Article published in:
Chinese as a Second Language (漢語教學研究—美國中文教師學會學報)
Vol. 56:1 (2021) ► pp. 21–48

The influence of L1 translation familiarity on the acquisition of L2 Chinese antonyms

| Johns Hopkins University
As a partial replication of Tagashira, Kida, and Hoshino (2010), the present study examined first language (L1) translation familiarity effect on second language (L2) antonym acquisition among English-speaking intermediate-level Chinese learners. Fifteen students learned 15 antonymous pairs with familiar or unfamiliar L1 translations and completed two multiple-choice posttests. Their learning strategies were also collected. Results showed (a) a delayed L1 familiarity effect, (b) better retention and lower interference of L2 pairs with familiar L1 translations, (c) low retention of L2 pairs with unfamiliar L1 translations for both words, and (d) more orthographic elaboration strategies employed. The findings suggest that L2 instructors present antonyms in pairs, avoid providing a single, unfamiliar L1 translation, and encourage the use of orthographic elaboration strategies.
Keywords: semantic-set vocabulary presentation, L1 translation familiarity, L2 antonym acquisition, interference, vocabulary learning strategies
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • Literature review
    • Presenting vocabulary in semantic sets
    • Role of L1 translation in L2 vocabulary learning
    • L2 vocabulary learning strategy
  • Method
    • Participants
    • Instruments
    • Procedures
    • Data analysis
  • Results
    • L1 translation familiarity effect on retention and interference
    • Strategies for learning L2 antonyms
  • Discussion
    • L1 familiarity effect on retention
    • L1 familiarity effect on interference
    • Strategies for learning L2 antonyms
  • Conclusions and implications
  • References
Published online: 01 October 2021
https://doi.org/10.1075/csl.20003.yan
References
Aitchison, J.
(1996) Taming the wilderness: Words in the mental lexicon. In G. M. Anderman & M. A. Rogers (Eds.), Words, words, words: The translator and the language learner (pp. 15–26). Clevedon, Avon, UK: Multilingual Matters.Google Scholar
(2012) Words in the mind: An introduction to the mental lexicon (4th ed.). Chichester, West Sussex, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.Google Scholar
Alroe, M., Reinders, H., & Wasanasomsithi, P.
(2018) Is L2 vocabulary learned better via context or via translation? Instructed Second Language Acquisition, 21, 39–60. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Anderson, M. C.
(2003) Rethinking interference theory: Executive control and the mechanisms of forgetting. Journal of Memory and Language, 491, 415–445. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Boers, F., & Lindstromberg, S.
(2008) Cognitive linguistic approaches to teaching vocabulary and phraseology. New York: Mouton de Gruyter. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Bolger, P., & Zapata, G.
(2011) Semantic categories and context in L2 vocabulary learning. Language Learning, 61(2), 614–646. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Camo, A. C., & Ballester, E. P.
(2015) The effects of using L1 translation on young learners’ foreign language vocabulary learning. Elia: Estudios de Linguistica Inglesa Aplicada, 151, 109–134. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Candry, S., Elgort, I., Deconinck, J., & Eyckmans, J.
(2017) Word writing vs. meaning inferencing in contextualized L2 vocabulary learning: Assessing the effect of different vocabulary learning strategies. The Canadian Modern Language Review, 73(3), 293–318. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Center for Chinese Linguistics, Peking University
n.d.). CCL corpus. Retrieved from http://​ccl​.pku​.edu​.cn​/Yuliao​_Contents​.Asp
Chalmers, K. A., Humphreys, M. S., & Dennis, S.
(1997) A naturalistic study of the word frequency effect in episodic recognition. Memory and Cognition, 251, 780–784. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Chapman, F. L., & Gilbert, L. C.
(1937) A study of the influence of familiarity with English words upon the learning of their foreign language equivalents. Journal of Educational Psychology, 281, 621–628. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Chen, P.
