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

本研究以本族语为对照，调查了不同英语水平的日本英语学习者对派生英语单词的语音和形态句法知识掌握情况。实验一以英语单词为被试，考察了词频和后缀类型(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。实验二使用非词汇来考察任务类型(语音和形态合成)和熟练程度(中级和高级)的影响。虽然中级学习者在两个任务上没有显著差异，但高级学习者在形态句法任务上的表现好于在语音任务上的表现，这一趋势在本族语者身上表现出来。这项研究总体上表明，派生英语单词的知识与总体英语水平之间存在着很强的联系。

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.