ITL - International Journal of Applied Linguistics - Online First

This article presents two classroom-based studies lasting one academic year: Study 1 with beginner learners of English as a foreign language and Study 2 with intermediate learners. In each study, learners in the comparison and experimental groups were introduced to new vocabulary through regular explicit instruction in class, but only those in the experimental group additionally watched subtitled (Study 1) or captioned (Study 2) television series where the new vocabulary appeared. Lexical gains, computed for each academic term, showed an overall positive effect of television viewing, although more differences between groups were found towards the end of the intervention, and more significant results were obtained in Study 2. These longitudinal data provide relevant information on the role of extensive viewing for language learning in instructional settings, which is often missed in one-off studies outside and inside the classroom.

This study contributes to the explicit implicit debate by investigating to which extent adult learners of Hungarian develop knowledge of new grammar rules, and the proficiency to use them, through listening activities complemented with explicit grammar instruction or not.

In a quasi-experimental study, we compared the acquisition of three specific rules of Hungarian grammar by 80 Flemish adult students in two conditions. Both methods involved listening activities, but in one condition explicit rule explanation and practice was given and in the other one, meaningful activities were created without grammar explanation. The findings indicate that for teaching simple rules, compared to more complex grammar features, listening activities and exposure to comprehensible input have a significantly positive effect on grammar acquisition at the basic level. The explicit condition did not have an added beneficial effect. Exposure to L2 is the main driver of language development.

The vocabulary size estimates suggested for native speakers used to vary considerably. More recently, researchers using Yes/No tests reported numbers that are much closer together. This article seeks to answer the question of whether we can give an estimate of an adult native speaker’s vocabulary size without specifying a language. First, it presents the estimate for a native speaker’s vocabulary size in Lithuanian and explores its variation depending on the person’s age (ranging from 16 to 71 years old), place of residence, their reading for pleasure habits, and gender. Then it compares this estimate to the ones suggested for German, English, and Dutch native speakers. The analysis suggests that the estimates for different languages, at least the ones based on empirical data rather than statistical predictions, do not differ considerably.