(2005) 汉语语素义对留学生词义获得的影响研究. [Research on the effect of the meaning of morpheme on the acquisition of lexical meaning of Chinese as a second language]. Unpublished master’s thesis, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Chen, Y. H.
(2007) “大小类”反义词有/无标记项在汉语及中介语词汇层面的不对称研究. [The asymmetrical usage of antonymous pairs “big/small” in Chinese interlanguage]. Unpublished master’s thesis, Beijing Language and Culture University, Beijing, China.
Choi, S., Kim, J., & Ryu, K.
(2014) Effects of context on implicit and explicit lexical knowledge: An event-related potential study. Neuropsychologia, 631, 226–234. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Cook, V. J.
(2003) Effects of the second language on the first. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Craik, F. I., & Lockhart, R. S.
(1972) Levels of processing: A framework for memory research. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 111, 671–684. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
De Groot, A. M., & Keijzer, R.
(2000) What is hard to learn is easy to forget: The roles of word concreteness, cognate status, and word frequency in foreign-language vocabulary learning and forgetting. Language Learning, 501, 1–56. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Doherty, M., & Perner, J.
(1998) Metalinguistic awareness and theory of mind: Just two words for the same thing? Cognitive Development, 131, 279–305. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Elgort, I., Candry, S., Boutorwick, T. J., Eyckmans, J., & Brysbaert, M.
(2016) Contextual word learning with form-focused and meaning-focused elaboration: A comparative study. Applied Linguistics, 39(5), 646–667. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Erten, I. H., & Tekin, M.
(2008) Effects on vocabulary acquisition of presenting new words in semantic sets versus semantically unrelated sets. System, 361, 407–422. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Eyckmans, J.
(2014) Fostering new L2 word recall through word writing or word typing? Paper presented at the Clipflair Conference, Barcelona, Spain.
Feng, L. P.
(2003) 中级汉语水平留学生的词汇结构意识与阅读能力的培养. [The intermediate Chinese learners’ awareness of lexical structure and the development of reading competence]. Chinese Teaching in the World, 64(2), 66–71.Google Scholar
Finkbeiner, M., & Nicol, J.
(2003) Semantic category effects in second language word learning. Applied Psycholinguistics, 241, 369–383. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Folse, K. S.
(2004) Vocabulary myths: Applying second language research to classroom teaching. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Fraser, C. A.
(1999) Lexical processing strategy use and vocabulary learning through reading. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 211, 225–241. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Gablasova, D.
(2014) Learning and retaining specialized vocabulary from textbook reading: Comparison of learning outcomes through L1 and L2. The Modern Language Journal, 98(4), 976–991. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Gairns, R., & Redman, S.
(1986) Working with words: A guide to teaching and learning vocabulary. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Gan, H. M.
(2008) 语义透明度对中级汉语阅读中词汇学习的影响. [The effects of semantic transparency on vocabulary learning in intermediate Chinese reading]. Applied Linguistics, 11, 82–89.Google Scholar
Gao, L. Q., & Zhao, Y. L.
(2008) 日本学生汉语复合词构词法意识实验研究. [An experiment study of morphological awareness of Chinese compound word]. Chinese Language Learning, 21, 28–36.Google Scholar
Gernsbacher, M. A.
(1984) Resolving 20 years of inconsistent interactions between lexical familiarity and orthography, concreteness, and polysemy. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 1131, 256–281. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Goundar, P. R.
(2019) Vocabulary learning strategies employed by learners of English as a foreign language. English Language Teaching, 12(5), 177–189. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Grace, C.
(1998) Retention of word meanings inferred from context and sentence-level translations: Implications for the design of beginning-level CALL software. The Modern Language Journal, 32(4), 533–544. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Grandy, R. E.
(1992) Semantic fields, prototypes, and the lexicon. In A. Lehrer & E. F. Kittay (Eds.), Frames, fields, and contrasts: New essays in semantic and lexical organization (pp. 105–120). New York: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.Google Scholar
Haastrup, K., & Henriksen, B.
