Tess Fitzpatrick

Intensive vocabulary learning: a case study

This paper describes a single-subject study of vocabulary acquisition. The subject, an L1 English speaker, was required to learn 300 vocabulary items in Arabic at a rate of 15 new words a day over a period of 20 days. The learning period was followed by immediate and delayed tests of receptive and productive knowledge of target items. The immediate test results indicated knowledge of almost all the target items, but this acquisition was temporary, with evident attrition of both receptive and productive knowledge in subsequent test events. The paper considers factors which might affect the uptake and retention of items, and uses a matrix analysis to make long-term projections for vocabulary acquisition.

Word association in L1 and L2: An exploratory study of response types, response times, and interlingual mediation

Word association responses in first-language (L1) Spanish and second-language (L2) English were investigated by means of response latencies and types of associative response produced. The primary aims were to establish whether (a) some response types are produced more often or faster than others, (b) participants’ L2 response time profiles mirror those of their L1, and (c) participants’ L2 association responses are mediated by their L1 and modulated by proficiency. Results indicate that responses are faster when a double association link is produced—that is, when the response is associated by form and meaning (postman → postbox) or meaning and collocation (spider → web). L2 response time profiles broadly mirror those of the L1, although L2 times are generally slower. A significant priming effect from L1 translation equivalents of cues used in the L2 association task was observed, suggesting L1 mediation in the production of L2 associative responses. Findings are discussed in light of the revised hierarchical model (Kroll & Stewart, 1994). New approaches to modeling and understanding the bilingual lexicon are also suggested.

The challenge of validation: Assessing the performance of a test of productive vocabulary

This paper assesses the performance of a vocabulary test designed to measure second language productive vocabulary knowledge.The test, Lex30, uses a word association task to elicit vocabulary, and uses word frequency data to measure the vocabulary produced. Here we report firstly on the reliability of the test as measured by a test-retest study, a parallel test forms experiment and an internal consistency measure. We then investigate the construct validity of the test by looking at changes in test performance over time, analyses of correlations with scores on similar tests, and comparison of spoken and written test performance. Last, we examine the theoretical bases of the two main test components: eliciting vocabulary and measuring vocabulary. Interpretations of our findings are discussed in the context of test validation research literature. We conclude that the findings reported here present a robust argument for the validity of the test as a research tool, and encourage further investigation of its validity in an instructional context.

Pushing learners to the extreme: the artificial use of prefabricated material in conversation

Abstract Adult second language learners often come across as proficient but not native-like, with a command of the words and grammar of the language, but not of its idiomaticity. Idiomaticity resides in selecting the most native-like turn of phrase from a larger set of ways in which a particular message might be grammatically expressed. This article investigates what happens when learners are pushed to use native-like phrases in conversation. In an experiment inspired by TALK (a computer-assisted speech aid for the disabled), L2 learners of English were provided with native-like ways of expressing specific messages for targeted conversations. Both TALK and the L2 study represent artificial approaches to conversational interaction, retaining characteristics of ‘normal’ conversation along with a range of additional features arising from the limitations of being forced to rely on prefabricated material. Comparative evaluations of the two types of interaction indicate that even entirely fixed formulaic language can be highly effective in conversation. However, the extreme conditions of language use explored here also expose persistent weaknesses inherent in relying too heavily on formulaic material. The study exemplifies the value of research at the interface of lexical and grammatical processing and identifies related implications for the language learner.

Accessing second-order collocation through lexical co-occurrence networks

The volume contains articles focussing on the role of prefabricated items in language. It provides both a discussion of Sinclairs seminal work including unpublished pieces of his manuscripts as well as articles from linguists of various fields demonstrating the relevance of this topic in theoretical as well as more applied contexts.

Dimensions of vocabulary knowledge

Preface.- 1. Introduction: Deconstructing Vocabulary Knowledge James Milton and Tess Fitzpatrick.- 2. Knowledge of Spoken Form James Milton, Thoma? Alexiou and Marina Mattheoudakis.- 3. Knowledge of Written Form Imma Miralpeix and Paul Meara.- 4. Knowledge of Word Parts Katja Mantyla and Ari Huhta.- 5. Knowledge of Form and Meaning Maria Pilar Agustin Llach and Soraya Moreno Espinosa.- 6. Knowledge of Concepts and Referents Parto Pajoohesh.- 7. Knowledge of Word Association Tess Fitzpatrick and Ian Munby.- 8. Knowledge of Grammatical Use Jeanine Treffers-Daller and Vivienne Rogers.- 9. Knowledge of Collocations Dale Brown.- 10. Knowledge of Constraints on Use Clarissa Wilks.- 11. Confidence in Word Knowledge Jim Ronald and Tadamitsu Kamimoto.- 12. Conclusion: Reconstructing Vocabulary Knowledge Tess Fitzpatrick and James Milton.- Appendices.- Glossary.- References.- Index.

Tracking the changes: vocabulary acquisition in the study abroad context

Empirical evidence suggests that the study abroad experience accelerates growth in global vocabulary knowledge. The exact nature of this growth is rarely reported, however, and there is little documented evidence to indicate whether it is linear or uneven, whether the speed of growth is constant or changing, or whether the study abroad context favours the acquisition of certain aspects of vocabulary knowledge over others. This paper introduces and evaluates a method of tracking incremental changes in vocabulary knowledge during a year of overseas study. Lexical knowledge is elicited through a word association task completed by the learner at six-weekly intervals. Responses to the task, although not formally constrained, are dependent on the conceptual and lexical associations of the test-taker. Data sets are analysed using a word-knowledge framework, and findings reveal a gradual increase in some aspects of vocabulary knowledge (the number of collocations and native speaker-like associations), but striking inconsistencies over time in others (e.g. word form, form-meaning connections, orthography). The study uses an innovative application of an investigative tool to capture stages in the micro-development of the lexicon, thus exposing the complex and multi-dimensional nature of lexical acquisition.

Frequency Profiles of EFL Learners’ Lexical Availability

In the present study, we propose a complementary approach to the traditional analysis of lexical availability studies by looking at learners’ word responses from the perspective of word frequency. We apply a word frequency framework to data produced by 6th and 8th English as a Foreign Language Learners in Spanish Primary and Secondary schools in response to nine cue words traditionally used in lexical availability studies. The chapter looks at learner profiles according to the number of words produced in the nine semantic domains, and the proportion of infrequent words to frequent words in each domain. The findings are relevant for lexical availability studies as they open a new line of research in the field. They are also relevant for vocabulary research as they question the assumption of a linear pattern of vocabulary acquisition through frequency bands.