Second Language Acquisition of Contextual Emotion and Its Effects on Novel Word Learning From Reading Across Contexts

Abstract By manipulating lexical contextual emotion (positive vs. neutral vs.negative) and reading context (reading the same text repeatedly vs. reading different texts), this study examined whether Chinese learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) could acquire lexical contextual emotion (i.e., semantic prosody) associated with novel pseudowords. The study involved a reading‐and‐learning session followed by immediate and delayed posttests designed to investigate such acquisition and its effects on novel word learning across reading contexts. Results of mixed‐effects modeling indicate that (a) EFL learners were able to acquire lexical contextual emotion and maintain it over time, (b) positive contextual emotion facilitated better word learning than neutral and negative contextual emotions, (c) reading context had a significant effect on word meaning recall but not on contextual emotion acquisition, and (d) language proficiency exerted a modulating effect. Divergences from prior findings are addressed, and theoretical and pedagogical implications are discussed.