scholarly journals The Nativelikeness Problem in L2 Word-association Tasks: Examining Word Class and Trials

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 125
Author(s):  
Boji P. W. Lam ◽  
Li Sheng
Keyword(s):  
Significant Variation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Word Association ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Association Studies ◽  
Word Class ◽  
Language Groups ◽  
Association Norm ◽  
L2 Learners

Significant variation exists in how native speakers respond to word association tasks and challenges the usage of nativelikeness as a benchmark to gauge second language (L2) performance. However, the influence of word class and trials of elicitation is not sufficiently addressed in previous work. With controlled stimuli from multiple word classes, repeated elicitations, and analytic approaches aiming to tease apart their interactions, this study compared the extent to which native speaker controls and late L2 learners generated associates that converged to a large-scale association norm, and examined the influence of word class and trial on the likelihood to elicit idiosyncratic responses within the two language groups. During initial elicitation, only adjectives elicited greater convergence to the norm among native speakers than L2 learners. Furthermore, native speakers were more likely to generate synonyms whereas L2 learners were more likely to generate antonyms to adjectives in the initial elicitation. For nouns and verbs, 30% of associates produced by the native speaker controls failed to converge to the norm. In fact, the native speaker controls were not more “nativelike” than L2 learners for nouns and verbs until later elicitations. Finally, despite reports of significant variation among native speakers in previous work, the amount of response idiosyncrasy was consistently lower in native speakers than in L2 learners, regardless of word class or elicitation trial. By revealing the effects of word class and trials on association performance, findings from this study suggest potential means to ameliorate the issue with nativelikeness in L2 word association studies.

Form prominence in the L2 lexicon: Further evidence from word association

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-90
Author(s):  
Nan Jiang ◽  
Jianqin Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Native Speakers ◽  
Word Association ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Association Studies ◽  
First Language ◽  
The Past ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Orthographic Priming ◽  
Selection Of

Two lines of evidence emerged in the past suggesting that lexical form seemed to play a more important role in the organization of the second language (L2) mental lexicon than in that of the first language (L1) lexicon. They were masked orthographic priming in L2 word recognition and an elevated proportion of form-related responses in L2 word association. However, findings from previous word association studies were inconsistent regarding (1) how often L2 speakers produced form-related responses ( flood–blood) and (2) whether L2 speakers were more likely than L1 speakers to provide such responses. Attributing this inconsistency to two methodological causes, the classification of form-related responses and the selection of stimuli, the present study adopted an improved approach by quantifying the definition of form-related responses and by selecting stimuli that had both strong semantic associates and orthographically similar words as potential responses. The latter improvement helped remove the bias for producing either meaning-based or form-based responses. A group of 30 English native speakers and two groups of 65 non-native speakers were tested on the same set of stimuli of 74 English words. Three findings were obtained: (1) non-native speakers produced significantly more form-related responses than native speakers, (2) the two non-native speaker group who differed in L2 experiences showed comparable results, and (3) the participants’ familiarity with the stimuli and the lexical frequency of the stimuli negatively correlated with the proportion of form-related responses among non-native speakers. These results provided more compelling evidence for form prominence in the L2 lexicon.

A Variationist Analysis of Second Language Spanish Trill Production

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-37
Author(s):  
Danielle Daidone ◽  
Sara Zahler
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Opposite Direction ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
L2 Learners ◽  
Phonetic Context

Abstract The current study examines the production of the Spanish trill by advanced second language (L2) learners using a variationist approach. Findings indicate that learners produced less multiple occlusion trills than native speakers and their variation was not constrained by the same factors as native speakers. Phonetic context conditioned the use of the multiple occlusion variant for native speakers, whereas frequency and speaker sex conditioned this variation for learners, and in the opposite direction of effect as expected from previous native speaker research. Nevertheless, the majority of tokens produced by learners were other variants also produced by native speakers, and when the variation between native and non-native variants was examined, learners’ variation was conditioned not only by frequency, but also phonetic context. Some of the phonetic contexts in which learners produced non-native variants were comparable to those in which native speakers were least likely to produce the multiple occlusion trill, indicating that articulatory constraints governed variation in trill production similarly for both groups. Thus, although L2 learners do not exhibit native-like trill variation, they appear to be developing toward a more native-like norm. These insights provide support for adopting a multifaceted variationist approach to the study of L2 phonological variable structures.

scholarly journals Investigation of Native Speaker and Second Language Learner Intuition of Collocation Frequency

