The impact of cross-linguistic orthographic similarity in incidental and intentional second language learning

Abstract

Cross-linguistic orthographic similarity, whether the combination and position of letters within words conform to native language spelling rules, plays an important role in foreign language learning. Very little is known, however, about the effect of cross-linguistic orthographic similarity in different learning contexts. The current research, therefore, examines this with participants learning Welsh (Study 1) and Polish (Study 2) through incidental and intentional learning tasks before completing meaning recall and translation recognition tasks. Cross-linguistic orthographic similarity was measured using the innovative comparative judgement approach. Using mixed-effects models, both studies revealed robust effects of both cross-linguistic orthographic similarity and learning contexts. Crucially, the data showed very little learning for cross-linguistically dissimilar words, especially in the incidental learning context, with implications for teaching and learning: These words will need to be included in intentional learning activities to increase their chance of uptake.