Chen Zhuo, Fang Nan
Department of General Courses, Guangzhou Panyu Polytechnic, Guangzhou, China.
School of Foreign Studies, Shaoguan University, Shaoguan, China.
Front Psychol. 2024 Sep 9;15:1425856. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1425856. eCollection 2024.
Binomials have been relatively understudied compared to other types of multiword expressions (MWEs) in second language research, such as collocations and idioms. This study investigated English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners' processing of English binomials and how it is influenced by interlexical factors (L1-L2 congruency and L1-lexicalization) and intralexical factors (word and binomial frequency, binomial reversibility, and binomial predictability). Forty Chinese EFL learners participated in a phrase acceptability judgment task of 64 target binomials (16 congruent L1-lexicalized, 16 congruent L1-nonlexicalized, and 32 incongruent) and 64 non-binomial controls. Results revealed that learners experienced difficulty judging the formulaicity of binomials. They processed binomial stimuli significantly faster than non-binomial baselines, demonstrating a binomial phrase effect. They also processed L1-L2 congruent items faster and more accurately than incongruent items, showing a robust congruency effect. The congruent items which are lexicalized in the L1 showed further processing advantage than the non-lexicalized items, indicating a graded congruency effect. Moreover, binomial reversibility and binomial predictability (measured with cloze probability) also showed significant effects. These findings highlight the need to distinguish and investigate different types of congruency, explore appropriate measures for MWE predictability, and to examine binomials focusing on their unique features.
与第二语言研究中的其他类型的多词表达式（MWE），如搭配和习语相比，二项式受到的研究相对较少。本研究调查了作为外语（EFL）的英语学习者对英语二项式的处理方式，以及它如何受到词间因素（第一语言 - 第二语言一致性和第一语言词汇化）和词内因素（单词和二项式频率、二项式可逆性和二项式可预测性）的影响。40名中国英语学习者参与了一项短语可接受性判断任务，该任务包括64个目标二项式（16个一致的第一语言词汇化、16个一致的第一语言非词汇化和32个不一致的）和64个非二项式对照。结果显示，学习者在判断二项式的公式化方面存在困难。他们处理二项式刺激的速度明显快于非二项式基线，表现出二项式短语效应。他们处理第一语言 - 第二语言一致的项目也比不一致的项目更快、更准确，显示出强大的一致性效应。在第一语言中词汇化的一致项目比非词汇化项目显示出进一步的处理优势，表明存在分级一致性效应。此外，二项式可逆性和二项式可预测性（用完形填空概率衡量）也显示出显著影响。这些发现强调了区分和研究不同类型一致性的必要性，探索适用于多词表达式可预测性的措施，以及关注二项式独特特征的研究。