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Siyanova ◽  
S Spina
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Language Learner ◽  
Very Low Frequency ◽  
Second Language Learner ◽  
L2 Learners ◽  
L1 And L2

© 2015 Language Learning Research Club, University of Michigan. Research into frequency intuition has focused primarily on native (L1) and, to a lesser degree, nonnative (L2) speaker intuitions about single word frequency. What remains a largely unexplored area is L1 and L2 intuitions about collocation (i.e., phrasal) frequency. To bridge this gap, the present study aimed to answer the following question: How do L2 learners and native speakers compare against each other and corpora in their subjective judgments of collocation frequency? Native speakers and learners of Italian were asked to judge 80 noun-adjective pairings as one of the following: high frequency, medium frequency, low frequency, very low frequency. Both L1 and L2 intuitions of high frequency collocations correlated strongly with corpus frequency. Neither of the two groups of participants exhibited accurate intuitions of medium and low frequency collocations. With regard to very low frequency pairings, L1 but not L2 intuitions were found to correlate with corpora for the majority of the items. Further, mixed-effects modeling revealed that L2 learners were comparable to native speakers in their judgments of the four frequency bands, although some differences did emerge. Taken together, the study provides new insights into the nature of L1 and L2 intuitions about phrasal frequency.

scholarly journals The use of collocations across proficiency levels: a literature review

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 34129
Author(s):  
Larissa Goulart
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Word Association ◽  
Linguistic Competence ◽  
Single Word ◽  
Formulaic Language ◽  
Correct Word ◽  
Proficiency Levels ◽  
L2 Learners

This literature review focuses on the use of formulaic language by English as a second language students (L2). Research on the field of phraseology has shown that mastery of formulas is central for fluency and linguistic competence (Ellis, 1996). Studies on the use of formulaic language by native speakers (Ellis et al., 2008) have shown that native speakers process these structures as a single word. Considering the use of formulaic language by L2 students, research has shown that this can be problematic to learners as they do not know the correct word association (Men, 2018). This paper presents a literature review on the studies of formulaic language, more specifically of collocations, used by L2 learners. The first part of this paper deals with the different definitions of collocations, while the second part focuses on studies on collocation use by L2 learners.

Fixed-choice word-association tasks as second-language lexical tests: What native-speaker performance reveals about their potential weaknesses

2012 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 193-221 ◽  
Author(s):  
VEDRAN DRONJIC ◽  
RENA HELMS-PARK
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Word Association ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Test Validity ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Knowledge Test ◽  
Lower Accuracy ◽  
Metalinguistic Knowledge

ABSTRACTQian and Schedl's Depth of Vocabulary Knowledge Test was administered to 31 native-speaker undergraduates under an “unconstrained” condition, in which the number of responses to headwords was unfixed, whereas a corresponding group (n = 36) completed the test under the original “constrained” condition. Results revealed lower accuracy in the unconstrained condition and in paradigmatic versus syntagmatic responses. Native speakers failed to reach the 90% criterion on most unconstrained and many constrained items. Although certain modifications could improve such a test (e.g., eliminating psycholinguistically anomalous headwords, such as adjectives, or presenting responses to headwords discontinuously), two intransigent problems impede test validity. First, collocates in the mental lexicon differ in tightness and vary across dialects, sociolects, and age groups. Second, it is more serious that second-language Depth of Vocabulary Knowledge Tests are likely spot checks of metalinguistic knowledge rather than depth tests that reflect what learners would actually produce in spontaneous utterances.

scholarly journals Chinese L1 children's English L2 verb morphology over time: individual variation in long-term outcomes

2016 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 553-580 ◽  
Author(s):  
JOHANNE PARADIS ◽  
YASEMIN TULPAR ◽  
ANTTI ARPPE
Keyword(s):  
Individual Variation ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Age Factors ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Long Term Outcomes ◽  
Vocabulary Size ◽  
Verb Morphology ◽  
L2 Learners

AbstractThis study examined accuracy in production and grammaticality judgements of verb morphology by eighteen Chinese-speaking children learning English as a second language (L2) followed longitudinally from four to six years of exposure to English, and who began to learn English at age 4;2. Children's growth in accuracy with verb morphology reached a plateau by six years, where 11/18 children did not display native-speaker levels of accuracy for one or more morphemes. Variation in children's accuracy with verb morphology was predicted by their English vocabulary size and verbal short-term memories primarily, and quality and quantity of English input at home secondarily. This study shows that even very young L2 learners might not all catch up to native speakers in this time frame and that non-age factors play a role in determining individual variation in child L2 learners’ long-term outcomes with English morphology.

