The effects of word form variation and frequency on second language incidental vocabulary acquisition through reading
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Barry Lee Reynolds
Barry Lee Reynolds is Assistant Professor in the Education Center for Humanities and Social Sciences, National Yang-Ming University, Taiwan. His research interests include incidental and intentional vocabulary acquisition, L2 academic writing instruction, and classroom-based action research. His recent published work examines factors that influence the incidental acquisition of vocabulary through reading.
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate whether frequency of occurrence and the level of morphological form variation (i.e., none, inflectional, and derivational) exhibited by target words might interact to affect incidental acquisition through reading. An intact class of English as a foreign language learners (n=32) was given a copy of an unmodified 37,611-token English novel containing 49 target nonce words to read within two weeks. After reading, they were given two unexpected forms of assessment (meaning recall translation and meaning recognition multiple-choice). Meaning recall results indicate an average of 10 words having been acquired and meaning recognition results indicate an average of 25 words having been acquired. For the meaning recall data, a significant interaction effect between word form variation and frequency was found. Results point towards the conclusion that an increase in frequency may have a beneficial effect on acquisition for words whose tokens vary inflectionally, a marginal effect for words that do not vary in form, and little to no effect on words that vary derivationally. Examination of the meaning recognition acquisition results for a subset of 29 target words occurring 2–4 times to control for frequency of exposure found a significant effect for word form variation. Post hoc comparisons indicated that participants acquired significantly more target words that did not vary in form. There was no significant difference in acquisition between those that varied inflectionally and derivationally. Taken as a whole, the results of the current study indicate that word form variation does affect incidental acquisition and it can indeed present second language learners with difficulties, especially when less frequent input is received of words that vary in form. Implications for future incidental vocabulary acquisition research and classroom pedagogy incorporating reading and vocabulary instruction are discussed.
About the author
Barry Lee Reynolds is Assistant Professor in the Education Center for Humanities and Social Sciences, National Yang-Ming University, Taiwan. His research interests include incidental and intentional vocabulary acquisition, L2 academic writing instruction, and classroom-based action research. His recent published work examines factors that influence the incidental acquisition of vocabulary through reading.
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Appendix
| Nonce Word | Other Forms | Chinese Translation | Frequency | Meaning Recall (n=32) | Meaning Recognition (n=32) |
| beans | bean; beaney | 人類 | 91 | 30 | 31 |
| bellypoppers | bellypopper | 直升機 | 6 | 6 | 25 |
| bogthumper*# | 噩夢的類型 | 3 | 1 | 8 | |
| chiddlers | 小孩們 | 10 | 18 | 31 | |
| chittering* | 聊天 | 3 | 8 | 26 | |
| crocadowndillies* | crockadowndillies | 鱷魚 | 3 | 6 | 24 |
| dillions*# | 一個數量 | 3 | 18 | 30 | |
| disgustable | disgusterous; disgustive | 令人作噁的 | 6 | 27 | 29 |
| elefunt* | 大象 | 4 | 19 | 22 | |
| filthing | fithsome | 骯髒的; 污穢的 | 7 | 1 | 6 |
| flushbunking | flushbunkled | 匆促 | 8 | 0 | 15 |
| frightsome | frightswiping | 令人恐懼的 | 8 | 22 | 30 |
| frobscottle | 汽水 | 20 | 10 | 24 | |
| gigglehouse*# | gigglehouses | 女校 | 3 | 3 | 8 |
| glumptious* | 美味的 | 3 | 0 | 11 | |
| grinksludger*# | grinksludgers; grinksludging | 一種污辱 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
| grobswitcher | grobswitchy | 一個不好的夢 | 6 | 1 | 11 |
| horridest*# | 可怕的 | 3 | 20 | 27 | |
| jabbeling* | 快而含糊地說 | 4 | 0 | 18 | |
| jumbly*# | jumbley | 動作慢而大聲的 | 4 | 0 | 11 |
| majester | 殿下 | 19 | 18 | 18 | |
| micies* | 老鼠 | 4 | 19 | 29 | |
| norphan* | 孤兒 | 2 | 27 | 30 | |
| phizzwizard | phizzwizards | 很棒的夢 | 7 | 1 | 10 |
| poisnowse* | 有毒的 | 3 | 19 | 26 | |
| replusant*# | 令人厭惡的 | 3 | 2 | 19 | |
| ringbeller* | 好夢 | 2 | 0 | 6 | |
| rotsome | 腐爛的 | 6 | 3 | 22 | |
| scrotty* | 糟糕的 | 4 | 0 | 9 | |
| scrumdiddlyumptious | 美味的 | 7 | 0 | 14 | |
| scuddling*# | scuddle | 燙傷; 匆匆忙忙地跑 | 4 | 0 | 16 |
| snitching | snitchet; snitched; snitchy | 奪走 | 8 | 3 | 17 |
| snortling*# | snortle | 打鼾 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| snozzcumbers | snozzcumber | 黃瓜 | 44 | 23 | 30 |
| snozzling*# | snozzle | 睡覺 | 2 | 3 | 8 |
| spikesticking*# | 刺傷人的 | 3 | 2 | 25 | |
| squifflerotter*# | squifflerotters | 一種描述人負面的形容詞 (一個壞人) | 2 | 0 | 8 |
| squiffling* | squiffly | 驚人的 | 2 | 0 | 9 |
| squinkers* | squinky | 快速的移動 | 2 | 0 | 17 |
| swiggle*# | swiggles; swiggling | 大口地喝; 大量的 | 4 | 0 | 9 |
| swollop*# | swolloping; swolloped | 吞下 | 4 | 14 | 17 |
| thingalingaling* | 東西 | 3 | 0 | 11 | |
| titchy | titchiest | 極小的 | 7 | 0 | 6 |
| tottler*# | tottlers | 蹣跚學步 | 13 | 1 | 8 |
| togglehumper | trogglehumping | 噩夢 | 3 | 0 | 24 |
| venosome* | 有毒的 | 3 | 2 | 6 | |
| whizzpopping | whizzpopper; whizzpoppers | 放屁 | 19 | 5 | 13 |
| whoppsy | 美妙的 | 12 | 0 | 2 | |
| winkles | Winkling | 眼睛 | 5 | 0 | 8 |
©2015 by De Gruyter Mouton
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Clarifying the relationship between translingual practice and L2 writing: addressing learner identities
- Translanguaging and visuality: Translingual practices in literary art
- The effects of word form variation and frequency on second language incidental vocabulary acquisition through reading
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Clarifying the relationship between translingual practice and L2 writing: addressing learner identities
- Translanguaging and visuality: Translingual practices in literary art
- The effects of word form variation and frequency on second language incidental vocabulary acquisition through reading
