چکیده:
The efficacy of lexical learning stategies is constrained by those foreign language word which are deeply ingrained in the sociocultural aspects of the target language. According to Meara (1993), the idiosyncratic conceptual overtones of these words may produce gaps in lexical knowledge where mother tongue cannot provide the proper kind of data base required for L2 lexical processing (cf. Schmitt and McCarthy, 1997). This limitation has been the focus of interest in the present study. One group of novice and two groups of fluent EFL learners (Group A and Group B) were exposed to a number of forward and backward core/none-core translation tests. The resultant mean translation latencies and reaction time (RT) differences revealed that these learners employed common memory representations for decoding and encoding L2 words (cf. Chen & Leung, 1989 and Kroll and Crulley, 1988).
forward and backward core vocabulary translation tests. However, these learners performed differently on the tests including none-core stimulus words. Interestingly, the novice learners totally failed to process such words for the reason that their conceptual system had not been restructured and/ or modified to accommodate the lexical items not sharing the same criteral features as those of LI words (Carter, 1998). Although fluent groups performed considerably better on these tests, their performance showed a marked translation asymmetry for the change in the direction of translation. In other words, these subjects took significantly longer to translate from LI to L2 than from L2 to LI. Kroll and Stewart (1994) suggest that forward translation requires a grester porocessing effort since it involves both lexical association and conceptual mediation. Only group A fluent learners received a fall term experimental treatment during which they were helped to increase the size of their Irxical knowledge by redescribing their conceptual system (Karmiloff-smith, 1994). The results of the relared post-tests demosterated a remarkable decrease in translation asymmetty-a sign supporting the effectiveness of metalinguistic awareness. Overall, the subjects examined in the study indicated that the limits evoked by the conceptual demands of specific L2 words are for real and that their consideration can provide insightful implication for both syllabus theorists and practioners to satisfy what Lewis (1993) calls the contribution of lexis to syllabus component.