(2000) Vocabulary acquisition: Acquiring depth of knowledge through network building. International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 101, 221–240. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Hashemi, R. H., & Gowdasiaei, F.
(2005) An attribute-treatment interaction study: Lexical-set versus semantically unrelated vocabulary instruction. Regional Language Centre Journal, 361, 341–361. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Haycraft, J.
(1978) An introduction to English language teaching. Harlow, Essex, UK: Longman.Google Scholar
Higa, M.
(1963) Interference effects of intralist word relationships in verbal learning. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 21, 170–175. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Hong, W.
(2011) An experimental research on the morphemic effects on synonyms learning by CSL learners. Language Teaching and Linguistics Studies, 11, 34–40.Google Scholar
Hsu, J.
(2012) Learning Chinese characters: A comparative study of the learning strategies of western students and eastern students in Taiwan. Unpublished master’s thesis, Colorado State University, Colorado.
Hulstijn, J., Hollander, M., & Greidanus, T.
(1996) Incidental vocabulary learning by advanced foreign language students: The influence of marginal glosses, dictionary use, and reoccurrence of unknown words. Modern Language Journal, 801, 327–339. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Hummel, K. M.
(2010) Translation and short-term L2 vocabulary retention: Hindrance or help? Language Teaching Research, 14(1), 61–74. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Jiang, N.
(2002) Form-meaning mapping in vocabulary acquisition in a second language. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 24(4), 617–637. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
(2004) Semantic transfer and its implications for vocabulary teaching in a second language. The Modern Language Journal, 881, 416–432. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Jones, S., & Murphy, M.
(2005) Using corpora to investigate antonym acquisition. International Journal of Corpus Linguistics, 101, 401–422. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Kapnoula, E. C., & McMurray, B.
(2016) Newly learned word forms are abstract and integrated immediately after acquisition. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 231, 491–499. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Ke, C.
(1998) Effects of strategies on the learning of Chinese characters among foreign language studies. Journal of the Chinese Language Teachers Association, 33(2), 93–112.Google Scholar
Koda, K.
(2005) Insights into second language reading: Across-linguistic approach. New York: Cambridge University Press. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Kroll, J. F., & Stewart, E.
(1994) Category interference in translation and picture naming: Evidence for asymmetric connections between bilingual memory representations. Journal of Memory and Language, 33(2), 149–174. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Lam, L., & Kuan, W.
(2019) Vocabulary learning strategies: The case of Mandarin learners in Sarawak. Human Behavior, Development and Society, 20(3), 62–72.Google Scholar
Lakens, D., Scheel, A. M., & Isager, P. M.
(2018) Equivalence testing for psychological research: A tutorial. Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science, 1(2), 259–269. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Laufer, B., & Girsai, N.
(2008) Form-focused instruction in second language vocabulary learning: A case for contrastive analysis and translation. Applied Linguistics, 29(4), 694–716. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Laufer, B., & Shmueli, K.
(1997) Memorizing new words: Does teaching have anything to do with it? RELC Journal, 281, 89–108. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Lee, J. H., & Macaro, E.
(2013) Investigating age in the use of L1 or English-only instruction: Vocabulary acquisition by Korean EFL learners. Modern Language Journal, 97(4), 887–901. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Levelt, W. J., Roelofs, A., & Meyer, A.
(1999) A theory of lexical access in speech production. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 221, 1–75. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Lewis, M.
(1997) Implementing the lexical approach: Putting theory into practice. Hove, UK: Language Teaching Publications.Google Scholar
Li, R.
(2005) 留学生形声字形旁意识发展的实验研究. [A survey on the development of foreign students’ awareness of meaning radicals in pictophonetic characters]. Language Teaching and Linguistics Studies, 41, 52–58.Google Scholar
Liu, J.
(2009) L1 use in L2 vocabulary learning: Facilitator or barrier. International Education Studies, 11, 65–69.Google Scholar
Liu, X.
