scholarly journals A Japanese Word Association Database of English

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-20
Author(s):  
G Higginbotham ◽  
◽  
I Munby ◽  
J Racine ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Word Association ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
First Language ◽  
Geographic Distance ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Word Knowledge ◽  
Lexical Development ◽  
Japanese Word ◽  
Learner Responses ◽  
Japanese Learners

In this paper, two word association (WA) studies are presented in support of recent arguments against the use of native-speaker (NS) norms in WA research. In Study 1, first-language (L1) and second-language (L2) WA norms lists were developed and compared to learner responses as a means of measuring L2 proficiency. The results showed that L2 norms provided a more sensitive measure of L2 lexical development than did traditional NS norms. Study 2 was designed to test the utility of native norms databases in predicting the primary WA responses of Japanese learners to high-frequency English cues. With the exception of only extremely frequent cues, it was shown that native norms were not successful in predicting learner responses. The results of both studies are discussed in terms of cultural and linguistic differences, geographic distance, and dissimilarities in word knowledge between respondent populations. Finally, a proposal is made for the construction of a Japanese WA database of English responses (J-WADE). The methods by which it will be developed, key features, and employment in future research are outlined.

RESEARCHING VOCABULARY THROUGH A WORD KNOWLEDGE FRAMEWORK

1997 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Norbert Schmitt ◽  
Paul Meara
Keyword(s):  
Word Association ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Word Knowledge ◽  
Vocabulary Size ◽  
Word Associations ◽  
Knowledge Change ◽  
Japanese Students ◽  
Knowledge Framework ◽  
Percentage Points ◽  
Academic Year

This study examines how two types of word knowledge, word associations and grammatical suffix knowledge, change over time both receptively and productively. Ninety-five secondary and postsecondary Japanese students were tested on three word associations and inflectional and derivational suffixes for each of 20 verbs, once near the beginning of their academic year and once near the end. The results showed their average vocabulary gain was 330 words. The students showed rather poor knowledge of the allowable suffixes for the verbs, especially the derivative suffixes. Likewise, the subjects did not show very good mastery of the verbs' word associations. Even for verbs rated as known, the students as a group were able to produce only about 50% of the word associations possible on the test as judged by native speaker norms. Word association knowledge and suffix knowledge were shown to correlate with each other and with total vocabulary size. The subjects overall had from 19 to 25 percentage points more receptive knowledge than productive knowledge.

COMPARING THE L1 AND L2 MENTAL LEXICON

2001 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brent Wolter
Keyword(s):  
Native Speaker ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Mental Lexicon ◽  
The Body ◽  
Word Knowledge ◽  
Lexical Development ◽  
Individual Word ◽  
Tentative Model ◽  
L1 And L2

This paper explores the possibility that, contrary to the findings of past studies, the L1 and L2 mental lexicon may in fact be structurally similar, with depth of individual word knowledge determining a given word's degree of integration into the mental lexicon. The paper begins by reviewing the body of evidence relevant to the research question, and then presents the design and results of an investigation comparing nonnative and native speaker patterns of responses in light of depth of word knowledge scores. In discussing the results of the study, a tentative model for the process by which words are integrated into the mental lexicon is proposed, and the long-standing belief that a shift from predominantly syntagmatic to predominantly paradigmatic responses is indicative of lexical development is challenged.

Lexical acquisition over time in minority first language children learning English as a second language

2008 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
HEATHER GOLBERG ◽  
JOHANNE PARADIS ◽  
MARTHA CRAGO
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
First Language ◽  
Receptive Vocabulary ◽  
Vocabulary Test ◽  
Lexical Resources ◽  
Lexical Development ◽  
Second Language Development ◽  
Mental Age ◽  
Language Sampling

ABSTRACTThe English second language development of 19 children (mean age at outset = 5 years, 4 months) from various first language backgrounds was examined every 6 months for 2 years, using spontaneous language sampling, parental questionnaires, and a standardized receptive vocabulary test. Results showed that the children's mean mental age equivalency and standard scores on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test—Third Edition nearly met native-speaker expectations after an average of 34 months of exposure to English, a faster rate of development than has been reported in some other research. Children displayed the phenomenon of general all-purpose verbs through overextension of the semantically flexible verb do, an indicator of having to stretch their lexical resources for the communicative context. Regarding sources of individual differences, older age of second language onset and higher levels of mother's education were associated with faster growth in children's English lexical development, and nonverbal intelligence showed some limited influence on vocabulary outcomes; however, English use in the home had no consistent effects on vocabulary development.

