Developing a Computer-based Vocabulary-learning Tool : A Preliminary Study

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It has been widely acknowledged that vocabulary items in the mental lexicon are interrelated, forming a vast network, which consists of numerous sub-networks with multiple layers corresponding to the various linguistic levels. However, the network conception of the mental lexicon has to this date remained largely theoretical. As a preliminary study for a project that aims at developing a computer-based vocabulary-learning tool to aid learners by visualizing the network structures of their mental lexicons, the present study focused on how individual words are categorized into (sub-) classes. The results of the present study showed that the self-organizing map (SOM), a procedure to represent an item with multiple values topographically on a two-dimensional map could be of effective use in analyzing learners' mental lexicon.