1887
Volume 18, Issue 1
  • ISSN 1871-1340
  • E-ISSN: 1871-1375

Abstract

Abstract

Laboratory studies on word learning in a foreign language (L2) have identified several variables involved in the learning process, key amongst them the orthotactic probability and neighborhood density of new words relative to learners’ native (L1) lexicons. More recently, learners’ sensitivity to orthotactic probability and neighborhood density relative to their developing L2 lexicons has come into focus. Past studies on word learning have largely focused on early stages of learning, in controlled studies spanning hours or days. Few studies have considered large corpora of ‘real-life’ learning data, spanning several weeks. In this study, we validate past findings outside of controlled laboratory conditions, by analyzing a dataset collected from Duolingo (Settles et al., 2018), a popular language learning app. Effects of orthotactic probability and neighborhood density observed in controlled studies persist under uncontrolled, big-data conditions for learners of Spanish, but not French. As learning progresses, we observe a previously unreported reversal of the effects of L1 orthotactic probability and neighborhood density, challenging theoretical models of word learning. Finally, we confirm the importance of orthotactic probability and neighborhood density relative to learners’ developing L2 Spanish lexicons, lending support to theories which posit that the same processes underly both L1 and L2 acquisition.

Available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1075/ml.22006.rin
2023-08-17
2025-02-13
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

/deliver/fulltext/ml.22006.rin.html?itemId=/content/journals/10.1075/ml.22006.rin&mimeType=html&fmt=ahah

