scholarly journals Determinants of early lexical acquisition: Effects of word- and child-level factors on Dutch children's acquisition of words

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Josje VERHAGEN ◽  
Mees VAN STIPHOUT ◽  
Elma BLOM
Keyword(s):  
Word Length ◽  
Short Form ◽  
Mixed Effects ◽  
Neighborhood Density ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Receptive Vocabulary ◽  
Lexical Acquisition ◽  
Word Class ◽  
Word Level ◽  
Dutch Children

Abstract Previous research on the effects of word-level factors on lexical acquisition has shown that frequency and concreteness are most important. Here, we investigate CDI data from 1,030 Dutch children, collected with the short form of the Dutch CDI, to address (i) how word-level factors predict lexical acquisition, once child-level factors are controlled, (ii) whether effects of these word-level factors vary with word class and age, and (iii) whether any interactions with age are due to differences in receptive vocabulary. Mixed-effects regressions yielded effects of frequency and concreteness, but not of word class and phonological factors (e.g., word length, neighborhood density). The effect of frequency was stronger for nouns than predicates. The effects of frequency and concreteness decreased with age, and were not explained by differences in vocabulary knowledge. These findings extend earlier results to Dutch, and indicate that effects of age are not due to increases in vocabulary knowledge.

A study of Indonesian university students’ vocabulary mastery with vocabulary level test

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 187-195
Author(s):  
Rully Raslina Novianti
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
University Students ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Receptive Vocabulary ◽  
Vocabulary Size ◽  
Word Level ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
English Instruction

In investigating learners’ vocabulary mastery, some researchers focused their studies on either receptive or productive vocabulary mastery. This study examines university students’ vocabulary knowledge in Indonesia by using the Vocabulary Level Test (VLT). It also compares the receptive vocabulary size of students who obtained extra hours of English instruction with those who had not. Furthermore, this study also identifies their strategies in enhancing their vocabulary mastery. The 2000-word frequency-band from the receptive version of the VLT and questionnaire are used for data collection. The results show that their receptive vocabulary scores are lower than 2000 words and no significant difference was found between the students who had extra hours of English instruction and those who had not. Then it can be stated that even after they had gained extra hours of English instruction, their average vocabulary knowledge was still lower than the 1000 estimated word level in the VLT. Keywords: vocabulary mastery, Vocabulary Level Test (VLT), English as a Foreign Language (EFL), undergraduate students.  

scholarly journals A study of Indonesian university students’ vocabulary mastery with vocabulary level test

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rully Raslina Novianti
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
University Students ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Receptive Vocabulary ◽  
Vocabulary Size ◽  
Word Level ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
English Instruction

In investigating learners’ vocabulary mastery, some researchers focused their studies on either receptive or productive vocabulary mastery. This study examines university students’ vocabulary knowledge in Indonesia by using the Vocabulary Level Test (VLT). It also compares the receptive vocabulary size of students who obtained extra hours of English instruction with those who had not. Furthermore, this study also identifies their strategies in enhancing their vocabulary mastery. The 2000-word frequency-band from the receptive version of the VLT and questionnaire are used for data collection. The results show that their receptive vocabulary scores are lower than 2000 words and no significant difference was found between the students who had extra hours of English instruction and those who had not. Then it can be stated that even after they had gained extra hours of English instruction, their average vocabulary knowledge was still lower than the 1000 estimated word level in the VLT.Keywords: vocabulary mastery, Vocabulary Level Test (VLT), English as a Foreign Language (EFL), undergraduate students

Patterns of probabilistic segment deletion/reduction in English and Japanese

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (s2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rory Turnbull
Keyword(s):  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Word Length ◽  
High Probability ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Spontaneous Speech ◽  
Neighborhood Density ◽  
Length Frequency ◽  
Word Level ◽  
Low Probability ◽  
Phonetic Reduction

AbstractProbabilistic phonetic reduction is widely attested in a variety of languages, acoustic domains, and interpretations of predictability. Less well-studied is the categorical effect of probabilistic segment deletion, which in principle is subject to similar pressures. This paper presents the results of an exploratory study into patterns of segment deletion in corpora of spontaneous speech in English and Japanese. Analysis at the word level reveals that words with more phonemes and higher-frequency words tend to have more of their segments deleted. Analysis at the phoneme level reveals that high-probability phonemes are more likely to be deleted than low-probability phonemes. For Japanese only, this analysis also shows effects of word length, frequency, and neighborhood density on deletion probability. Taken together, these results suggest that several large-scale patterns of probabilistic segment deletion mirror the processes of phonetic reduction and apply to both languages. Some patterns, though, appear to be language-specific, and it is not clear to what extent languages can and do differ in this regard. These findings are discussed in terms of our understanding of the universality of proposed predictability effects, and in terms of probabilistic reduction more broadly.

