The Role of Linguistic Transfer in Verb-Noun Collocations on the Example of Authentic Maritime Texts
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15291/csi.5077Keywords:
foreign language teaching, language transfer, Maritime English, meaning transfer, verb-noun collocationsAbstract
This paper explores the role of foreign language proficiency and meaning transfer from the first language (L1, Croatian) to the second language (L2, English) among Maritime English students . The study informants were asked to evaluate the acceptability of verb-noun (VN) collocations presented in authentic maritime context by means of a lexical decision task. The task included 18 L2 collocations presented under three separate conditions: daJ1 (acceptable in L1) , daJ2 (acceptable in L2) , and neJ1/J2 (unacceptable in both languages) . To assess L2 language proficiency, an online LexTALE test was used that estimates the overall vocabulary knowledge of English. Results show that the expressions existing in Croatian were rated more often as acceptable, suggesting that meaning transfer from the first language is frequently used as a learning strategy for collocations. However, the Pearson correlation test revealed a weak to moderate positive relationship between success on the LexTALE test and correct responses on the lexical decision task, suggesting that the use of L1 transfer as a learning strategy is not dictated by the level of L2 language proficiency . The students with higher knowledge of English applied other strategies such as guessing from the context, while those with lower proficiency relied more on L1 transfer as a supportive strategy. This suggests that the connection between L2 proficiency and successful recognition of L2 collocations was confirmed, which has implications for improving vocabulary teaching methodology in the field of LSP (Languages for Specific Purposes). This research contributes to theoretical insights on language transfer and practical knowledge for improving vocabulary instruction in specialised fields such as the maritime profession, where precise and functional knowledge of technical vocabulary is crucial for professional communication.
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