Lexical strategies of advanced Chinese learners of English

This dissertation examines the use of lexical search strategies in the form of written translation from L1 into L2 by intermediate and advanced adult Chinese learners of English as a foreign language. Adopting think-aloud protocol and retrospective interviews as research methods to collect empirical data, all think-aloud protocols and retrospective data were recorded and transcribed in order to single out lexical strategies employed by Chinese learners of English at different proficiency levels. Variations of strategies between and within proficiency groups and individuals were processed statistically and the significance of the use of various lexical strategies was testified by means of referential statistics. The findings of the study make it possible to conclude that Chinese learners of English at different L2 proficiency levels may apply a combination of lexical search strategies, but preferences of lexical strategies exist among individuals and within linguistic proficiency groups. The teaching implications elicited in the study may be helpful for searching words in the learner’s mental lexicon.