Exploring L2 Mental Lexical Network And Word Selection Of Collocation In C-E Translation: A Correlational Study Based On L2 Proficiency Levels

This thesis is a descriptive empirical study from the perspective of cognitive psychology. The aim of the study is to reveal the correlation between EFL learners'L2 mental lexical network and word selection in C-E translation of collocation based on L2 proficiency levels. The author first reviewed the relevant studies on the research method of mental lexicon (WAT), semantic network theory and L2 lexical development and organization in mental lexicon, and then focused on relevant studies and theories of lexical selection.On the basis of the two lexical selection mechanisms (spreading activation theory and inhibitory control mechanism), the author proposed the"non specific/ target word hypothesis"in word selection, that is, during the spreading activation of multiple semantically related words, unwanted competitors are inhibited and finally the target word is filtered out for selection. Then the author, by introducing the information processing of translation, formed the theoretical framework for this study. The hypothesis of the study is that with the increase of L2 proficiency, semantic network in EFL learners'L2 mental lexicon becomes more mature and developed, which helps increase word selection efficiency in C-E translation of word in collocation.Three general research questions are addressed as follows1. Are there any differences in the L2 mental lexical network of Chinese EFL learners with different proficiency levels? If yes, how might the differences in semantic network development be described?2. Does the word selection efficiency in C-E translation of collocation tend to increase as L2 proficiency improves? If yes, how might the differences be described in terms of the word selection speed, accuracy and features?3. Is there any correlation between the L2 mental lexicon (semantic network) and word selection in C-E translation of collocation? If yes, to what degree are semantic links related to word selection in collocation? The 60 participants in this study were selected from English majors of the foreign language college: the top 30 juniors (TEM 4 score as the criteria) and the bottom 30 freshmen (NEMT score as the criteria), who represent two levels of English proficiency: the high proficiency and the low proficiency. The instrument is a guided word association test and a C-E translation test of word in collocation. The former was conducted in written form in class hours; the latter was carried out on computers and the pre-designed program calculated RT (the reaction time) and recorded the answers automatically.Analysis of the two tests yielded the following major findings:1. There is a significant difference in the L2 mental lexical network of Chinese EFL learners with different proficiency levels, that is, the semantic network becomes more developed and mature with the increase of L2 proficiency of the English learners. To be more specific, high proficiency learners establish a developed semantic network with richer paradigmatic links and more restricted or authentic collocational associations in the syntagmatic level. On the contrary, low proficiency learners bear underdeveloped and modest semantic links in L2 mental lexicon with poor paradigmatic links and less authentic collocational links.2. Word selection efficiency in C-E translation of collocation tends to increase as the learners'L2 proficiency improves. High proficiency learners tend to select more accurate and authentic word in collocation at a higher speed; Low proficiency learners, by contrast, select less accurate or authentic word in collocation at a lower speed, and are more prone to resort to its hyponyms and near-synonyms for substitution or simply use its translation equivalents.3. The organization of L2 mental lexicon is significantly correlated with word selection efficiency in C-E translation of collocation, that is, the more developed and mature the semantic network in L2 mental lexicon is, the higher speed and accuracy learners have in word selection of collocation. On the one hand, more semantically related words (candidate words) can be activated in semantic network with tighter interconnected semantic links (both paradigmatic and syntagmatic), which further render the activation spread quickly and smoothly into mental lexicon; On the other hand, the more restricted or authentic collocational links in the syntagmatic level in mental lexicon can help learners inhibit unwanted words or filter the activated distracters, which quickens up or facilitates the word selection in collocation and guarantees the authenticity of the collocation. Moreover, the target word can be selected almost automatically as to some highly restricted collocation.The above findings were discussed from the perspective of the developmental pattern in L2 mental lexicon, semantic network representation, and the activation- inhibition mechanism of lexical selection under the cognitive information process of translation. Based on the findings, the author tentatively puts forward a model, in an attempt to conceptualize the cognitive process of word selection in C-E translation of collocation from the perspective of cognitive memory system.Finally, implications for teaching and L2 vocabulary acquisition were elaborated, such as the focus on the development of semantic network in L2 mental lexicon, the reorganization of L2 mental lexicon by semantic links and synonym teaching from the perspective of selection restriction. In addition, some limitations of this study were pointed out and recommendations for future related studies on L2 mental lexicon were also proposed.