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This study investigated the effects of the collocational frequency, word frequency, and L2 proficiency on L2 collocational processing. Fifty-six Korean learners of English, divided into non-advanced and advanced levels, performed an acceptability judgment task with three types of adjective-noun combinations: high frequency collocations, low frequency collocations, and baseline items. Response times were analyzed using linear mixed-effect modeling. Results showed both groups were sensitive to collocation frequency. Reaction times differed significantly from baseline items, with high frequency collocations yielding shorter times than low frequency ones. However, individual word frequency did not significantly impact reaction times. The lack of impact of word frequency on reaction times suggests, as argued in usage-based approach, that collocations hold an independent status in the mental lexicon. The observed frequency sensitivity also challenges the view that L2 speakers process collocations differently from L1 speakers and are not attuned to collocation frequency information.
Sung-A Kim (Wed,) studied this question.