally for learners of high, middle, or low second-language listening proficiency. It is concluded that efficient listening strategies may make comprehending lexically complex texts possible, but most learners seem to need very high lexical familiarity for good comprehension.