Abstract
Researchers investigating the incidental acquisition of vocabulary through reading must select either real or nonce words as targets. To determine whether this decision affects acquisition, English as a foreign language classes (English experimental n=80; nonce experimental n=89) were given a 2,381-token short story containing either 26 target English or nonce words. Analysis of the gain scores on an unexpected meaning recognition assessment for the two experimental and two control groups (English control n=73; nonce control n=114) found a statistically significant difference in acquisition. The large effect size found indicates the choice to use nonce targets has a clear effect on acquisition outcomes. Additional analysis also indicated the contextual richness of the words surrounding targets was subordinate to frequency of exposure in terms of encouraging incidental acquisition. Furthermore, learners’ L2 vocabulary size had only a negligible effect on acquisition outcomes. Further analyses, implications, and consequences in regard to research practices are discussed.
Acknowledgement
The research reported in this article was supported by the University of Macau (SRG2016-00079-FED).
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Appendix A
| English Target | Nonce Target | EE Gain Scoresa | NE Gain Scoresb | Frequency | Contextual Richness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| stream | scroub | 8 | 21 | 2 | 2 |
| draw* | swew* | 1 | 13 | 4 | 2.50 |
| rightful* | dighttul* | 5 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| ruler | duser | 8 | 16 | 5 | 3.60 |
| fearful | lootbel | 2 | 17 | 4 | 2 |
| wisdom | visrom | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| swift | voft | 2 | 31 | 3 | 3.67 |
| youth | seath | 4 | 11 | 3 | 2.33 |
| field | fourd | −1 | 10 | 7 | 3.14 |
| angrily* | anstily* | −1 | 35 | 3 | 3 |
| fight | jurch | −1 | 21 | 3 | 3 |
| sheep | choon | 4 | 20 | 2 | 3 |
| sword | thamp | 4 | 0 | 2 | 3.50 |
| breath | cleath | 3 | 5 | 2 | 2.50 |
| manhood | hanbead | 5 | 11 | 2 | 2 |
| teeth | roath | 3 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| fleece | slouth | 17 | 42 | 15 | 2.27 |
| oars | eams | 8 | 15 | 2 | 1.50 |
| sow | voy | 3 | 10 | 2 | 3.50 |
| daughter* | rinchter* | 3 | 30 | 4 | 2.75 |
| crash | brank | 7 | 7 | 3 | 3 |
| plow | drou | 10 | 12 | 4 | 4 |
| centaur | centaum | 35 | 47 | 7 | 2.43 |
| forth | fogue | 9 | 10 | 2 | 2 |
| spears | grours | 6 | −10 | 2 | 3 |
| crew | shuc | −8 | 6 | 3 | 3 |
| helmet | huldet | −3 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| oracle | unablo | 51 | 77 | 9 | 2.56 |
| dove | wist | 8 | 32 | 5 | 3.20 |
| rush | blard | 4 | 15 | 8 | 2.25 |
For participant n=79
For participant n=88
not included in statistical analyses (see section 4.2 Target Words for details).
Appendix B
Name: Student ID: Date:
Put the number of the word in the left column in the space beside the correct definition.
| 1. herved | ___ a small river |
| 2. swew | ___ pulled |
| 3. dighttul | ___ legal |
| 4. keef | |
| 5. epan | |
| 6. scroub | |
| 1. lootbel | ___ leader |
| 2. kiceness | ___ terrible |
| 3. speenap | ___ intelligence |
| 4. visrom | |
| 5. fasid | |
| 6. duser | |
| 1. wheg | ___ to go with speed |
| 2. voft | ___ a young man |
| 3. seath | ___ area of land |
| 4. fourd | |
| 5. voose | |
| 6. wond | |
| 1. choon | ___ with rage |
| 2. reets | ___ battle |
| 3. hunply | ___ grass-eating animal |
| 4. entaff | |
| 5. jurch | |
| 6. anstily | |
| 1. aspick | ___ weapon with a long thin blade |
| 2. thamp | ___ air brought into and out of the mouth |
| 3. cleath | ___ the age of an adult man |
| 4. hanbead | |
| 5. lomily | |
| 6. drost | |
| 1. slouth | ___ used for biting and chewing |
| 2. saks | ___ the thick hair of an animal |
| 3. rars | ___ used to row a boat |
| 4. wong | |
| 5. eams | |
| 6. roath | |
| 1. brank | ___ to plant |
| 2. swey | ___ someone’s female child |
| 3. tanchter | ___ come together violently |
| 4. balt | |
| 5. rinchter | |
| 6. voy | |
| 1. chepcon | ___ to dig the soil |
| 2. fogue | ___ half man half horse |
| 3. drou | ___ onwards, out from home |
| 4. debash | |
| 5. centaum | |
| 6. chade | |
| 1. lares | ___ weapons that are thrown |
| 2. mades | ___ people working on a ship |
| 3. vert | ___ hat worn for protection |
| 4. huldet | |
| 5. shuc | |
| 6. grours | |
| 1. wist | ___ person who can see into the future |
| 2. unablo | ___ a white pigeon-like bird |
| 3. colurp | ___ quick or rapid |
| 4. blard | |
| 5. jibal | |
| 6. jisor |
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