Combining Contextual and Morphemic Cues Is Beneficial During Incidental Vocabulary Acquisition: Semantic Transparency in Novel Compound Word Processing

Abstract

In two studies, we investigated how skilled readers use contextual and morphemic information in the process of incidental vocabulary acquisition during reading. In Experiment 1, we monitored skilled readers’ eye movements while they silently read sentence pairs containing novel and known English compound words that were either semantically transparent (e.g., milkshake, drinkblend) or opaque (e.g., cocktail, deskdoor) in informative and neutral sentence contexts. In Experiment 2, we included a postreading vocabulary test following self‐paced reading, which allowed for an examination of word learning success. We found that readers showed processing time advantages for novel transparent compounds in informative contexts, when contextual and morphemic information converged on a meaning. Conversely, these readers showed processing time disadvantages for novel opaque compounds in informative contexts when contextual and morphemic information conflicted as to the interpretation of the novel compound. Postreading vocabulary test performance revealed that readers retained new word meanings after a single exposure, and retention rates were significantly improved as a result of combining contextual and morphemic cues. Further, readers spent more time reading sentences containing novel words for which they subsequently correctly identified the meaning of the novel word. The data suggest that skilled readers automatically decompose novel compound words, that readers’ ability to derive word meanings for novel English compounds is aided by pooling contextual and morphemic sources of information, and that readers’ monitoring of their comprehension when reading texts containing novel words leads to further gains in vocabulary knowledge.

The role of phonology in incidental vocabulary acquisition during silent reading

“…Processing difficulty beyond the initial encounter with an NH would suggest that readers maintain activation of a novel word's phonological code in working memory when inferring a meaning for that word, consistent with evidence that known words are held in phonological form for text integration and comprehension processes during skilled reading (e.g., Daneman & Carpenter, 1983;Daneman et al, 1995;Folk & Morris, 1995). Additionally, we expected to observe familiarity effects such that readers spend more time on novel words than known words, replicating previous findings (Brusnighan & Folk, 2012, Chaffin et al, 2001Lowell & Morris, 2014;Williams & Morris, 2004). …”

“…This study examines the role of phonological representations in the moment-to-moment processes involved in incidental vocabulary acquisition during silent reading and in the memory for novel word meaning and orthography after the reading session has ended. There is a growing body of evidence demonstrating that skilled adult readers use context to infer word meanings from text as they read (e.g., Brusnighan & Folk, 2012;Chaffin, Morris, & Seely, 2001;Frishkoff, Perfetti, & Collins-Thompson, 2010Pollatsek, Slattery, & Juhasz, 2008;Tekmen & Daloğlu, 2006;Williams & Morris, 2004). Chaffin et al (2001) monitored readers' eye movements as they read sentences that contained novel words, followed by context that provided information relevant to inferring meaning for the unknown word and found that readers spent more time on context that contained information that could be used to infer the meaning of a novel word compared to neutral context.…”

“…This work set the stage for looking at how readers use other lexical level information to establish a new lexical entry and infer a meaning for a new word. Brusnighan and Folk (2012) investigated how skilled readers use another word level variable, morphological information, to infer meaning when they encounter novel compound words during reading. They embedded novel compound words in context that either converged on a meaning consistent with the constituent words of a novel compound word (e.g., "drinkblend" in a context about a mixed drink) or for which the context pointed to a meaning different from that of the compound's constituent words (e.g., "deskdoor" in a context about a mixed drink).…”

The influence of graphotactic knowledge on adults’ learning of spelling

“…Such tasks are well suited to investigate the learning of spelling and vocabulary, and they allow strict control over how often participants see each item (Burt & Fury, 2000;Brusnighan & Folk, 2012;Nation, Angell, & Castles, 2007;Share, 2004). Most directly relevant to the present study is the study of Pacton et al (2013), in which French 9-year-olds were exposed to novel spellings in meaningful texts, without any instruction to remember the spellings.…”

Acquiring Foreign Language Vocabulary Through Meaningful Linguistic Context: Where is the Limit to Vocabulary Learning?

“…The use of linguistic context information and/or contextual cues for the identification of unfamiliar words in one's native language has been vastly explored; findings suggest that in instances when unfamiliar vocabulary appears, individuals are often able to accurately infer the meaning of the unknown word(s) based on the linguistic discourse cues which have been provided (Nagy et al 1987(Nagy et al , 1985. Furthermore, for learning unfamiliar words in the reader's L1 (i.e., primary language) from written context, individuals with a low degree of knowledge of the unfamiliar vocabulary are able to use linguistic information (i.e., contextual cues) from written text as a means to increase their L1 vocabulary knowledge (Nagy et al 1987(Nagy et al , 1985Tabossi 1988;Moore and Surber 1992;Prince 1996;Rodriguez and Sadoski 2000;Webb 2007a;Weber 2007b), a result which has been found for both children and adults (Bolger et al 2008;Brusnighan and Folk 2012;Cain 2007;Dockrell et al 2007;Gardner 2007;Marinellie and Kneile 2012). This is not to suggest that successful acquisition or identification of vocabulary will occur solely through the use of contextual cues.…”