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Collocational processing in light of the phraseological continuum model : Does semantic transparency matter?

Gyllstad, Henrik LU and Wolter, Brent (2016) In Language Learning 66(2). p.296-323
Abstract
The present study investigates whether two types of word combinations (free combinations and collocations) differ in terms of processing by testing Howarth's Continuum Model based on word combination typologies from a phraseological tradition. A visual semantic judgment task was administered to advanced Swedish learners of English (n = 27) and native English-speaking controls (n = 38). Reaction times and error rates were recorded for free combinations, collocations, and baseline items. There was a processing cost for collocations compared to free combinations, for both groups of participants. This cost likely stems from the semantically semi-transparent nature of collocations as they are defined in the phraseological tradition.... (More)
The present study investigates whether two types of word combinations (free combinations and collocations) differ in terms of processing by testing Howarth's Continuum Model based on word combination typologies from a phraseological tradition. A visual semantic judgment task was administered to advanced Swedish learners of English (n = 27) and native English-speaking controls (n = 38). Reaction times and error rates were recorded for free combinations, collocations, and baseline items. There was a processing cost for collocations compared to free combinations, for both groups of participants. This cost likely stems from the semantically semi-transparent nature of collocations as they are defined in the phraseological tradition. Furthermore, phrasal frequency based on corpus values also predicted reaction times. These results lend initial support to the Continuum Model from a processing perspective and suggest that degree of semantic transparency together with phrasal frequency plays an important role in collocational processing. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
collocation, free combination, phraseology, advanced learners, second language
in
Language Learning
volume
66
issue
2
pages
28 pages
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
external identifiers
  • scopus:84963811468
  • wos:000374760900002
ISSN
1467-9922
DOI
10.1111/lang.12143
project
Phraseological Processing and Representation in a Second Language
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
67fed626-ec9b-45dc-89e6-2edad9fd5fe6 (old id 5050646)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 09:55:40
date last changed
2022-04-27 08:41:04
@article{67fed626-ec9b-45dc-89e6-2edad9fd5fe6,
  abstract     = {{The present study investigates whether two types of word combinations (free combinations and collocations) differ in terms of processing by testing Howarth's Continuum Model based on word combination typologies from a phraseological tradition. A visual semantic judgment task was administered to advanced Swedish learners of English (n = 27) and native English-speaking controls (n = 38). Reaction times and error rates were recorded for free combinations, collocations, and baseline items. There was a processing cost for collocations compared to free combinations, for both groups of participants. This cost likely stems from the semantically semi-transparent nature of collocations as they are defined in the phraseological tradition. Furthermore, phrasal frequency based on corpus values also predicted reaction times. These results lend initial support to the Continuum Model from a processing perspective and suggest that degree of semantic transparency together with phrasal frequency plays an important role in collocational processing.}},
  author       = {{Gyllstad, Henrik and Wolter, Brent}},
  issn         = {{1467-9922}},
  keywords     = {{collocation; free combination; phraseology; advanced learners; second language}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{04}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{296--323}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
  series       = {{Language Learning}},
  title        = {{Collocational processing in light of the phraseological continuum model : Does semantic transparency matter?}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/lang.12143}},
  doi          = {{10.1111/lang.12143}},
  volume       = {{66}},
  year         = {{2016}},
}