Word skipping during the lexical acquisition process

2020 ◽  
pp. 174702182096729
Author(s):  
Michael A Eskenazi ◽  
Paige Kemp ◽  
Jocelyn R Folk
Keyword(s):  
Eye Movements ◽  
Word Length ◽  
Mixed Effects ◽  
Skill Assessment ◽  
Mixed Effects Models ◽  
Lexical Acquisition ◽  
Spelling Skill ◽  
Word Skipping ◽  
Semantic Acquisition ◽  
Novel Words

During reading, most words are identified in the fovea through a direct fixation; however, readers also identify some words in the parafovea without directly fixating them. This word skipping process is influenced by many lexical and visual factors including word length, launch position, frequency, and predictability. Although these factors are well understood, there is some disagreement about the process that leads to word skipping and the degree to which skipped words are processed. The purpose of this study was to investigate the word skipping process when readers are exposed to novel words in an incidental lexical acquisition paradigm. Participants read 18 three-letter novel words (i.e., pru, cho) in three different informative contexts each while their eye movements were monitored. They then completed a surprise test of their orthographic and semantic acquisition and a spelling skill assessment. Mixed-effects models indicated that participants learned spellings and meanings of words at the same rate regardless of the number of times that they were skipped. However, word skipping rates increased across the three exposures and reading times decreased. Results indicate that readers appear to process skipped words to the same degree as fixated words. However, this may be due to a more cautious skipping process used during lexical acquisition of unfamiliar words compared to processing of already known words.

scholarly journals Receptive Vocabulary Size of Male and Female Saudi English Major Graduates

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 111
Author(s):  
Ibrahim R. Alqarni
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Word Meaning ◽  
Word List ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Receptive Vocabulary ◽  
University Graduates ◽  
Vocabulary Size ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Undergraduate Study ◽  
Word Level

This study measured Saudi university students’ receptive vocabulary knowledge towards the end of their final semester. The subjects were 71 Saudi male and female students. The Vocabulary Levels Test, adopted from Nation’s (2008), was administered in this study. The test assesses learners’ receptive knowledge of word meaning at the following distinct vocabulary levels: the 2nd 1,000-word level, the 3rd 1,000-word level, the 5th 1,000-word level, the 10th 1,000-word level, and the Academic Word List (AWL). The results showed different participants’ performance at different word levels with decreasing mean scores as the frequency of word levels decreased. The results also showed, with no exception, that males outperformed females with statistically significant differences in all the five sections of the test. The participants’ average vocabulary size is approximately 876 and 799 words in the 2nd 1,000-word level, 436 and 355 words in the AWL, 725 and 590 words in the 3rd 1,000-word level, 580 and 477 words in the 5th 1,000-word level for males and females respectively. However, the average vocabulary size decreased dramatically in the 10th 1,000-word level to 254 words for males and 124 for females. Based on these findings, it is concluded that Saudi English Language and Translation university graduates, even with large vocabulary size in the high frequency bands, are generally still below the level of the desired vocabulary competency as EFL learners, and are in fact, in need for more support and concentration in their undergraduate study with regard to their vocabulary learning.

Receptive Vocabulary Levels of Malaysian University Students

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nor Hazwani Munirah Lateh ◽  
Sarimah Shamsudin ◽  
Abdul Halim Abdul Raof
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
University Students ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Receptive Vocabulary ◽  
Word Level ◽  
Mastery Level

Acquiring adequate vocabulary knowledge is necessary for English language learners in order to be able to function effectively using the language. The study investigated the English language receptive vocabulary knowledge among Malaysian undergraduates in terms of word levels. The Vocabulary Levels Test (VLT) by Schmitt et al., (2001) was employed in order to assess the students’ receptive vocabulary knowledge at five different word levels. The result reveals majority of the students are weak in terms of their receptive vocabulary knowledge and most of them failed to reach the mastery level for all the five word levels; 40 (57%) of the students do not master the 2000 word level, 58 (83%) of the students do not master the 3000 word level, 65 (93%) of the students do not master the 5000 word level, 70 (100%) of the students do not master the 10000 word level and 65 (93%) of the students do not master the academic word level. The findings were useful insights on the English language receptive vocabulary knowledge among Malaysian university students in terms of word levels.

scholarly journals Exploring the learning burden and decay of foreign language vocabulary knowledge

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Barclay ◽  
Ana Pellicer-Sánchez
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Word Length ◽  
Mixed Effects ◽  
Decay Process ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Mixed Effects Models ◽  
Lexical Knowledge ◽  
Parts Of Speech ◽  
Part Of Speech ◽  
Form Recognition

