Frequency, Meaningfulness, Individual Differences, and Processing of L2 Multiword Sequences

Aims: This study investigated the roles of frequency, chunk meaningfulness, and individual differences in cognitive abilities (i.e., working memory and declarative memory) in processing three different types of L2 multiword sequences. Methodology: A phrasal decision task was administered to 23 bilingual speakers of English with idiomatic expressions, compositional phrases, and fragments as critical stimuli. In addition, the participants completed two memory tests: the operation span task and the continuous visual memory task. Data and analysis: The response time results were analyzed using a linear mixed-effects model. Findings: Results showed that L2 speakers demonstrated sensitivity to whole-string frequencies across all item types. However, the findings suggest that their sensitivity to chunk meaningfulness may vary across item types, with meaningfulness effects observed for idioms and fragments but not for compositional phrases. In addition, while working memory did not play a significant role in L2 speakers’ processing of multiword sequences, declarative memory was found to facilitate processing speed for compositional phrases only. Originality: This is the first study investigating the role of meaning in multiword processing among advanced bilinguals. It also examines the influence of individual cognitive differences, such as working memory and declarative memory, which have received little attention in previous research. Implications: Extending the earlier findings related to native language, the current findings highlight the significant influence of both frequency and meaning on the acquisition and processing of L2 multiword sequences. These results are largely consistent with usage-based and construction-based approaches.