SLAT6830 The lexicon and L2 learning

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SLAT6830 The lexicon and L2 learning

• Semester 1, 2004
• Week 1

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Course Description

• The lexicon is all the words, phrases, idioms,
  etc. that make up the vocabulary stock of a
  language. The mental lexicon refers to vocabulary
  knowledge as it is represented in the mind of the
  individual.
• In this course we will examine the structures and
  processes that make up the mental lexicon,
  particularly from the perspective of the learning
  and use of a second language (L2).

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Course overview

• The material is divided into two topic areas
• the psycholinguistics of L2 vocabulary learning
  and use
• L2 vocabulary instruction and assessment.

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Course format

• The class will be conducted as a seminar, with
  active participation in class discussions and
  activities expected of all students. Each class
  will be based on material from the text. All
  students will be giving an oral presentation
  during the course of the semester.

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Assessment

• There are three pieces of assessment
• A literature review and research proposal for a
  study investigating some aspect of second
  language vocabulary development. (40 of mark)
• In-class critique of reading and teaching
  activity. (30)
• A set of vocabulary instruction materials.
  (30)

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Literature review research proposal

• A literature review and research proposal for a
  study investigating some aspect of second
  language vocabulary development.
• (40 of mark) Due 18 May in class.

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In-class critique and teaching activity

• In-class critique of reading and teaching
  activity. (30)

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A set of vocabulary instruction materials

• A set of vocabulary instruction materials.
  (30)
• Due 23rd June COB in EMSAH office

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What does it means to know a word?

• Common views of word knowledge
• reference
• usage
• dictionary definitions
• Classical view of word definition A word is
  defined by the necessary and sufficient
  properties needed to distinguish the word (and
  object) from all other word (and objects) in the
  language (the world).
• Example triangle (n.) The plane figure formed
  by connecting three points not in a straight line
  by straight line segments.

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How many words do we need to know?

• Educated speakers of English are estimated to
  know between 50,000 - 250,000 words.
• Thats a lot.

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How do we count words?

• Tokens Occurence of every word form
• Types Unique occurrence of every word in a text
• Lemmas Headword and related inflected and
  reduced forms. Usually same part of speech.
• Word families Headword and related inflected,
  reduced and derived forms.

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How many words does an L2 learner need to know?

• Types of vocabulary
• High frequency lt2000 word families
• Academic words e.g. policy, phase
• Technical words topic specfic, e.g. hard drive
• Low frequency words proper names, rarely used
  words, e.g., otiose

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Knowing a word

• Learning burden the amount of effort required to
  learn a word.

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Nations framework for word knowledge

• Knowledge of form
• Knowledge of meaning
• Knowledge of use

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Two dimensions of word knowledge

• Breadth the number of words the meaning of which
  one has at least some superficial knowledge.
• - a continuum of partial to precise knowledge
• Depth how well one knows a word
• - knowledge components identified by

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Receptive/productive distinction

• Receptive skills perceiving a word while
  listening or reading and retrieving its meaning
• Productive skills wanting to express a meaning
  through speaking and writing and retrieving and
  producing the appropriate spoken or written form.
• Also passive versus active

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Quins (2000) four part framework

• A. Vocabulary size
• B. Depth of vocabulary
• C. Lexical organization
• D. Automaticity of receptive and productive
  processes

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L2 vocabulary knowledge and L2 reading skill

• More attention has been paid to assessing the
  relationship between the vocabulary size
  (breadth) and L2 reading skill than between
  vocabulary depth and reading skill.
• This is due in part to measurement difficulties.

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The Qian (2002) study How does L2 vocabulary
breadth depth relate to L2 reading
comprehension?

• Aims
• 1. Determine the contribution of vocabulary size
  and aspects of vocabulary depth (synonymy,
  polysemy, collocation) to basic reading
  comprehension in the L2.
• 2. Assess usefulness of the Vocabulary Levels
  Test as measure of breadth (Nation, 1983)
• 3. Assess usefulness of the Depth of Vocabulary
  Knowledge (DVK) as measure of depth (Read, 1995)

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Vocabulary Levels test

• Vocabulary knowledge tested at four frequency
  levels 2000 words, 3000 words, 5000 words
  10,000 words, plus University Word List. Each
  item has six word and three definitions.
• 1 ceiling
• 2 office __ something that tells time
• 3 watch __ main body of tree
• 4 vehicle __ a tool used for writing.
• 5 trunk
• 6 pen

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Depth of Vocabulary Knowledge (DVK) test

• Assesses knowledge of synonymy, polysemy and
  collocation.
• Four correct answers for each item. Left box
  contains possible synonymous words, right box
  contain collocates.
• sound
• logical healthy bold solid snow
  temperature sleep dance

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Correlations among measures

• Variable TOEFL-RBC DVK VS VIM
• TOEFL-RBC -- .77 .74. 73
• DVK -- .70 .68
• VS -- .80
• VIM --
• All three predictor variables accounted for some
  unique variance in the criterion, meaning using
  more than one measure will yield better results.

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Conclusions

• The size of the correlations between the
  predictor vocabulary measures and the criterion
  reading measure were similar.
• Both depth and breadth measures appear to be
  important.
• DVK a more useful test in terms of washback
  in teaching and learning.

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The spoken language

• Phonological short-term memory is important
  predictor of vocabulary learning. It reflects
  learners ability to chunk sound.
• gtgt When words are processed for meaning effects
  for phonological interference are lessened.

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Phonological factors

•  Familiarity of features Languages are defined
  by a set of articulatory features phoneme
  inventory.
• Two learning predictions
• 1. The less overlap between L1 and L2 feature
  set, the harder it will be for the learner to
  learn the L2.
• 2. The less overlap between the L1 and L2 word
  the harder it will be to learn that word.

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Phonological factors

•  Combination of features
• Pronunciation of a word is determined not only
  by the phoneme and feature overlap, but also by
  their position in the spoken word.
• -Effect of position can be absolute, as in the
  /?/ in sing. It only appears finally in English
  but can appear initially in other languages (e.g.
  Samoan, Hopi).
• - Effect of position can also be relative,
  reflecting the likelihood certain sounds will
  appear together. This is referred to as the
  phonotactics of the language.

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Keyword mediation

•  How keyword mediation (KW) works the learner
  develops a single associative image combining one
  native word with another native word that sounds
  like the target word
•  First native KW is recalled and is used as a cue
  then the referent of the keyword
• Russian linkór 1st English Lincoln 2nd
  English battleship

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KW psycholinguistic determinants of success

• 1. Reminding power of foreign word for keyword 
• 2. Reminding power of keyword for foreign word 
• 3. Imageablity of keyword
• 4. Imageability of mediational sentence

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Keyword mediation

• Atkinson Raugh (1975) linkor - Lincoln -
  battleship
• Better than control group in learning English
  translations of Russian words Result replicated
  a number of times. KW better than rote learning
  or placing word in context.

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Orthographic factors

• Orthographic regularity and different alphabets
• Sequential letter probabilities
• Familiarity of grapheme to phoneme mapping
• Cognates

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Word class

• The part of speech of a word affects it learning.
• Order of difficulty
• Nouns lt Adjectives lt Verbs/Adverbs
• Performance differences between content and
  function words.

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• End of slides Week 1