Vocabulary knowledge predicts individual differences in the integration of visual and linguistic constraints

2022 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Anuenue Kukona ◽  
Olivia Gaziano ◽  
Marie-Josee Bisson ◽  
Adrian Jordan
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Linguistic Constraints

scholarly journals Individual differences in narrative production in late childhood: Associations with age and fiction reading experience

2020 ◽  
pp. 014272372094655 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorna G. Hamilton ◽  
Isabelle O’Halloran ◽  
Nicola Cutting
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Word Reading ◽  
Picture Book ◽  
Production Quality ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Late Childhood ◽  
Reading Experience ◽  
Children's Narratives ◽  
Narrative Production ◽  
Age Range

Narrative production draws upon linguistic, cognitive and pragmatic skills, and is subject to substantial individual differences. This study aimed to characterise the development of narrative production in late childhood and to assess whether children’s cumulative experience of reading fiction is associated with individual differences in narrative language skills. One-hundred-and-twenty-five 9- to 12-year-old children told a story from a wordless picture book, and their narratives were coded for syntactic, semantic and discourse-pragmatic features. The grammatical complexity and propositional content of children’s narratives increased with age between 9 and 12 years, while narrative cohesion, coherence and use of mental state terms were stable across the age range. Measures of fiction reading experience were positively correlated with several indices of narrative production quality and predicted unique variance in narrative macrostructure after controlling for individual differences in vocabulary knowledge, word reading accuracy and theory of mind. These findings are discussed in terms of the continued importance of ‘book language’ as part of the language input beyond early childhood.

Exploring the impact of individual differences in aural vocabulary knowledge, written vocabulary knowledge and working memory capacity on explaining L2 learners’ listening comprehension

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 423-447 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Masrai
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Second Language ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Listening Comprehension ◽  
Working Memory Capacity ◽  
Explanatory Power ◽  
Memory Capacity ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Pedagogical Practice ◽  
The Impact

AbstractListening comprehension constitutes a considerable challenge for second language learners, but little is known about the relative contribution of individual differences in distinct factors to listening comprehension. Since research in this area is relatively limited in comparison to that focusing on the relationship between reading comprehension and factors such as vocabulary knowledge and working memory, there is a need for studies that seek to fill the gap in our knowledge about the specific contribution of aural vocabulary knowledge, written vocabulary knowledge and working memory capacity to explaining listening comprehension. Among 130 non-native speakers of English, the present study examines what proportion of the variance in listening comprehension is explained by aural vocabulary knowledge, written vocabulary knowledge, and working memory capacity. The results show that aural vocabulary knowledge is the strongest predictor of listening comprehension, followed by working memory capacity, while written vocabulary knowledge contributes only marginally. The study discusses implications for the explanatory power of aural vocabulary knowledge and working memory to listening comprehension and pedagogical practice in second language classrooms.

How Age, Linguistic Status, and the Nature of the Auditory Scene Alter the Manner in Which Listening Comprehension Is Achieved in Multitalker Conversations

2015 ◽  
Vol 58 (5) ◽  
pp. 1570-1591 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meital Avivi-Reich ◽  
Agnes Jakubczyk ◽  
Meredyth Daneman ◽  
Bruce A. Schneider
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Language Comprehension ◽  
Listening Comprehension ◽  
Spatial Separation ◽  
Spoken Language ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Speech Comprehension ◽  
Comprehension Skill ◽  
Auditory Scene

Purpose We investigated how age and linguistic status affected listeners' ability to follow and comprehend 3-talker conversations, and the extent to which individual differences in language proficiency predict speech comprehension under difficult listening conditions. Method Younger and older L1s as well as young L2s listened to 3-talker conversations, with or without spatial separation between talkers, in either quiet or against moderate or high 12-talker babble background, and were asked to answer questions regarding their contents. Results After compensating for individual differences in speech recognition, no significant differences in conversation comprehension were found among the groups. As expected, conversation comprehension decreased as babble level increased. Individual differences in reading comprehension skill contributed positively to performance in younger EL1s and in young EL2s to a lesser degree but not in older EL1s. Vocabulary knowledge was significantly and positively related to performance only at the intermediate babble level. Conclusion The results indicate that the manner in which spoken language comprehension is achieved is modulated by the listeners' age and linguistic status.