scholarly journals Issues in Second Language Acquisition Research and the Relation with Native-Like Competence

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Riana Agustin Tindjabate
Keyword(s):  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Speech Acts ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Full Range ◽  
Know How ◽  
L2 Learners ◽  
Pragmatic Aspect ◽  
Communication Needs ◽  
Target Culture

This research reviews the relevancy of native-like competence in SLA study. It is used three issues that mostly found in English teaching. The first issue which always occurs in the discussion of learning English is communication needs between native speakers and L2 learners. Secondly, it is the domination of pragmatic aspect. The third issue is about teaching of target culture. Research results reveal that most of L2 learners are not accustomed to the full range of styles, structures, and speech acts of the native speakers since English is not used as their daily language. The learners might have different comprehension with the native speaker about the use of particular English words, sentences or phrases. The learners must know how to communicate well with native speaker and non native speaker of English by using particular words, sentences or phrases in a particular place or occasion.

scholarly journals Investigation of Native Speaker and Second Language Learner Intuition of Collocation Frequency

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Siyanova ◽  
S Spina
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Language Learner ◽  
Very Low Frequency ◽  
Second Language Learner ◽  
L2 Learners ◽  
L1 And L2

© 2015 Language Learning Research Club, University of Michigan. Research into frequency intuition has focused primarily on native (L1) and, to a lesser degree, nonnative (L2) speaker intuitions about single word frequency. What remains a largely unexplored area is L1 and L2 intuitions about collocation (i.e., phrasal) frequency. To bridge this gap, the present study aimed to answer the following question: How do L2 learners and native speakers compare against each other and corpora in their subjective judgments of collocation frequency? Native speakers and learners of Italian were asked to judge 80 noun-adjective pairings as one of the following: high frequency, medium frequency, low frequency, very low frequency. Both L1 and L2 intuitions of high frequency collocations correlated strongly with corpus frequency. Neither of the two groups of participants exhibited accurate intuitions of medium and low frequency collocations. With regard to very low frequency pairings, L1 but not L2 intuitions were found to correlate with corpora for the majority of the items. Further, mixed-effects modeling revealed that L2 learners were comparable to native speakers in their judgments of the four frequency bands, although some differences did emerge. Taken together, the study provides new insights into the nature of L1 and L2 intuitions about phrasal frequency.

scholarly journals Anforderungen und Erwartungen an eine lexikografische Ressource des gesprochenen Deutsch aus der L2-Lernerperspektive

2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-122
Author(s):  
Meike Meliss ◽  
Christine Möhrs ◽  
Maria Ribeiro Silveira
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
L2 Learners

AbstractIn the project LeGeDe („Lexik des gesprochenen Deutsch”), we are developing a corpus-based lexicographical resource focusing on features of the lexicon of spoken German. To investigate the expectations of future users, two studies were conducted: interviews with a smaller group of experts and a large-scale online survey. We report on selected results, mainly from the online survey and with a focus on the learning perspective. We want to show if and to which extent the L2-learners’ expectations differ from those of native speakers and in which aspects the two groups agree. We also want to give an outlook on the possibilities that will be available to learners in the planned lexicographical resource.

scholarly journals Sprachverlust und Halbsprecher einer sterbenden Sprache

2018 ◽  
Vol 71 (1) ◽  
pp. 99-118
Author(s):  
Arjen P. Versloot
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
17Th Century ◽  
Structural Features ◽  
Vowel Harmony ◽  
Phonological Rule

Zusammenfassung Dying languages are often characterised by attrition of structural features and large scale borrowing from competing dominant languages. However, these characteristics are difficult to interpret when the variety is only scarcely attested (Trümmersprache) and documented by non-native speakers, who learned the language from native speakers who were themselves, potentially, only imperfect learners. The East Frisian Harlingerland dialect is a case in point. It is attested only in a booklet from the late 17th century (1691) by the local vicar Johannes Cadovius-Müller, who was not a native speaker of Frisian. He uses the two infinitive markers of Frisian in an unhistorical way. This study seeks to understand how this usage arose. It is hypothesised that the last generation of dialect speakers developed a synchronic phonological rule for the distribution of the two infinitive markers based on vowel harmony, which was then partly misrepresented due to Cadovius-Müller's imperfect learning.

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