References

  1. Aiken, L. S., & West, S. G.
    (1991) Multiple regression: Testing and interpreting interactions. Sage Publications, Inc.
    [Google Scholar]
  2. Baayen, R. H., Chuang, Y.-Y., Shafaei-Bajestan, E., & Blevins, J. P.
    (2019) The discriminative lexicon: A unified computational model for the lexicon and lexical processing in comprehension and production grounded not in (de) composition but in linear discriminative learning. Complexity, 2019. 10.1155/2019/4895891
    https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/4895891 [Google Scholar]
  3. Baayen, R. H., Milin, P., Durđević, D. F., Hendrix, P., & Marelli, M.
    (2011) An amorphous model for morphological processing in visual comprehension based on naive discriminative learning. Psychological review, 118 (3), 438. 10.1037/a0023851
    https://doi.org/10.1037/a0023851 [Google Scholar]
  4. Bartolotti, J., & Marian, V.
    (2017) Orthographic knowledge and lexical form influence vocabulary learning. Applied Psycholinguistics, 38 (2), 427–456. 10.1017/S0142716416000242
    https://doi.org/10.1017/S0142716416000242 [Google Scholar]
  5. Bordag, D., Kirschenbaum, A., Rogahn, M., & Tschirner, E.
    (2017) The role of orthotactic probability in incidental and intentional vocabulary acquisition L1 and L2. Second Language Research, 33 (2), 147–178. 10.1177/0267658316665879
    https://doi.org/10.1177/0267658316665879 [Google Scholar]
  6. 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. 10.3758/BRM.41.4.977
    https://doi.org/10.3758/BRM.41.4.977 [Google Scholar]
  7. Chan, K. Y., & Vitevitch, M. S.
    (2009) The influence of the phonological neighborhood clustering coefficient on spoken word recognition. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 35 (6), 1934.
    [Google Scholar]
  8. Chetail, F.
    (2015) Reconsidering the role of orthographic redundancy in visual word recognition. Frontiers in Psychology, 61, 645. 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00645
    https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00645 [Google Scholar]
  9. Dijkstra, T., Wahl, A., Buytenhuijs, F., Van Halem, N., Al-Jibouri, Z., De Korte, M., & Rekké, S.
    (2019) Multilink: A computational model for bilingual word recognition and word translation. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 22 (4), 657–679. 10.1017/S1366728918000287
    https://doi.org/10.1017/S1366728918000287 [Google Scholar]
  10. Ellis, N. C.
    (2006) Selective attention and transfer phenomena in L2 acquisition: Contingency, cue competition, salience, interference, overshadowing, blocking, and perceptual learning. Applied linguistics, 27 (2), 164–194. 10.1093/applin/aml015
    https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/aml015 [Google Scholar]
  11. Ellis, N. C., & Beaton, A.
    (1993) Psycholinguistic determinants of foreign language vocabulary learning. Language Learning, 43 (4), 559–617. 10.1111/j.1467‑1770.1993.tb00627.x
    https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-1770.1993.tb00627.x [Google Scholar]
  12. Gaskell, M. G., & Dumay, N.
    (2003) Lexical competition and the acquisition of novel words. Cognition, 89 (2), 105–132. 10.1016/S0010‑0277(03)00070‑2
    https://doi.org/10.1016/S0010-0277(03)00070-2 [Google Scholar]
  13. Grainger, J., Midgley, K., & Holcomb, P. J.
    (2010, December). Re-thinking the bilingual interactive-activation model from a developmental perspective (BIA-d). InM. Kail & M. Hickmann (Eds.), Language Acquisition across Linguistic and Cognitive Systems (pp.267–283). John Benjamins Publishing Company. 10.1075/lald.52.18gra
    https://doi.org/10.1075/lald.52.18gra [Google Scholar]
  14. Hosmer, D. W., & Lemeshow, S.
    (2000) Assessing the fit of the model. InApplied logistic regression (pp.143–202). John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. 10.1002/0471722146
    https://doi.org/10.1002/0471722146 [Google Scholar]
  15. Kroll, J. F., Hell, J. G. V., Tokowicz, N., & Green, D. W.
    (2010) The revised hierarchical model: A critical review and assessment. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 13 (3), 373–381. 10.1017/S136672891000009X
    https://doi.org/10.1017/S136672891000009X [Google Scholar]
  16. Leach, L., & Samuel, A. G.
    (2007) Lexical configuration and lexical engagement: When adults learn new words. Cognitive Psychology, 55 (4), 306–353. 10.1016/j.cogpsych.2007.01.001
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cogpsych.2007.01.001 [Google Scholar]
  17. McClelland, J. L., & Elman, J. L.
    (1986) The TRACE model of speech perception. Cognitive Psychology, 18 (1), 1–86. 10.1016/0010‑0285(86)90015‑0
    https://doi.org/10.1016/0010-0285(86)90015-0 [Google Scholar]
  18. Miwa, K., & Baayen, H.
    (2021) Nonlinearities in bilingual visual word recognition: An introduction to generalized additive modeling. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 24 (5), 825–832. 10.1017/S1366728921000079
    https://doi.org/10.1017/S1366728921000079 [Google Scholar]
  19. Rescorla, R. A., & Wagner, A. R.
    (1972) A theory of Pavlovian conditioning: Variations in the effectiveness of reinforcement and nonreinforcement. Classical Conditioning II: Current Research and Theory, 64–99.
    [Google Scholar]
  20. Serrano, F., Genard, N., Sucena, A., Defior, S., Alegria, J., Mousty, P., Leybaert, J., Castro, S. L., & Seymour, P. H. K.
    (2011) Variations in reading and spelling acquisition in Portuguese, French and Spanish: A cross-linguistic comparison. Journal of Portuguese Linguistics, 10 (1). 10.5334/jpl.106
    https://doi.org/10.5334/jpl.106 [Google Scholar]
  21. Settles, B., Brust, C., Gustafson, E., Hagiwara, M., & Madnani, N.
    (2018) Second language acquisition modeling. Proceedings of the NAACL-HLT Workshop on Innovative Use of NLP for Building Educational Applications (BEA). 10.18653/v1/W18‑0506
    https://doi.org/10.18653/v1/W18-0506 [Google Scholar]
  22. Seymour, P. H. K., Aro, M., & Erskine, J. M.
    (2003) Foundation literacy acquisition in European orthographies. British Journal of Psychology, 94 (2), 143–174. 10.1348/000712603321661859
    https://doi.org/10.1348/000712603321661859 [Google Scholar]
  23. Stamer, M. K., & Vitevitch, M. S.
    (2012) Phonological similarity influences word learning in adults learning Spanish as a foreign language. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 15 (3), 490–502. 10.1017/S1366728911000216
    https://doi.org/10.1017/S1366728911000216 [Google Scholar]
  24. Storkel, H. L.
    (2004) Do children acquire dense neighborhoods? An investigation of similarity neighborhoods in lexical acquisition. Applied Psycholinguistics, 25 (2), 201–221. 10.1017/S0142716404001109
    https://doi.org/10.1017/S0142716404001109 [Google Scholar]
  25. Storkel, H. L., Armbruster, J., & Hogan, T. P.
    (2006) Differentiating phonotactic probability and neighborhood density in adult word learning. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 49 (6), 1175–1192. 10.1044/1092‑4388(2006/085)
    https://doi.org/10.1044/1092-4388(2006/085) [Google Scholar]
  26. Storkel, H. L., & Lee, S.-Y.
    (2011) The independent effects of phonotactic probability and neighbourhood density on lexical acquisition by preschool children. Language and Cognitive Processes, 26(2), 191–211. 10.1080/01690961003787609
    https://doi.org/10.1080/01690961003787609 [Google Scholar]
  27. Storkel, H. L., & Rogers, M. A.
    (2000) The effect of probabilistic phonotactics on lexical acquisition. Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics, 14 (6), 407–425. 10.1080/026992000415859
    https://doi.org/10.1080/026992000415859 [Google Scholar]
  28. van der Velde, M., Sense, F., Borst, J., & van Rijn, H.
    (2021) Alleviating the cold start problem in adaptive learning using data-driven difficulty estimates. Computational Brain & Behavior, 4 (2), 231–249. 10.1007/s42113‑021‑00101‑6
    https://doi.org/10.1007/s42113-021-00101-6 [Google Scholar]
  29. Verbeke, G., & Lesaffre, E.
    (1997) The effect of misspecifying the random-effects distribution in linear mixed models for longitudinal data. Computational Statistics Data Analysis, 23 (4), 541–556. 10.1016/S0167‑9473(96)00047‑3
    https://doi.org/10.1016/S0167-9473(96)00047-3 [Google Scholar]
  30. Wood, S. N.
    (2013) A simple test for random effects in regression models. Biometrika, 100 (4), 1005–1010. 10.1093/biomet/ast038
    https://doi.org/10.1093/biomet/ast038 [Google Scholar]
  31. (2017) Generalized additive models: An introduction with R (Second). Chapman & Hall/CRC. 10.1201/9781315370279
    https://doi.org/10.1201/9781315370279 [Google Scholar]
  32. Yap, M. J., & Balota, D. A.
    (2015) Visual word recognition. InThe Oxford handbook of reading (pp.26–43). Oxford University Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  33. Yarkoni, T., Balota, D., & Yap, M.
    (2008) Moving beyond Coltheart’s N: A new measure of orthographic similarity. Psychonomic bul letin & Review, 15 (5), 971–979. 10.3758/PBR.15.5.971
    https://doi.org/10.3758/PBR.15.5.971 [Google Scholar]
/content/journals/10.1075/ml.22006.rin
Loading
/content/journals/10.1075/ml.22006.rin
Loading

Data & Media loading...

  • Article Type: Research Article
Keyword(s): e-learning; foreign language learning; wordlikeness
This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was successful
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error