Analyzing English Foreign Language Learners’ Lexical Input and Output Through Word Prototypicality

Jaqueline Mora Guarín

doi:10.18172/jes.6663

Authors

Jaqueline Mora Guarín Universidad de La Rioja https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7323-4965

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18172/jes.6663

Keywords:

Semantic prototypes, Lexical availability output, Vocabulary input, EFL textbooks, EFL learners

Abstract

Research on the relationship between input and output among English learners has been extensive, as both are crucial for language acquisition. However, our understanding of this relationship in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) setting remains limited. To address this gap, this study employs semantic prototypes to examine the prototypical word associations retrieved by two groups of EFL learners who differ in age (children and adolescents) and course level (6^th year of Primary Education and 2^nd year of Baccalaureate) and analyzes the prototypical words found in the learners’ EFL textbooks. Specifically, we investigate whether the prototypicality of words in the learners’ lexical output reflects that found in the vocabulary input of their EFL textbooks, focusing on the 50 most frequent words. We utilized a semantic fluency task and lexical computational programs to measure participants’ lexical availability across five semantic categories and to analyze the frequency of words in the textbooks. The findings revealed evidence of word prototypicality in the EFL participants’ vocabulary production and their EFL materials, as well as discrepancies between the prototypical words found in their lexical output and the input of their textbooks. This study offers new insights into comparing output and input in EFL contexts, with implications for curriculum design and language teaching, particularly regarding the role of word prototypicality in vocabulary learning.

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