(2013) Investigation into vocabulary learning strategies by learners of Chinese as a foreign language in United States institutions of higher education. Unpublished doctoral thesis, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts.
Lotto, L., & De Groot, A.
(1998) Effects of learning method and word type on acquiring vocabulary in an unfamiliar language. Language Learning, 48(1), 31–69. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
McCarthy, M.
(1990) Vocabulary. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
McLaughlin, B.
(1990) Restructuring. Applied Linguistics, 111, 113–128. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Meng, K.
(2009) 留学生反义属性词的类推及其成因. [Analogy types and the causes of the antonymous attributive adjectives]. Chinese Language Learning, 11, 89–96.Google Scholar
Mondria, J. A.
(2007) Myths about vocabulary acquisition. Babylonia: The Swiss Journal of Language Teaching and Learning, 21, 63–68.Google Scholar
Murphy, M. L.
(2003) Semantic relations and the lexicon. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Murphy, M. L., & Jones, S.
(2008) Antonyms in children’s and child-directed speech. First Language, 281, 403–430. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Nation, P.
(2000) Learning vocabulary in lexical sets: Dangers and guidelines. TESOL Journal, 91, 6–10.Google Scholar
(2001) Learning vocabulary in another language. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Nausbaum, H. C., Pisoni, D. B., & Davis, C. K.
(1984) Sizing up the Hoosier Mental Lexicon: Measuring the familiarity of 20,000 words. Bloomington: Speech Research Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Indiana University.Google Scholar
Nematollahi, B., Behjat, F., & Kargar, A. A.
(2017) A meta-analysis of vocabulary learning strategies of EFL learners. English Language Teaching, 10(5), 1–10. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Piao, Z. Y.
(2001) 韩国学生汉语反义词学习情况考察. [The investigation of the antonym acquisition of Korean learners of Chinese]. Unpublished master’s thesis, Beijing Language and Culture University, Beijing, China.
Plaut, D. C.
(1997) Structure and function in the lexical system: Insights from distributed models of word reading and lexical decision. Language and Cognitive Processes, 12(5), 765–805. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Prince, P.
(1996) Second language vocabulary learning: The role of context versus translations as a function of proficiency. Modern Language Journal, 80(4), 478–493. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Rodriguez, M., & Sadoski, M.
(2000) Effects of rote, context, keyword, and context/keyword methods on retention of vocabulary in EFL classrooms. Language Learning, 501, 385–412. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Rogers, M. A.
(1996) Beyond the dictionary: The translator, the L2 learner and the computer words word words. In G. M. Anderman & M. A. Rogers (Eds.), Words, words, words: The translator and the language earner (pp. 69–95). Clevedon, Avon, UK: Multilingual Matters.Google Scholar
Rogers, T. T., Lambon Ralph, M. A., Garrard, P., Bozeat, S., McClelland, J. L., Hodges, J. R. et al.
(2004) Structure and deterioration of semantic memory: A neuropsychological and computational investigation. Psychological Review, 111(1), 205–235. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Sanaoui, R.
(1995) Adult learners’ approaches to learning vocabulary in second language. Modern Language Journal, 791, 15–28. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Schmitt, N.
(1997) Vocabulary learning strategy. In Schmitt, N. & McCarthy, M. (Eds.), Vocabulary: Description, acquisition, and pedagogy (pp. 199–227). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
(2000) Vocabulary in language teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
(2008) Instructed second language vocabulary learning. Language Teaching Research, 12(3), 329–363. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Seal, B. D.
(1991) Vocabulary learning and teaching. In M. Celce-Murcia (Ed.), Teaching English as a second or foreign Language (pp. 296–311). Boston, MA: Heinle & Heinle.Google Scholar
Shen, H.
(2005) An investigation of Chinese-character learning strategies among non-native speakers of Chinese. System, 33(1), 49–68. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Shen, H., & Ke, C.
