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Second Language Lexical Knowledge and Listening Comprehension
Abstract
This study investigates the interaction between lexical knowledge and listening comprehension in a second language. Fifty-nine Japanese university students of low-intermediate to advanced English ability were tested using first-language recall protocols as comprehension measures, and dictation as measures of lexical familiarity on four texts of increasing amounts of low-frequency lexical words. Comprehension correlated with text-lexis familiarity at .45; acceptable comprehension levels were significantly associated with higher text-lexis familiarity; good comprehension seldom occurred with text-lexis familiarity levels lower than 75 percent, but occurred frequently at 90+ percent levels. This pattern was observed equally for learners of high, middle, or low second-language listening proficiency. It is concluded that efficient listening strategies may make comprehending lexically complex texts possible, but most learners seem to need very high lexical familiarity for good comprehension.
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“It was found that learners with 95% lexical coverage achieved better listening comprehension.”
From The Vocabulary Knowledge of Saudi EFL Tertiary Students (2019) · cites this paper as Bonk (2000)
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Metadata
- Authors
- Bonk, W. J.
- Affiliations
- Kanda University of International Studies (JP)
- Corresponding author
- Bonk, William J.
- Venue
- International Journal of Listening
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2000-01
- Volume
- 14
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 14-31
- ISSN
- 1090-4018 (ISSN-L)
- 1932-586X
- OpenAlex
- W1968246618
- Cited by
- 206
- References
- 32
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 16 · 2021: 21 · 2020: 12 · 2019: 15 · 2018: 17 · 2017: 15 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 20 · 2014: 9 · 2013: 6 · 2012: 7
- FWCI
- 0.70
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- International Journal of Listening (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Second Language Acquisition and Learning
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Language and Linguistics › EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Reading and Literacy Development
- Keywords
- second language listening comprehension, vocabulary knowledge, word familiarity, low-frequency vocabulary, Japanese learners of English, listening strategies, dictation
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