英语作为二语和三语时学习者心理词库对比研究

A Contrastive Study on the Mental Lexicon of Learners When English Used as the Second and the Third Language

通过词汇联想测试对比英语作为二语和三语时学习者心理词库的异同,本文探讨词频是否对上述现象产生调节作用。研究发现,三语学习者的语义反应和非语义反应无明显差异,而二语学习者的词汇联想以非语义反应为主,并且两组受试的语义联想模式均受到词频的影响。因此本研究认为,藏族学生在学习英语三语词汇时具有"三语优势",即一语和二语均对三语心理词库的构建起到辅助作用。

By comparing the responses to the word association tests taken by two groups of the students who use English as L2 and L3 respectively, the present study aims to explore how the mental lexicon of L3 might differ from that of L2 and whether word frequency of the prompt words will affect the difference. The results indicate there is no significant difference between semantic responses and non-semantic responses among the L3 learners whereas for the L2 learners the non-semantic responses are much more than the semantic responses. Besides, the association patterns of the two groups are largely affected by the words frequency. Therefore, the study assumes that Tibetan students have “L3 advantage” when learning L3 words. In other words, L1 and L2 both facilitate the organization of L3 mental lexicon.