Abstract Research has shown that several intralexical factors affect the learning burden of foreign language vocabulary (e.g., Laufer, 1997) and that some accrued lexical knowledge is forgotten. It is often assumed that the lexical items most difficult to acquire are those easiest to forget. However, few studies have provided empirical evidence to support this claim. This study examined the effect of two intralexical factors, part of speech and word length, on the learning burden and decay of intentionally learned foreign language lexical knowledge, as well as the role that learning burden played in the decay process. Forty-eight learners of English studied words of various parts of speech and lengths using flashcard software. Knowledge (form recall and recognition) of target items was assessed immediately after learning and four weeks later. Results of mixed-effects models showed that part of speech and word length have differential impacts on learning burden and decay and that increased burden mitigated loss of form recognition knowledge.

scholarly journals THE CORRELATION BETWEEN INDONESIAN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ RECEPTIVE VOCABULARY KNOWLEDGE AND THEIR READING COMPREHENSION LEVEL

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dang Arif Hartono ◽  
Stefanus Angga Badara Prima
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
University Students ◽  
Reading Proficiency ◽  
Private University ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Receptive Vocabulary ◽  
Reading Test ◽  
Vocabulary Size ◽  
Academic Reading ◽  
Word Level

While the literature has shown that vocabulary mastery affects reading comprehension, only a few Indonesian researchers investigated this. To narrow this gap, this study aims to: 1) measure Indonesian university students' knowledge of receptive vocabulary, 2) measure their reading comprehension level, and 3) investigate the association between the two variables. The participants in this study were 168 first-year university students from a private university implementing English-medium instruction (EMI). We utilized the updated vocabulary level test to measure their receptive vocabulary size and the IELTS academic reading test to measure their reading comprehension level. The participants mean scores on the updated VLT were 28.73, 26.63, 22.27, 22.42 and 23.12 at the 1,000, 2,000, 3,000, 4,000, and 5,000-word level respectively. Only 34 out of 168 participants could be considered to have a sufficient vocabulary size. On average they scored 16.08 (SD = 7.96) on the IELTS academic reading test, which was roughly equivalent to 5 in IELTS band score. We also found strong and significant correlations between the participants’ scores on the IELTS academic reading test and the updated VLT at all levels, with the largest effect size on the 4,000-word level (r = .71, p .001, BCa 95% CI [0.64, 0.78], r2 = .50). These findings indicated that the participants did not have sufficient vocabulary knowledge and had a low reading proficiency, potentially inhibiting progress in their academic pursuits. We discussed the findings in relation to the teaching of English in EFL, ESL, and EMI contexts. Practical implications of the findings are also discussed.

scholarly journals The Receptive Vocabulary of English Foreign Language Young Learners

2008 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosa María Jiménez Catalán ◽  
Melania Terrazas Gallego
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Primary Education ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Foreign Language Education ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Receptive Vocabulary ◽  
Vocabulary Size ◽  
Young Learners ◽  
Word Level ◽  
Cloze Test

This paper responds to the need for research on vocabulary knowledge in foreign language education. First, we investigate the receptive vocabulary knowledge of students learning English in Spanish primary education by using the 1,000 word test and the 2,000 frequency band of The Vocabulary Levels Test (VLT). Second, we study differences between the sexes by comparing their scores. Third, we evaluate whether students’ scores correlate with their scores on a cloze test. As a result, we show that their English receptive vocabulary size falls within the 1,000 word level. Finally, we demonstrate the existence of a positive correlation between the two frequency bands and a cloze test.

scholarly journals Do children acquire dense neighborhoods? An investigation of similarity neighborhoods in lexical acquisition

2004 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-221 ◽  
Author(s):  
HOLLY L. STORKEL
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Word Frequency ◽  
Word Length ◽  
Age Of Acquisition ◽  
Parent Report ◽  
Neighborhood Density ◽  
Lexical Acquisition ◽  
Frequency Word ◽  
Similar Word ◽  
Word Forms

This study tests the claim that children acquire collections of phonologically similar word forms, namely, dense neighborhoods. Age of acquisition (AoA) norms were obtained from two databases: parent report of infant and toddler production and adult self-ratings of AoA. Neighborhood density, word frequency, word length, Density×Frequency and Density×Length were analyzed as potential predictors of AoA using linear regression. Early acquired words were higher in density, higher in word frequency, and shorter in length than late acquired words. Significant interactions provided evidence that the lexical factors predicting AoA varied, depending on the type of word being learned. The implication of these findings for lexical acquisition and language learning are discussed.

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