Dimensions of Lexical Mastery and Their Relationships with Listening and Reading Proficiency Among Beginner‐to‐Low‐Intermediate Learners of French

Abstract

Abstract The extent to which lexical mastery consists of interrelated types of lexical knowledge has been widely discussed. Yet, few studies have explored whether the lexical dimensions of knowledge and processing are relatively independent or investigated how these two dimensions contribute to listening and reading among beginner‐to‐low‐intermediate learners of languages other than English. Acknowledging these gaps, our study examines the extent to which lexical knowledge and processing are relatively independent and predict listening and reading scores. Two hundred eighteen beginner‐to‐low‐intermediate adolescent learners of French completed tests yielding measures of high‐frequency lexical knowledge (meaning recognition, form recognition, and form recall); lexical processing (speed, stability, and automaticity of word recognition); and listening and reading proficiency. Results suggested lexical knowledge and processing were relatively independent at this stage of proficiency. Furthermore, lexical knowledge (but not processing) was found to strongly predict listening and reading scores. These findings underline the importance of high‐frequency vocabulary at these early stages.