To become fluent in a second language, learners need to acquire a large vocabulary. However, the cognitive and affective mechanisms that support word learning, particularly among second language learners, are only beginning to be understood. Prior research has focused on intentional learning and small artificial lexicons. In the current study investigating the sources of individual variability in word learning and their underlying mechanisms, participants intentionally and incidentally learned a large vocabulary of Welsh words (i.e., emulating word learning in the wild) and completed a large battery of cognitive and affective measures. The results showed that, for both learning conditions, native language knowledge, auditory/phonological abilities and orthographic sensitivity all made unique contributions to word learning. Importantly, short-term/working memory played a significantly larger role in intentional learning. We discuss these results in the context of the mechanisms that support both native and non-native language learning.

中文翻译：

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语言的耳朵和眼睛：第二语言单词学习的机制

为了流利地使用第二语言，学习者需要获得大量的词汇。然而，支持单词学习的认知和情感机制，特别是在第二语言学习者中，才刚刚开始被理解。先前的研究集中在有意学习和小型人工词典上。在当前研究单词学习中个体差异的来源及其潜在机制的研究中，参与者有意无意地学习了大量的威尔士单词词汇（即在野外模仿单词学习）并完成了大量的认知和情感测量。结果表明，在两种学习条件下，母语知识、听觉/语音能力和正字法敏感性都对单词学习做出了独特的贡献。重要的，短期/工作记忆在有意学习中发挥了更大的作用。我们在支持母语和非母语学习的机制的背景下讨论这些结果。