The effects of transliterations, thematic organization, and working memory on adult L2 vocabulary learning
We examine how L2 vocabulary learning is affected by the information provided to the learner during training, organization of the to-be-learned vocabulary, and working memory capacity of the learner. Native English speakers were taught Arabic vocabulary in seven sessions, during which they heard L1 (English)-L2 (Arabic) translation pairs. Training was manipulated between participants by crossing the presence vs. absence of a transliteration and thematic vs. random organization of vocabulary. Session, working memory capacity, transliteration condition, and organization condition interacted in English-Arabic translation accuracy. Participants with lower working memory capacity performed best in the transliteration-thematic organization condition, whereas participants with higher working memory performed best in the transliteration-random organization and no transliteration-thematic organization conditions. Translation RT and free recall were not related to working memory, and were best in the transliteration conditions. Results suggest that adult L2 vocabulary learning is aided by exploiting well-established spelling-sound connections to improve L2 lexical representations.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 1.1The present study
- 1.2Research questions and hypotheses
- 2.Method
- 2.1Participants
- 2.2Design
- 2.3Stimuli
- 2.4Procedure
- 2.4.1Training
- 2.4.2Free recall test
- 2.4.3English-Arabic Translation test
- 2.4.4Waters reading span task
- 3.Results
- 3.1Free recall
- 3.2Translation accuracy
- 3.3Translation reaction times
- 4.General discussion
- 5.Conclusion
- Acknowledgements
- Notes
-
References
This article is currently available as a sample article.
References (32)
Aiken, L. S., & West, S. G.
(
1991)
Multiple regression: Testing and interpreting interactions. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Bassetti, B.
(
2008)
Orthographic input and second language phonology. In
T. Piske &
M. Young-Scholten (Eds.),
Input matters in SLA (pp. 191–206). Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.
Brewer, W. F., & Nakamura, G. V.
(
1984)
The nature and functions of schemas.
Center for the Study of Reading Technical Report, no. 325.
Brysbaert, M., & New, B.
(
2009)
Moving beyond Kučera and Francis: A critical evaluation of current word frequency norms and the introduction of a new and improved word frequency measure for American English.
Behavior Research Methods, 41(4), 977–990.
Choi, T. H.
(
2003,
July).
The effects of semantic and thematic grouping on learning efficiency and retention of the L2 vocabulary. Tokyo, Japan: Pan-Pacific Association of Applied Linguistics.
Clauson, G.
(
2002)
Studies in Turkic and Mongolic linguistics. New York, NY: Routledge.
Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center
(
2005)
Iraqi basic language survival guide. Presidio of Monterey, CA.
Degani, T., & Tokowicz, N.
(
2010)
Ambiguous words are harder to learn.
Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 131, 299–314.
Degani, T., Tseng, A. M., & Tokowicz, N.
(
2014)
Together or apart? Learning of ambiguous words.
Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 171, 749–765.
Elgort, I.
(
2011)
Deliberate learning and vocabulary acquisition in a second language.
Language Learning, 611, 367–413.
Eriksen, B. A., & Eriksen, C. W.
(
1974)
Effects of noise letters upon the identification of a target letter in a nonsearch task.
Perception and Psychophysics, 161, 143–149.
Finkbeiner, M., & Nicol, J.
(
2003)
Semantic category effects in second language word learning.
Applied Psycholinguistics, 241, 369–383.
Folse, K. S.
(
2004)
Vocabulary myths: Applying second language research to classroom teaching. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.
Hayes-Harb, R., & Cheng, H. -W.
(
2016)
The influence of the Pinyin and Zhuyin writing systems on the acquisition of Mandarin word forms by native English speakers.
Frontiers in Psychology, 7 (785).
Hu, C.
(
2008)
Use orthography in L2 auditory word learning: Who benefits? Reading and Writing, 211, 823–841.
Kaushanskaya, M.
(
2012)
Cognitive mechanisms of word learning in bilingual and monolingual adults: The role of phonological memory.
Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 15(3), 470–489.
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, 331, 149–174.
Kuznetsova, A., Brockhoff, P. B., & Christensen, R. H. B.
(
2013)
lmerTest: Tests for random and fixed effects for linear mixed effect models (lmer objects of lme4 package).
R package version 2.0–3. 2013. Available from:
[URL]
Linck, J. A., Osthus, P., Koeth, J. T., & Bunting, M. F.
(
2014)
Working memory and second language comprehension and production: A meta-analysis.
Psychonomic Bulletin & Review.
Morris, C. D., Bransford, J. D., & Franks, J. J.
(
1977)
Levels of processing versus transfer appropriate processing.
Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 161, 519–533.
Nelson, J. R., Balass, M., & Perfetti, C. A.
Park, M. S.
(
2015)
Orthographic input and the acquisition of second language phonology: A review.
Korean Journal of Linguistics, 40(3), 389–401.
Perfetti, C. A. & Hart, L.
(
2002)
The lexical quality hypothesis. In
L. Verhoeven,
C. Elbro, &
P. Reitsma (Eds.),
Precursors of functional literacy (pp. 67–86). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Powell, M. J. D.
(
June 2009)
The BOBYQA algorithm for bound constrained optimization without derivatives Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, Cambridge University. DAMTP 2009/NA06. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
Psychological Software Tools, Inc.
(
2000)
E-Prime [Computer software]. Pittsburgh, PA.
Roediger, III, H. L., & Karpicke, J. D.
(
2006)
The power of testing memory: Basic research and implications for educational practice.
Perspectives on Psychological Science, 11, 181–210.
RStudio Team
(
2016)
RStudio: Integrated Development for R. RStudio, Inc., Boston, MA.
[URL].
Stroop, J. R.
(
1935)
Studies of interference in serial verbal reactions.
Journal of Experimental Psychology, 181, 643–662.
Tinkham, T.
(
1997)
The effects of semantic and thematic clustering on the learning of second language vocabulary.
Second Language Research, 131, 138–163.
Tokowicz, N., Michael, E. B., & Kroll, J. F.
(
2004)
The roles of study-abroad experience and working-memory capacity in the types of errors made during translation.
Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 71, 255–272.
Turner, M. L., & Engle, R. W.
(
1989)
Is working memory capacity task dependent? Journal of Memory and Language, 281, 127–154
Waters, G. S., & Caplan, D.
(
1996)
The measurement of verbal working memory capacity and its relation to reading comprehension.
Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology-Human Experimental Psychology, 49A1, 51–79.
Cited by (1)
Cited by 1 other publications
Rice, Caitlin A. & Natasha Tokowicz
2020.
A REVIEW OF LABORATORY STUDIES OF ADULT SECOND LANGUAGE VOCABULARY TRAINING.
Studies in Second Language Acquisition 42:2
► pp. 439 ff.
This list is based on CrossRef data as of 5 july 2024. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers.
Any errors therein should be reported to them.