Testing the Quality of Word Knowledge in a Second Language by Means of Word Associations: Types of Distractors and Types of Associations

The quality of word knowledge in a second language (L2) and the assessment of it is a growing field of interest. Read (1993) presented a test format that assesses the quality of word knowledge by means of word associations. The present study examined the development of the word knowledge of 2 groups of advanced learners of French as a L2 by means of a slightly revised version of this test format. Three aspects in particular were studied. First, there was the type of distractor most suited to the participants: distractors semantically related to the stimulus word versus semantically nonrelated distractors. Second, the role of the 3 types of associations was distinguished: paradigmatic, syntagmatic, and analytic. Third, the study linked qualitative aspects of word knowledge to quantitative aspects, by distinguishing 5 frequency ranges. The semantically related distractors were found to be more appropriate to assess the quality of word knowledge of advanced learners than the semantically nonrelated distractors. The participants showed a preference for paradigmatic responses, as expected. There was a relation between frequency and quality of knowledge: The more frequent a word, the better the knowledge of the tested aspects.