Use of Word Lists / Vocab Use of Word Lists / Vocab ProfilerProfiler

To design a curriculum – to focus on To design a curriculum – to focus on words that students need mostwords that students need most

To decide which texts to use with studentsTo decide which texts to use with students To decide which words in a text would To decide which words in a text would

cause difficulty to studentscause difficulty to students Word lists are useful for efficient, focused Word lists are useful for efficient, focused

learning of words,learning of words, BUT beware of a serial effect, and BUT beware of a serial effect, and

decontextualised learningdecontextualised learning

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Session 3 The Mental Lexicon

Word association (WA) tests Comparing the L1 and L2 mental

lexicons Pedagogic implications

Memory strategies (e.g. the Keyword Technique, mental imaging, creating structure for input)

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Word Association Test

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Word associations (English)Prompt Word Associative word Relationshi

p

green

water

open

hill

butterfly

truth

powerful

blanket

inclination

hockey

Looking at your word Looking at your word associatesassociates

1.1. Do you have the same word Do you have the same word associates as your neighbours’?associates as your neighbours’?

2.2. Compared to your neighbours’ Compared to your neighbours’ responses, do you have responses, do you have similar or similar or different ways different ways of ogranising words of ogranising words in your mental lexicons? (in your mental lexicons? (Are Are associations of L2 speakers associations of L2 speakers different from those of native different from those of native speakers?speakers?))

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Word association and the mental lexicon

Cognitive processes -- how words and meanings are organized mentally

(unobservable) ◄=►

Language associative behavior (observable)

Word AssociationsWord Associationsgreen Grass (collocation)

Red (co-ordination)Color (super-ordination)

water Drink (collocation)Melon (compound noun)Clear (collocation)

open Close (antonym)Door (collocation)

inclination Information (sound – stress pattern)Intonationincline

hockey Jockey (sound - rhyme)

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How words are stored in the mental lexicon

L1 / L2 equivalence (cognates in related languages)

Orthographically Phonologically (rhyme, alliteration, stress

pattern, etc.) Semantically (synonyms, antonyms, hyponyms

e.g. color - red) Collocationally (e.g. make – a wish, catch – a bus) Morphologically (e.g. defensive-offensive;

television-telescope) Encyclopedic associations (based on our

knowledge / experience of the real world)

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Meanings of words

Meanings of words are often understood in relation to other words (relational/ web) e.g. you understand the meaning of

‘cold’ through your understanding of ‘hot’

e.g. you understand the meaning of ‘roses’ through your understanding of ‘garden’, ‘flowers’ or ‘lilies’

Word Associations and Language Word Associations and Language ProficiencyProficiency

How words are organised / stored in How words are organised / stored in the brain is an the brain is an indicator of language indicator of language proficiency levelproficiency level

Or how “native-like” you areOr how “native-like” you are

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Paradigmatic associations Always belong to the same word class Substitutable in syntactic strings More semantics-oriented E.g. I want to get a doggie for my daughter. pet Terrier cat wombat

Syntagmatic associations Usually belong to a different word class, but sometimes can belong to the same word classCollocate well with prompt words in a grammatical string More grammar-oriented E.g. Dogs bark.E.g. Walk the dog.E.g. Dog collar

Phonological associations / ClangsE.g. dog - fogE.g. hockey - hockey

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L1 mental lexicon

Phonological Syntagmatic Paradigmatic (developmental)

( younger children older children )

Commonness / Homogeneity in the their mental lexicons (tend to give the same word associates) e.g. blanket: bed, warm, sheet, electric, cover,

warmth, wool, soft, bath, snow

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Mean proportion of NNS and NS response types for WA (Wolter, 2001)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Para Syntag Phono Noresponse

NNSNS

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L2 mental lexicon similar to

L1 mental lexiconEarlier studies found NS had more

paradigmatic associations than NNS. But later studies (e.g. Zareva, 2007) Zareva, 2007) found tfound the same shift in L2 learners, as they get more proficient in the language, and as they grow older

Phonological Syntagmatic Paradigmatic

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L2 mental lexicon different from L1 mental lexicon L2 acquisition usually takes place when there L2 acquisition usually takes place when there

is is an already existing mental lexiconan already existing mental lexicon Many of the meanings and meaning hierarchies Many of the meanings and meaning hierarchies

that have already been internalized in the that have already been internalized in the acquisition of the course of L1 development will acquisition of the course of L1 development will be re-applicable in learners’ L2be re-applicable in learners’ L2

Positive / negative influence from L1 lexiconPositive / negative influence from L1 lexicon Connections between words in mental

lexicon of L2 learners are more loosely connected and less consistent than those of the L1 learners

Looking at your word Looking at your word associatesassociates

1.1. What kinds of associations do you What kinds of associations do you have most (phonological, have most (phonological, syntagmatic, paradigmatic) in your syntagmatic, paradigmatic) in your WA tests?WA tests?

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Explaining the Explaining the discrepancies in results discrepancies in results generated by different generated by different

studiesstudies Design of the WA tests:Design of the WA tests: Whether the prompt words are high-Whether the prompt words are high-

frequency (familiar) or low-frequency frequency (familiar) or low-frequency (unfamiliar) words to the learners(unfamiliar) words to the learners

Whether the prompt words are Whether the prompt words are presented aurally or visuallypresented aurally or visually

Age / proficiency level of the learnerAge / proficiency level of the learner

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Pedagogical Implications

Developmental/ cognitive aspect: Younger learners tend to favor

syntagmatic associations: dog-bark

Older learners tend to favor/ are capable of handling paradigmatic associations / semantically-related groups e.g. synonyms, antonyms, hyponyms: dog-cat or dog-pet

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Superordinates and Hyponyms

Sports

??? ??? ???

