Semantic prototypes in EFL children’s and adolescents’ lexical output and vocabulary input in EFL textbooks

Resumen

This thesis is contextualized within the conceptual framework of the prototype theory postulated by Rosch (1975). This theory highlights that a semantic prototype is known as the most representative exemplar recognized by the human being in a category. In this respect, semantic prototypes play a significant role in the categorization of the mental lexicon in any language (Taylor, 1989; Aitchison, 1987). That is to say, prototypes allow us to understand the categorization of a language. However, although research on prototypes in second language acquisition (L2) has been conducted, little is known about the importance of prototypes in English as a foreign language (EFL) in vocabulary learning. L2 prototype studies on grammar, phonology, and syntax have focused on determining how these linguistic aspects might be analyzed in terms of tense aspect, transfer, and speech perception and production through prototypical constructions, prototypical meanings, and prototypical models (Housen, 2000; Ellis, 2013; Gabriele et al., 2015; Järnefelt, 2018; García Lecumberri & Cenoz, 1997; Kartushina & Frauenfelder, 2013). Moreover, L2 studies concerning prototypes have also been involved in cognitive linguistics, socio-cultural aspects, and psycholinguistic aspects (Hamrick & Attardo, 2010; Supasiraprapa, 2018; Qi, 2001; Ai, 2016; Šifrar, 2016; Mora & Jiménez Catalán, 2019). Cognitive linguistic studies focused on the prototype approach and semantic constructions in second language learners. Socio-cultural studies based on the identification of cross-cultural lexical prototypes with second language learners of English and psycholinguistic prototype studies centered attention on how semantic prototypes were present in the L2 learners’ lexical output in response to a lexical availability task (LAT). L2 prototype studies on vocabulary have been related to vocabulary acquisition and teaching with second language learners (Xiaoyan & Georg-Wolf, 2010; Duan & Da, 2015; Zhang, 2017). All the studies mentioned above have worked on prototypes with second language learners. Therefore, there is a clear need to investigate prototypes in EFL contexts. Moreover, since one of our focuses of investigation is related to the representation of semantic prototypes in children and adolescent EFL learners’ lexical availability output, more research regarding prototypes in response to a LAT with two groups of learners differing in age and language level is needed to ascertain whether there are differences and similarities in the prototypical word associations retrieved by age groups. Furthermore, given that we wanted to broaden the exploration of semantic prototypes, our second focus of the investigation is related to English language teaching (ELT) textbooks. Research in this respect is also needed since, to the best of our knowledge, few studies have been conducted regarding prototypical vocabulary (culture) in younger learners’ materials (Mora & Cifone, 2021; Cifone & Mora, 2021; Cifone & Mora, forthcoming). To address these gaps, this thesis aims (i) to analyze the production of words between two groups of EFL learners differing in age and course level to determine whether adolescents retrieve a higher number of words than children, (ii) to ascertain whether there are similarities or differences regarding shared and non-shared words, lexical sophistication, and word classes, (iii) to determine whether there are differences or similarities between both groups of EFL participants in terms of prototypical word associations, levels of categorization, and semantic networks when responding to a LAT, (iv) to ascertain whether the ELT textbooks provide prototypical word associations and, if so, to what extent the prototypical word associations observed in the English lexical output of children and adolescent EFL learners mirror the prototypical word associations contained in their ELT textbooks. To fulfill these objectives, the study adopts a cross-sectional approach with EFL children and adolescent participants completing a LAT. The sample also comprises two ELT textbooks, which were the materials used by the two groups of learners at the moment of the data collection. Results point to clear differences between the younger and older learners’ lexical availability output in response to each semantic category in the LAT. Regarding the quality of the words retrieved within the fifty most frequent words (the number of informants who retrieved the same word), similarities and differences were also distinguished in the responses retrieved by both age groups of informants. Findings regarding prototypical word associations indicated that there were high convergences within the fifty most frequent words and per semantic category between both age groups. However, some divergences emerged when analyzing the levels of categorization and the semantic connections of words found in the data. Results based on the elaboration of the prototypical word lists and the fifty most frequent words of the corpora revealed that the prototypical word associations observed in the learners’ lexical output were poorly represented in the prototypical word associations contained in the ELT textbooks. In particular, results indicated that the analysis of semantic prototypes in the learners’ available vocabulary and their ELT textbooks would provide insights into the role prototypical word associations might play in vocabulary learning in formal contexts.