Original scientific paper

https://doi.org/10.1515/exell-2017-0003

Exploration of the relationship between word-association and learners’ lexical development with a focus on American L1 and Croatian L2 speakers

Maja Seguin orcid.org/0000-0003-0990-9977 ; Evangelical Theological Seminary, Osijek

Abstract

Vocabulary acquisition is a dynamic process and there is a constant change in the way words are stored in the mental lexicon. Word association tests are used in linguistic research to observe to which extent mental mapping can be understood. This paper presents the results of a word association game consist-ing of seven words administered to second language speakers, and native speakers for comparative purposes. The results indicate the possibility of a link between experiences and associations, which leads to the recommendation for teachers to create activities and new experiences that demand the learner’s personal involvement in expanding their vocabulary.

Keywords

word association test; vocabulary; lexical development; mental and lexical connections; language acquisition

Hrčak ID:

175758

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/175758

Publication date:

14.2.2017.

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