Metalinguistic judgments of phonotactics by monolinguals and bilinguals

2010 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan A. Frisch ◽  
María R. Brea-Spahn
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Judgment Task ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Vocabulary Test ◽  
Lexical Knowledge ◽  
Phonotactic Probability ◽  
English Bilingual ◽  
Low Probability ◽  
Vocabulary Assessment

AbstractThis paper demonstrates that a speaker's judgments of well-formedness for novel forms is based directly on their lexical knowledge by showing individual differences in performance in metalinguistic processing of novel words by 68 monolingual English speakers and 30 Spanish-English bilinguals. Monolingual participants were given a well-formedness judgment task and vocabulary assessment in English. Bilingual participants participated in well-formedness judgment tasks and vocabulary assessments in both English and Spanish. An influence of onset-rime phonotactic probability on well-formedness judgments was demonstrated, replicating and extending previous work to a bilingual population. For the bilinguals, there was no evidence of interference between the two languages in the well-formedness task. Individual differences in well-formedness judgments were examined by looking at relations between well-formedness judgments and vocabulary knowledge. Evidence supporting a connection between lexical knowledge and well-formedness task performance was found in the English data for both monolingual and bilingual participants, but this finding was not replicated in the Spanish data. Participants with a larger vocabulary in English were more accepting of low probability nonwords in English. It appears that those with greater vocabulary knowledge are more likely to have experienced improbable phonological constituents, and may also have a lower threshold for “unacceptable” nonwords, if their threshold is based on a likelihood estimate from their individual lexicon. The lack of a lexical effect for Spanish may reflect the lack of a comparable vocabulary test for Spanish. Overall, it appears that performance on well-formedness judgment tasks for nonwords is shown to be related to emergent generalizations based on the individual's linguistic experience with a language, as reflected in their lexical knowledge.

FORMAL VERSUS INFORMAL L2 LEARNING

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-25
Author(s):  
Vanessa De Wilde ◽  
Marc Brysbaert ◽  
June Eyckmans
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Word Frequency ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Receptive Vocabulary ◽  
Vocabulary Test ◽  
And Gender ◽  
French Words ◽  
Out Of School

Abstract A second language can be learned inside and outside the classroom. In this study we investigated the English and French vocabulary knowledge of 110 Dutch-speaking children (age 10–12), who received 100 hours of instruction in French, whereas their contact with English came from out-of-school exposure only. We examined the role of individual differences (out-of-school exposure and gender) and word-related variables (cognateness, frequency, and language). The children completed a receptive vocabulary test in English and French and filled in a questionnaire. The results showed that the children had a larger vocabulary knowledge in English than in French, illustrating the power of contextual language learning. Word learning was influenced by the amount of exposure, word frequency, and cognateness. Additionally, English words were easier to learn than French words for the participants we tested. Our results point to the need for out-of-school exposure to supplement language learning in the classroom.

scholarly journals Explaining individual differences in young English language learners’ vocabulary knowledge: The role of Extramural English Exposure and motivation

System ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 96 ◽  
pp. 102402
Author(s):  
Nihayra L. Leona ◽  
Margreet J.H. van Koert ◽  
Maurits W. van der Molen ◽  
Judith E. Rispens ◽  
Jurgen Tijms ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge

scholarly journals The effects of vocabulary knowledge in L2 semantic lexical engagement: The case of adult learners of English as a second language

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 261-270
Author(s):  
Verónica García-Castro
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Adult Learners ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Decision Task ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Vocabulary Size ◽  
Linear Mixed Effects ◽  
L1 And L2 ◽  
Reading Session ◽  
Novel Words

