Abstract

The present study investigated the acquisition of L2 English memory verbs, memorize, remember, and recall, by Japanese learners within the framework of a lexical network. In the fields of psychology and cognitive science, the human memory has been conceptualized as consisting of three cognitive phases, namely input, retention, and output. In English, memorize and recall are used for the input and the output phases, respectively, while remember can be used across the three phases. In order to investigate the extent to which Japanese learners of English can appropriately make differential use of these verbs in relation to the above cognitive phases, a test called ”the Memory Verb Acceptability Judgment Test” was administered on 173 Japanese university students grouped into three proficiency levels. The results showed that while they were able to accept memorize and recall with high accuracy for the input and the output phases, respectively, they tended to accept remember primarily for the retention phase, failing to fully accept it in the remaining two phases. This tendency was observed even among those learners whose average length of stay in English-speaking countries was 5 years. It was also revealed that basic-level learners tended to over-generalize memorize for the retention phase. Based on the overall results, theoretical and pedagogical implications of the lexical network approach are discussed.

Suggested citation