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.

TRANSFER AND TRANSITION IN THE SLA OF ASPECT

2009 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 371-402 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison Gabriele
Keyword(s):  
English Learners ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Native Language ◽  
First Language ◽  
Japanese Learners Of English ◽  
L2 Learners ◽  
Input Cues ◽  
Japanese Learners ◽  
English Native Speaker ◽  
Rule Out

Previous studies have shown that it is particularly difficult for second language (L2) learners to overcome the effects of transfer when they need to unlearn specific aspects of the native language in the absence of explicit input that indicates which properties of the first language (L1) are ruled out by the L2 grammar (Inagaki, 2001; Westergaard, 2003; White, 1991a, 1991b). The present study focuses on the effects of transfer in the domain of aspectual semantics through an investigation of the interpretation of the present progressive in L2 English and the imperfective marker te-iru in L2 Japanese and examines whether L2 learners can rule out interpretations available in the L1 but not in the L2. Japanese learners of English (n = 101), English native-speaker controls (n = 23), English learners of Japanese (n = 31), and Japanese native-speaker controls (n = 33) completed an interpretation task in English or Japanese. The results show that the L2 Japanese learners were more successful than the L2 English learners in both acquiring the semantics of the imperfective in the L2 and ruling out interpretations available only in the L1. It is proposed that successful unlearning depends on both the grammatical complexity of the semantic target in the L2 and the transparency of the input cues available to the learner.

scholarly journals THE EFFECTS OF TALKER VARIABILITY AND FREQUENCY OF EXPOSURE ON THE ACQUISITION OF SPOKEN WORD KNOWLEDGE

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-24
Author(s):  
Takumi Uchihara ◽  
Stuart Webb ◽  
Kazuya Saito ◽  
Pavel Trofimovich
Keyword(s):  
Word Knowledge ◽  
Vowel Duration ◽  
Talker Variability ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Lexical Development ◽  
Input Quantity ◽  
Word Stress ◽  
Japanese Learners Of English ◽  
Japanese Learners ◽  
Accuracy Stress

Abstract Eighty Japanese learners of English as a foreign language encountered 40 target words in one of four experimental conditions (three encounters, six encounters, three encounters with talker variability, and six encounters with talker variability). A picture-naming test was conducted three times (pretest, immediate posttest, and delayed posttest) and elicited speech samples were scored in terms of form-meaning connection (spoken form recall) and word stress accuracy (stress placement accuracy and vowel duration ratio). Results suggested that frequency of exposure consistently promoted the recall of spoken forms, whereas talker variability was more closely related to the enhancement of word stress accuracy. These findings shed light on how input quantity (frequency) and quality (variability) affect different stages of lexical development and provide implications for vocabulary teaching.

Do word associations assess word knowledge? A comparison of L1 and L2, child and adult word associations

2010 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 187-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marjolein Cremer ◽  
Daphne Dingshoff ◽  
Meike de Beer ◽  
Rob Schoonen
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Development ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Word Association ◽  
Word Knowledge ◽  
Word Associations ◽  
Bilingual Speakers ◽  
Association Behavior ◽  
Log Linear ◽  
L1 And L2 ◽  
Free Word

Differences in word associations between monolingual and bilingual speakers of Dutch can reflect differences in how well seemingly familiar words are known. In this (exploratory) study mono-and bilingual, child and adult free word associations were compared. Responses of children and of monolingual speakers were found to be more dispersed across response categories than responses of adults and of L2 speakers, respectively. Log linear analyses show that the distributional patterns of association responses differ among the groups. Age has the largest effect on association responses. Adults give more meaning-related responses than children. Child L1 speakers give more meaning-related responses than child L2 speakers. Form-based and ‘Other’ associations were mostly given by (L2) children. The different findings for mono- and bilingual children and for mono- and bilingual adults show the influence of bilingualism on the development of word associations. The prominent effect of age emphasizes the role of conceptual development in word association behavior, and makes free word association tasks less suitable as an assessment tool for word knowledge.

