USING LEXICAL FEATURES TO INVESTIGATE SECOND LANGUAGE LEXICAL DECISION PERFORMANCE

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (5) ◽  
pp. 911-935 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cynthia Berger ◽  
Scott Crossley ◽  
Stephen Skalicky
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Word Recognition ◽  
Lexical Decision ◽  
Nonnative Speakers ◽  
Age Of Acquisition ◽  
Decision Task ◽  
Large Dataset ◽  
Contextual Diversity ◽  
Decision Performance ◽  
The Impact

AbstractA large dataset of word recognition behavior from nonnative speakers (NNS) of English was collected using an online crowdsourced lexical decision task. Lexical features were used to predict NNS lexical decision latencies and accuracies. Predictors of NNS latencies and accuracy included contextual diversity, age of acquisition, and contextual distinctiveness, while length moderated the impact of contextual diversity and neighborhood size on accuracy. Results have implications for second language word recognition and demonstrate that NNS behavioral data collected through large crowdsourcing projects can afford a rich source for SLA research.

The Impact of Reader Skill on Phonological processing in visual Word Recognition

2003 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara J. Unsworth ◽  
Penny M. Pexman
Keyword(s):  
Word Recognition ◽  
Lexical Decision ◽  
Lexical Decision Task ◽  
Phonological Processing ◽  
Decision Task ◽  
Skilled Readers ◽  
Phonological Activation ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Do So

There has been much debate about the role of phonology in reading. This debate has been fuelled, in part, by mixed findings for phonological effects in lexical decision tasks. In the present research we investigated the impact of reader skill on three phonological effects (homophone, homograph, and regularity effects) in a lexical decision task and in a phonological lexical decision task. In both tasks, the more skilled readers showed different patterns of phonological effects from those of the less skilled readers; in particular, less skilled readers showed regularity effects in both tasks whereas more skilled readers did not. We concluded that more skilled readers activate phonology in these tasks but do so more efficiently, with less spurious phonological activation.

scholarly journals Phonetic categorization ability and vocabulary size contribute to the encoding of difficult second-language phonological contrasts into the lexicon

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Miquel Llompart
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Lexical Decision ◽  
Decision Task ◽  
Vocabulary Test ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Vocabulary Size ◽  
Advanced Learners ◽  
Decision Performance ◽  
Phonological Contrasts ◽  
Phonetic Categorization

Abstract This study investigated the contribution of second-language (L2) phonetic categorization abilities and vocabulary size to the phonolexical encoding of challenging non-native phonological contrasts into the L2 lexicon. Two groups of German learners of English differing in L2 proficiency (advanced vs. intermediate) participated in an English lexical decision task including words and nonwords with /ɛ/ and /æ/ (/æ/ does not exist in German), an /ɛ/-/æ/ phonetic categorization task and an English vocabulary test. Results showed that the effects of phonetic categorization and vocabulary size on lexical decision performance were modulated by proficiency: categorization predicted /ɛ/-/æ/ nonword rejection accuracy for intermediate learners, whereas vocabulary did so for advanced learners. This suggests that sufficient phonetic identification ability is key for an accurate phonological representation of difficult L2 phones, but, for learners for whom robust phonetic identification is already in place, their ultimate success is tightly linked to their vocabulary size in the L2.

Robustness of phonolexical representations relates to phonetic flexibility for difficult second language sound contrasts

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 1085-1100 ◽  
Author(s):  
MIQUEL LLOMPART ◽  
EVA REINISCH
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Lexical Decision ◽  
Lexical Decision Task ◽  
Learning Task ◽  
Decision Task ◽  
Decision Performance ◽  
Distributional Learning ◽  
The Relationship

Listening to speech entails adapting to vast amounts of variability in the signal. The present study examined the relationship between flexibility for adaptation in a second language (L2) and robustness of L2 phonolexical representations. Phonolexical encoding and phonetic flexibility for German learners of English were assessed by means of a lexical decision task containing nonwords with sound substitutions and a distributional learning task, respectively. Performance was analyzed for an easy (/i/-/ɪ/) and a difficult contrast (/ε/-/æ/, where /æ/ does not exist in German). Results showed that for /i/-/ɪ/ listeners were quite accurate in lexical decision, and distributional learning consistently triggered shifts in categorization. For /ε/-/æ/, lexical decision performance was poor but individual participants’ scores related to performance in distributional learning: the better learners were in their lexical decision, the smaller their categorization shift. This suggests that, for difficult L2 contrasts, rigidity at the phonetic level relates to better lexical performance.

The development of word recognition in a second language

1998 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 99-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Muljani ◽  
Keiko Koda ◽  
Danny R. Moates
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Word Recognition ◽  
Lexical Decision ◽  
Lexical Decision Task ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Decision Task ◽  
First Languages ◽  
Alphabetic Language ◽  
Learning English

AbstractDo differences among first languages (LI) affect word recognition in reading a second language (L2)? Participants in this study had either Indonesian (an alphabetic language) or Chinese (a logographic language) as an L1 and were learning English (an alphabetic language) as an L2. Under the connectionist rubric, it was predicted that an alphabetic LI would facilitate word recognition in an alphabetic L2, especially if the LI and L2 have similar spelling patterns. Facilitation is relative to a logographic LI. The model also predicted a better recognition for high-frequency words in the L2 relative to low-frequency words. The results of a lexical decision task largely confirmed these hypotheses.

