Does vocalization enhance L2 formulaic sequence learning?

Abstract

In foreign or second language (L2) classrooms, learners often vocalize when learning new words. Indeed, previous studies have demonstrated that vocalization is effective for memorization and this is called the production effect (PE). Furthermore, PE has been observed in the learning of L2 word meanings as well. However, whether this can be applied to larger language items is unknown. Thus, the present study tested the effect of vocalization on learning L2 formulaic sequence (FS), a sequence of words such as collocations. To achieve this, the participants in the present study learned 90 verb–noun collocations and were tested on recognition of their forms and meanings both immediately and one week after the learning session. The result showed that vocalization enhances learning of forms and meanings of L2 FSs, and this effect is persistent over a one-week delay. This implies that PE is not affected by the nature of learned items and can be applied to larger units including L2 FSs such as collocations.