<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p> 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 consisting 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.</p></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 consisting 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.

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

ExELL

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

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...

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

Published Online: Feb 08, 2017

Page range: 80 - 101

Received: Oct 24, 2016

Accepted: Dec 05, 2016

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

Keywords
word association test, vocabulary, lexical development, mental and lexical connections, language acquisition

© 2017

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

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

Published Online: Feb 08, 2017

Page range: 80 - 101

Received: Oct 24, 2016

Accepted: Dec 05, 2016

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

Keywordsword association test, vocabulary, lexical development, mental and lexical connections, language acquisition

© 2017

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Keywords
word association test, vocabulary, lexical development, mental and lexical connections, language acquisition