???

Lion Tiger Horse

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Semantically related input

Flat

Living room Bedroom Kitchen Bathroom

Fridge Utensils

Saucepan

Frying pan

Teaching synonyms /antonyms Teaching synonyms /antonyms together?together?

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Interference effect when learningclosely related words (synonyms and antonyms) Higa (1963) found that pairs of synonyms took

longer to learn than pairs of unrelated words. Higa (1965) reported that the closer the

semantic relationship between words, the more difficult it may be to learn the words in a set.

Laufer (1990) reported that synonymy is one of seven interlexical factors that can reduce the chances of vocabulary acquisition.

Suggestion: Do NOT introduce totally novel synonyms or antonyms at the same time.

SynonymsSynonyms

Fervent Fervent ArdentArdent

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1.1. The match has attracted The match has attracted many many fervent fervent supporters of supporters of

Liverpool.Liverpool.

The match has attracted many enthusiastic supporters of Liverpool.

1.1. This technology has been This technology has been widely widely deployed deployed in Hong in Hong

Kong.Kong.

This technology has been widely applied in Hong Kong.

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Slight advantage for thematically related words Slight advantage for thematically group

words (Tinkham, 1993, 1997)

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Memory

Number of items to be presented each time

Memory loss Number of exposures for learning to

happen Recycling (intervals, methods) Memory strategies (the Keyword

technique / mental imaging / creating structure for input)

MemoryMemory

Number of items you can hold in Number of items you can hold in your short-term memory?your short-term memory?

How many times do you need to How many times do you need to encounter a word before it is learnt?encounter a word before it is learnt?

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Word retentionWord retention

teach 8-12 vocabulary items in a 60-teach 8-12 vocabulary items in a 60-minute lesson minute lesson ((Gairns & Redman, 1986) Gairns & Redman, 1986)

The chances of learning and retaining a The chances of learning and retaining a word from one exposure is only 5-14% word from one exposure is only 5-14% (Nagy, 1997)(Nagy, 1997)

5 – 16 times for a word to be learned 5 – 16 times for a word to be learned (Zahar, Cobb & Spada, 2001)(Zahar, Cobb & Spada, 2001)

An important role for recycling An important role for recycling (revisiting) of the vocabulary learnt(revisiting) of the vocabulary learnt

Importance of RevisionImportance of Revision

Spaced / Distributed Spaced / Distributed RepetitionRepetition

Recycling of vocabularyRecycling of vocabulary Horst & Meara (1999) – far more vocab is learnt if the same Horst & Meara (1999) – far more vocab is learnt if the same

text is read several times (the first reading focuses on text is read several times (the first reading focuses on understanding meaning, while the later readings focus on the understanding meaning, while the later readings focus on the forms)forms)

Following a piece of news for several days (word repetitions Following a piece of news for several days (word repetitions and synonyms); encountering the same words in different and synonyms); encountering the same words in different contextscontexts

Vocabulary quizzesVocabulary quizzes Different parts of speech (e.g. “shoulder” as a noun, and as a Different parts of speech (e.g. “shoulder” as a noun, and as a

verb)verb) Other meanings (polysemy) of a word (e.g. “head as a body Other meanings (polysemy) of a word (e.g. “head as a body

part, the school head, the department head, head of a queue)part, the school head, the department head, head of a queue) Replacing general words by specific words (e.g. nice – Replacing general words by specific words (e.g. nice –

attractive, elegant, terrific)attractive, elegant, terrific)

The “Bathtub” EffectThe “Bathtub” Effect

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Memory Strategy – Using Mental Images

(Adapted from forthcoming “Loong Y & Chan S W L, A Study of Vocabulary Learning Strategies Adopted by Dentistry Students in Hong Kong In Learning Specialized Dental Vocabulary, September 2012, Asian ESP Journal”)

Memory Strategy – The Keyword Technique

(Adapted from Brahler, C. J. & Walker, D. (2008). Learning scientific and medical terminology with a mnemonic strategy using an illogical association technique. Advances in Physiology Education, 32, 219-224. Post-session 4 Reading)

Step One: Think of a word that you know that has a similar sound (audionym “Keyword” )Step Two: Create a mental image to link up the Keyword with the target word

The “keyword” techniqueJapanese word and meaning

English word that has a similar sound

Link and visual image created

kurai (dark)

karada (body)

The “keyword” techniqueJapanese word and meaning

English word that has a similar sound

Link and visual image created

kurai (dark) cry A baby cries when it is dark

karada (body) colored a colored body

Kurai - Cry

Imagine the visual of a baby crying when it’s dark

Karada - colored

a colored body

Memory strategy – group Memory strategy – group wordswords

Which word list is most conducive to Which word list is most conducive to word retention?word retention?

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Do you know of any other Do you know of any other mnemonics / memory mnemonics / memory

strategies?strategies?

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ReadingPost-session 3 reading Zareva, A. (2007).Structure of the second

language mental lexicon: How does it compare to native speakers' lexical organization. Second Language Research, 23(2), 123-153.

Preparation for the next Preparation for the next sessionsession

Read one of the pre-session articles.Read one of the pre-session articles. Explain to your group the Explain to your group the research research

methods methods and and key resultskey results..

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AssignmentAssignment

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