Investigating Chinese University Students’ Enjoyment in a Web-Based Language Learning Environment: Validation of the Online Foreign Language Enjoyment Scale

2021 ◽  
pp. 003151252110417
Author(s):  
Xin Wang ◽  
Yang Wang ◽  
Yizhi Yang ◽  
Lu Wang
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
First Language ◽  
Pedagogical Practices ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Chinese University ◽  
Confirmatory Factor

The revolution in web-based technologies has enriched pedagogical practices and motivated scholars to address learners’ positive and negative emotions in the web-based language learning environment. In this study, we first examined the psychometric properties of the Foreign Language Enjoyment Scale (FLES) and then developed the Online Foreign Language Enjoyment Scale (OFLES). We adopted a mixed-method approach using a sample of 383 first language Chinese EFL undergraduates. In stage one of the research, exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis supported an 11-item and 4-factor OFLES structure with an ideal model fit. The four sub-domains of the new enjoyment construct were OFLES- Teacher, Private, Interaction, and Competence. The Teacher domain accounted for most variance. In stage two, the qualitative analyses of feedback on an open-ended question concerning enjoyable episodes from 56 of the 383 participants revealed various sources of enjoyment for Chinese university EFL learners attending online English courses. Our findings contribute to an emerging wave of research examining the cross-contextual application of the FLES and provide important pedagogical implications for L2 practitioners and researchers. We discuss suggestions for future research.

scholarly journals Dynamic Transfer and Relations between First Language (L1) Proficiency and Second Language (L2) Writing Skills Performance

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdulelah Alkhateeb
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
First Language ◽  
Writing Skills ◽  
Arabic Language ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Dynamic Relationship ◽  
Arabic And English ◽  
L1 And L2

This study investigates the transfer relationship between first language (L1) (Arabic) proficiency and second language (L2) (English) performance in writing skills of a Saudi bilingual graduate student. Several studies have discussed the transfer issues in language learning, yet a few of them focus on the transfer relationships between Arabic and English language writing skills. Regardless of the huge linguistic distinction between the English language and Arabic language, it is presumed that Arabic and English writing skills positively, negatively, and neutrally transferred in a dynamic relationship. The researcher has conducted observations and interviews with Fatimah, the participant of this study, and analyzed her texts in both languages to illustrate how dynamic relationships between L1 and L2 in the composition skills is and what the effects of language transfer in the composition skills between L1 and L2 are. The data were collected and analyzed in January 2018. The results demonstrate effects of L2 on L1 as the following; first, a reverse or backward transfer implemented in three ways; positive, negative, and neutral transfer. Second, they indicate that there is a dynamic relationship between second language performance and first language proficiency in composition particularly. It is hoped that this knowledge will assist students in being aware of the effects of L2 on L1 specifically in composition and taking the advantages to accelerate the rate of language learning. It is recommended for future research to conduct studies in bilingual writings to investigate how L1 could be a resource and advocate of language development.

English and Japanese interlanguage comprehension strategies: An analysis based on the competition model

1991 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshinori Sasaki
Keyword(s):  
First Language ◽  
Native English Speakers ◽  
English Word ◽  
Competition Model ◽  
Comprehension Strategies ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Response Patterns ◽  
Native Japanese Speakers ◽  
Japanese Speakers ◽  
Japanese Word

ABSTRACTIn an experiment based on the competition model, 12 native Japanese speakers (J1 group) and 12 native English speakers studying Japanese (JFL group) were requested to report sentence subjects after listening to Japanese word strings which consisted of one verb and two nouns each. Similarly, 12 native English speakers (E1 group) and 12 native Japanese speakers studying English (EFL group) reported the sentence subjects of English word strings. In each word string, syntactic (word order) cues and lexical-semantic (animacy/inanimacy) cues converged or diverged as to the assignment of the sentence subjects. The results show that JFL-Ss (experimental subjects) closely approximated the response patterns of J1-Ss, while EFL-Ss showed evidence of transfer from their first language, Japanese. The results are consistent with the developmental precedence of a meaning-based comprehension strategy over a grammar-based one.

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