ePrints

What's in a word? Morphological awareness and vocabulary knowledge in three languages

Lookup NU author(s): Professor Stephanie Stokes

Downloads

• Published version [.pdf]

Abstract

Understanding how words are created is potentially a key component to being able to learn and understand new vocabulary words. However, research on morphological awareness is relatively rare. In this study, over 660 preschool-aged children from three language groups (Cantonese, Mandarin, and Korean speakers) in which compounding morphology is highly prevalent were tested on their abilities to manipulate familiar morphemes to create novel compound words as well as on a variety of early language and reasoning measures twice over the span of 9 months to 1 year. With Time 1 vocabulary knowledge, phonological processing, and reasoning skills controlled, morphological awareness predicted unique variance in Time 2 vocabulary knowledge across languages. Across languages, vocabulary knowledge also predicted unique variance in subsequent morphological awareness, with Time I morphological awareness controlled. Findings underscore the bidirectional bootstrapping of morphological awareness and vocabulary acquisition for languages in which lexical compounding is prominent, and suggest that morphological awareness may be practically important in predicting and fostering children's early vocabulary learning.

Publication metadata

Author(s): McBride-Chang C, Tardif T, Cho JR, Shu H, Fletcher P, Stokes SF, Wong A, Leung K

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Applied Psycholinguistics

Year: 2008

Volume: 29

Issue: 3

Pages: 437-462

Date deposited: 25/02/2011

ISSN (print): 0142-7164

ISSN (electronic): 1469-1817

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S014271640808020X

DOI: 10.1017/S014271640808020X

Altmetrics

Share