The Development of Lexical Organization in Chinese EFL learners at Tertiary Level

Abstract

This study aims to explore the development of L2 lexical organization through a word association test on the part of 200 Chinese EFL learners at tertiary level. The general developmental pattern is that the subjects at higher learning stages produce more semantic associations than those at lower learning stages. The syntagmatic-paradigmatic shift, however, is not detected in this study. The associations also evince the mediation and interference of L1 semantic system and the deviation of L2 lexical organization from that of L1. The results and the implications are discussed from the perspectives of depth of vocabulary knowledge, the importance of overcoming the L1 semantic mediation and constructing a well-structured mental lexicon.