There is evidence that L1 and L2 lexical engagement of novel items occurs in adulthood. However, previous studies have not addressed the effects of individual differences on that engagement. Hence, it is unknown how individual differences may influence semantic lexical engagement gains in L1 and L2 adult learners. This study investigates the effects of pre-existing vocabulary knowledge on L2 semantic lexical engagement of recently learned novel words. A semantic priming experiment, across two consecutive days, was conducted.  A group of advanced L2 learners (n=26) and L1 learners (n=26) participated in the study. They were trained on pseudowords acting as verbs (n=7) and nouns (n=7). Vocabulary knowledge was measured via an online vocabulary size test.  On day one, participants learned the meaning of the pseudowords via reading 12 repetitions of the novel words embedded into English sentences. Immediately, after the reading session, participants undertook surprise recognition and recall vocabulary post-tests. On day two, participants took part in a semantic lexical decision task (LDT) with priming to test L2 semantic lexical engagement of the novel words learned on day one. The data were analysed through a series of general and linear mixed-effects models. The results showed that L1 and L2 participants engaged the meaning of the recently learned novel words. Previous vocabulary knowledge predicted faster recognition of semantic related and unrelated primes in the LDT task. It is concluded that L1 and L2 adult learners lexically engaged the meaning of the recently learned words and that vocabulary size is a predictor of L2 semantic lexical engagement of novel words within the conditions of this study. The empirical findings provide a new understanding of the role vocabulary knowledge on L1 and L2 semantic lexical engagement of novel words. 

scholarly journals Individual Differences in Children’s (Language) Learning Skills Moderate Effects of Robot-Assisted Second Language Learning

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rianne van den Berghe ◽  
Ora Oudgenoeg-Paz ◽  
Josje Verhagen ◽  
Susanne Brouwer ◽  
Mirjam de Haas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Selective Attention ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Word Knowledge ◽  
Phonological Memory ◽  
Robot Assisted ◽  
Experimental Conditions

The current study investigated how individual differences among children affect the added value of social robots for teaching second language (L2) vocabulary to young children. Specifically, we investigated the moderating role of three individual child characteristics deemed relevant for language learning: first language (L1) vocabulary knowledge, phonological memory, and selective attention. We expected children low in these abilities to particularly benefit from being assisted by a robot in a vocabulary training. An L2 English vocabulary training intervention consisting of seven sessions was administered to 193 monolingual Dutch five-year-old children over a three- to four-week period. Children were randomly assigned to one of three experimental conditions: 1) a tablet only, 2) a tablet and a robot that used deictic (pointing) gestures (the no-iconic-gestures condition), or 3) a tablet and a robot that used both deictic and iconic gestures (i.e., gestures depicting the target word; the iconic-gestures condition). There also was a control condition in which children did not receive a vocabulary training, but played dancing games with the robot. L2 word knowledge was measured directly after the training and two to four weeks later. In these post-tests, children in the experimental conditions outperformed children in the control condition on word knowledge, but there were no differences between the three experimental conditions. Several moderation effects were found. The robot’s presence particularly benefited children with larger L1 vocabularies or poorer phonological memory, while children with smaller L1 vocabularies or better phonological memory performed better in the tablet-only condition. Children with larger L1 vocabularies and better phonological memory performed better in the no-iconic-gestures condition than in the iconic-gestures condition, while children with better selective attention performed better in the iconic-gestures condition than the no-iconic-gestures condition. Together, the results showed that the effects of the robot and its gestures differ across children, which should be taken into account when designing and evaluating robot-assisted L2 teaching interventions.

The use of referring expressions in narratives by Mandarin heritage language children and the role of language environment factors in predicting individual differences

2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 737-752 ◽  
Author(s):  
RUITING JIA ◽  
JOHANNE PARADIS
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Heritage Language ◽  
Maternal Education ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Older Age ◽  
Referring Expressions ◽  
Education Levels ◽  
Language Environment ◽  
Large Repertoire

This study investigated the referring expressions used for first mentions of participants and entities in narratives by Mandarin heritage language (HL) and monolingual children. Referring expressions for first mentions in Mandarin comprise lexical, morphological and syntactic devices. Results showed that HL children used less adequate referring expressions for first mentions than the monolinguals, mainly due to overgeneralization of classifiers and lack of vocabulary knowledge. However, HL children did not differ from monolinguals in their use of relative clauses and post-verbal NP placement to mark first mentions. These results suggest that incomplete acquisition of the HL may vary across different linguistic subdomains (Montrul, 2008); specifically, domains requiring a great deal of input to acquire, such as vocabulary and the large repertoire of classifier morphemes, might be more vulnerable in HL speakers than syntax. Mixed modeling analyses revealed that older age of arrival, higher maternal education levels and a rich and diverse Mandarin environment at home predicted stronger narrative outcomes, also pointing to an important role for input in HL acquisition.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document