(2007) Radical awareness and word acquisition among non-native learners of Chinese. The Modern Language Journal, 911, 97–111. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Shen, H., Tsai, C., Xu, L., & Zhu, S.
(2011) 汉语字词教学. [Teaching Chinese as a second language: Vocabulary acquisition and instruction]. Beijing, China: Peking University Press.Google Scholar
Shen, H., & Xu, W.
(2015) Active learning: Qualitative inquiries into vocabulary instruction in Chinese L2 classrooms. Foreign Language Annals, 48(1), 82–99. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Sieh, Y.
(2008) A possible role for the first language in young learners’ processing and storage of foreign language vocabulary. Annual Review of Education, Communication and Language Sciences, 5(1), 136–160.Google Scholar
Stoller, F. L., & Grabe, W.
(1995) Implications for L2 vocabulary acquisition and instruction from L1 vocabulary research. In T. Huckin, M. Haynes, & J. Coady (Eds.), Second language reading and vocabulary learning (pp. 24–45). Norwood, NJ: Ablex.Google Scholar
Tagashira, K., Kida, S., & Hoshino, Y.
(2010) Hot or gelid? The influence of L1 translation familiarity on the interference effects in foreign language vocabulary learning. System, 381, 412–421. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Takac, V. P.
(2008) Vocabulary learning strategies and foreign language acquisition. North York: Multilingual Matters. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Tan, T., & Hoe, F.
(2010) Vocabulary learning strategies of students learning Mandarin as a foreign language. UPENA: Journal of Language Studies, 6(1), 35–48.Google Scholar
Tanaka-Ishii, K., & Terada, H.
(2011) Word familiarity and frequency. Studia Linguistica, 651, 96–116. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Tian, L., & Macaro, E.
(2012) Comparing the effect of teacher code switching with English-only explanations on the vocabulary acquisition of Chinese university students: A lexical focus-on-form study. Language Teaching Research, 16(3), 367–391. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Tinkham, T.
(1993) The effect of semantic clustering on the learning of second language vocabulary. System, 211, 371–380. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
(1997) The effects of semantic and thematic clustering on the learning of second language vocabulary. Second Language Research, 131, 138–163. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Van Hell, J. G., & Candia Mahn, A. C.
(1997) Keyword mnemonics versus rote rehearsal: Learning concrete and abstract foreign words by experienced and inexperienced learners. Language Learning, 47(3), 507–546. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Varlamova, E. V., Tulusina, E. A., Zaripova, Z. M., & Gataullina, V. L.
(2017) Lexical semantic field as one of the keys to second language teaching. Interlanguage, 481, 183–193. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Waring, R.
(1997) The negative effects of learning words in semantic sets: a replication. System, 251, 261–274. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Wharton, S., & Race, P.
(1999) 500 Tips for TESOL. London: Kogan Page.Google Scholar
Wang, Y.
(2018) Vocabulary-learning strategies of students learning Chinese as a foreign language in an intensive-training setting. Unpublished doctoral thesis, University of San Francisco, California.
Wei, Z.
(2015) Does teaching mnemonics for vocabulary learning make a difference? Putting the keyword method and the word part technique to the test. Language Teaching Research, 19(1), 43–69. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Xu, X. Y.
(2004) 留学生复合词认知中的语素意识. [The morphological awareness of overseas students in the acquisition of Chinese compound word]. Unpublished master’s thesis, Beijing Language and Culture University, Beijing, China.
Zhang, J.-L.
(2010) Effects of the relationship between the meaning of words and morphemes on inferring the meaning of Chinese words. Language Teaching and Linguistics Studies, 31, 16–22.Google Scholar
Zhang, X., & Lu, X.
(2015) The relationship between vocabulary learning strategies and breadth and depth of vocabulary knowledge. The Modern Language Journal, 99(4), 740–753. CrossrefGoogle Scholar
Zhu, J. S.
(Ed.) (2014) Modern Chinese antonym dictionary. Beijing, China: Language and Literature Press.Google Scholar