Journals / Bartın Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi / 2026 / Volume: 14 Issue: 3

A Case Study on Semantic Transfer in Foreign Language Vocabulary Acquisition: Turkish First-Year ELT Students

Yabancı Dil Kelime Ediniminde Semantik Aktarım Durum Çalışması: Türk İngilizce Öğretmenliği 1. Sınıf Öğrencileri

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2025-07-31
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

Overall, the study contributes to the understanding of the function of context in L2 vocabulary acquisition and the impact of L1 on L2 vocabulary learning.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

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Objective & Hypothesis:This study aimed to explore if learners of a second language (L2) transfer second language (L2) lexical components onto the present semantic content of their first language (L1) interpretations, as well as the role of context in this transfer.
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Key Findings & Data:Forty-five native Turkish-speaking first-year students from an English Language Teaching (ELT) Department with a B2 level of English at a Turkish foundation university participated in this study.
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Conclusion & Impact:Overall, the study contributes to the understanding of the function of context in L2 vocabulary acquisition and the impact of L1 on L2 vocabulary learning.
🔬Design:Research Article
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:semantic transfer · second language acquisition · English language teaching

Abstract

This study aimed to explore if learners of a second language (L2) transfer second language (L2) lexical components onto the present semantic content of their first language (L1) interpretations, as well as the role of context in this transfer. Forty-five native Turkish-speaking first-year students from an English Language Teaching (ELT) Department with a B2 level of English at a Turkish foundation university participated in this study. Data were collected through the Semantic Transfer Test. The study's findings showed that Turkish EFL adult learners tend to transfer semantic information from their L1s to L2s when learning L2 vocabulary. This was evident in the participants' responses to the vocabulary test, where they tended to choose L2 words that shared semantic relations with their L1 counterparts. On the other hand, the transfer is weaker when context support is given. These results have important pedagogical implications for teaching L2 vocabulary to Turkish EFL adults. Teachers should focus on providing contextual information to help reduce the degree of semantic transfer from the learners' L1s to their L2s. Overall, the study contributes to the understanding of the function of context in L2 vocabulary acquisition and the impact of L1 on L2 vocabulary learning.

Özet

Bu çalışmanın amacı, ikinci dil öğrenenlerin ikinci dil sözcük bileşenlerini birinci dil yorumlarının mevcut anlamsal içeriğine aktarıp aktarmadıklarını ve bu aktarıma bağlamın etkisini araştırmaktır. Bu çalışmaya bir Türk vakıf üniversitesinde İngilizce Öğretmenliği Lisans eğitimi alan ve B2 İngilizce dil seviyesine sahip, ana dili Türkçe olan kırk beş birinci sınıf öğrencisi katılmıştır. Veriler, Semantik Aktarım Testi ile toplanmıştır. Çalışmanın sonucunda, yabancı dil olarak İngilizce öğrenen yetişkin Türk öğrencilerinin, ikinci dil kelime dağarcığını öğrenirken semantik bilgiyi birinci dillerinden aktarma eğiliminde olduklarını gösterdi. Bununla birlikte, bağlam mevcut olduğunda bu aktarımın azaldığı görüldü. Çalışmanın sonuçları ışığında yabancı dilde kelime öğretimi için pedagojik çıakrımlar vurgulanmıştır. İngiliz dili eğitimi öğretmenleri öğrencilerinin yabancı dil kelime dağarcıklarını geliştirmeye çalışırken öğrencilerin birinci dillerinden ikinci dillerine semantik aktarım derecesini azaltmaya yardımcı olmak için bağlamsal bilgi sağlamaya odaklanmalıdır. Genel olarak buçalışma, ikinci dil kelime ediniminde bağlamın işlevinin ve ikinci dil kelime öğrenimi üzerindeki ana dilin etkisinin anlaşılmasına katkıda bulunmaktadır.

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Cite This Article

Erdoğan, K. (. (2025). A Case Study on Semantic Transfer in Foreign Language Vocabulary Acquisition: Turkish First-Year ELT Students. Bartın Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, Volume: 14 Issue: 3. https://ajindex.com/articles/1121754

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