Phonological priming and the role of phonology in nonnative word recognition

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 437-442 ◽  
Author(s):  
KIRA GOR
Keyword(s):  
Word Recognition ◽  
Lexical Decision ◽  
Lexical Decision Task ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Nonnative Speakers ◽  
Decision Task ◽  
Phonological Priming ◽  
Lexical Competition ◽  
Minimal Pairs

Research on nonnative auditory word recognition makes use of a lexical decision task with phonological priming to explore the role of phonological form in nonnative lexical access. In a medium-lag lexical decision task with phonological priming, nonnative speakers treat minimal pairs of words differentiated by a difficult phonological contrast as a repetition of the same word. While native speakers show facilitation in medium-lag priming only for identical word pairs, nonnative speakers also show facilitation for minimal pairs. In short-lag phonological priming, when the prime and the target have phonologically overlapping onsets, nonnative speakers show facilitation, while native speakers show inhibition. This review discusses two possible reasons for facilitation in nonnative phonological priming: reduced sensitivity to nonnative phonological contrasts, and reduced lexical competition of nonnative words with underdifferentiated, or fuzzy phonolexical representations. Nonnative words may be processed sublexically, which leads to sublexical facilitation instead of the inhibition resulting from lexical competition.

Perceived foreign accent in first language attrition and second language acquisition: The impact of age of acquisition and bilingualism—ERRATUM

2013 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 417-417 ◽  
Author(s):  
HOLGER HOPP ◽  
MONIKA S. SCHMID
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Open Access ◽  
First Language ◽  
Age Of Acquisition ◽  
Foreign Accent ◽  
Language Attrition ◽  
First Language Attrition ◽  
The Impact

The open access copyright line contained within this page was not included in the original FirstView article or the print article contained within this issue. We sincerely regret these errors and any problems they may have caused.

Classroom Noise and Children Learning Through a Second Language

2005 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 219-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peggy Nelson ◽  
Kathryn Kohnert ◽  
Sabina Sabur ◽  
Daniel Shaw
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Word Recognition ◽  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Recognition Performance ◽  
Recognition Task ◽  
English Word ◽  
Noise Condition ◽  
English Only ◽  
Task Behavior ◽  
The Impact

Purpose: Two studies were conducted to investigate the effects of classroom noise on attention and speech perception in native Spanish-speaking second graders learning English as their second language (L2) as compared to English-only-speaking (EO) peers. Method: Study 1 measured children’s on-task behavior during instructional activities with and without soundfield amplification. Study 2 measured the effects of noise (+10 dB signal-to-noise ratio) using an experimental English word recognition task. Results: Findings from Study 1 revealed no significant condition (pre/postamplification) or group differences in observations in on-task performance. Main findings from Study 2 were that word recognition performance declined significantly for both L2 and EO groups in the noise condition; however, the impact was disproportionately greater for the L2 group. Clinical Implications: Children learning in their L2 appear to be at a distinct disadvantage when listening in rooms with typical noise and reverberation. Speech-language pathologists and audiologists should collaborate to inform teachers, help reduce classroom noise, increase signal levels, and improve access to spoken language for L2 learners.

scholarly journals Predictors of second language English lexical recognition: Further insights from a large database of second language lexical decision times

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Skalicky ◽  
Scott Crossley ◽  
Cynthia M. Berger
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Lexical Decision ◽  
The United States ◽  
English Learning ◽  
Large Database ◽  
Linguistic Features ◽  
Contextual Diversity ◽  
Orthographic Similarity ◽  
Statistical Measures ◽  
Decision Times

In this study we analyze a large database of lexical decision times for English content words made by speakers of English as an additional language residing in the United States. Our first goal was to test whether the use of statistical measures better able to model variation associated with participants and items would replicate findings of a previous analysis of this data (Berger, Crossley, & Skalicky, 2019). Our second goal was to determine whether variables related to experiences using and learning English would interact with linguistic features of the target words. Results from our statistical analysis suggest affirmative answers to both of these questions. First, our results included significant effects for linguistic features related to contextual diversity and contextual distinctiveness, providing a replication of findings from the original study in that words appearing in more textual and lexical contexts were responded to quicker. Second, a measure of length of English learning and a measure of daily English use interacted with a measure of orthographic similarity. Our study provides further evidence regarding how a large, crowdsourced database can be used to obtain a better understanding of second language lexical recognition behavior and provides suggestions for further research.

The Interaction of Word Frequency and Stimulus Quality in the Lexical Decision Task: Now you See It, Now you Don't

1988 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 757-770 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. Wilding
Keyword(s):  
Word Recognition ◽  
Lexical Decision ◽  
Lexical Decision Task ◽  
Word Frequency ◽  
Decision Task ◽  
Stimulus Quality ◽  
Joint Effects ◽  
Two Factors

Two experiments are reported that examined the joint effects of word frequency and stimulus quality in the context of a lexical decision task. In the first experiment the interval between response to a stimulus and onset of the next stimulus was 0.8 sec, and the effect of the two factors was additive. In the second this interval was 3.3 sec, and the effect of reducing stimulus quality was greater for infrequent words than for frequent words. This is similar to the result of Norris (1984). The inability of current models of word recognition to explain this finding is discussed.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document