Xu Yingying, Yu Yang
English Department, School of Foreign Languages, Dalian Maritime University, Dalian 116026, China.
Behav Sci (Basel). 2025 May 26;15(6):734. doi: 10.3390/bs15060734.
The present study investigates the effects of token frequency, type frequency, and constituency on L2 compositional multiword sequence (CMS) processing among 60 Chinese L2 English speakers at two proficiency levels, using an online phrasal decision task. The findings reveal the following: (1) Both proficiency groups exhibited a significant token frequency effect in their L2 phrasal and non-phrasal CMS processing, indicating that both sequence types hold psychological reality in L2 learners' mental representations. (2) The type frequency effect was observed in the higher-proficiency groups' processing of phrasal and non-phrasal CMSs with low token frequencies, yet it was more pronounced in the less proficient group's processing of phrasal and non-phrasal CMSs with high token frequencies, indicating that the effect of type frequency operates on a gradient continuum rather than being strictly categorical. (3) Constituency emerged as a robust predictor of processing efficiency, with phrasal CMSs being processed more efficiently than their non-phrasal counterparts across nearly all frequency conditions and proficiency levels. This consistent advantage for phrasal structures underscores the fundamental role of structural integrity in L2 CMS processing. These findings contribute novel insights into the mechanisms underlying L2 CMS processing, while also offering practical pedagogical implications for enhancing L2 CMS acquisition.
本研究使用在线短语判断任务，调查了词元频率、词型频率和成分对60名具有两种熟练程度水平的汉语母语二语学习者学习英语的第二语言组合多词序列（CMS）加工的影响。研究结果如下：（1）两个熟练程度组在其二语短语和非短语CMS加工中均表现出显著的词元频率效应，这表明两种序列类型在二语学习者的心理表征中都具有心理现实性。（2）在低词元频率的短语和非短语CMS加工中，较高熟练程度组观察到了词型频率效应，但在高词元频率的短语和非短语CMS加工中，较低熟练程度组的词型频率效应更为明显，这表明词型频率效应在一个渐变连续体上起作用，而不是严格的分类作用。（3）成分成为加工效率的一个有力预测指标，在几乎所有频率条件和熟练程度水平下，短语CMS的加工效率都高于非短语CMS。短语结构的这种一致优势凸显了结构完整性在二语CMS加工中的基本作用。这些发现为二语CMS加工的潜在机制提供了新的见解，同时也为提高二语CMS习得提供了实际的教学启示。
