Phonological and morphosyntactic knowledge by native speakers and Japanese learners of English: Toward a vocabulary development mode

本研究以英语为母语者为对照，调查了不同英语水平的日本英语学习者对英语衍生词的语音和形态句法知识。实验1用英语单词考察词频和词尾类型（中性和非中性）的影响。后缀类型对中级学习者和高级学习者都有影响，但频率对中级学习者的影响更大。实验2采用非词来考察任务类型（语音和形态句法）和熟练程度（中级和高级）的影响。中级学习者在两项任务之间没有显著差异，而高级学习者在形态句法任务上的表现优于语音任务，母语者也表现出同样的趋势。该研究总体上表明，派生英语单词的知识与一般英语水平之间存在很强的联系。

This study investigated the phonological and morphosyntactic knowledge of derivational English words possessed by Japanese learners of English with different English proficiency levels, using native speakers as control participants. Experiment 1 used English words to examine the effects of word frequency and suffix type (neutral and nonneutral). Suffix type affected both intermediate and advanced learners, but frequency had a greater impact on intermediate learners. Experiment 2 used nonwords to examine the effects of task type (phonological and morphosyntactic) and proficiency (intermediate and advanced). While intermediate learners showed no significant difference between the two tasks, advanced learners performed better at the morphosyntactic task than at the phonological task, the same trend demonstrated by native speakers. The study generally suggests a strong association between knowledge of derivational English words and general English proficiency.