Learning Concrete and Abstract Novel Words in Emotional Contexts: Evidence from Incidental Vocabulary Learning

ABSTRACT

This study investigates the role of emotional linguistic input in learning novel words with abstract and concrete denotations. It is widely accepted that concrete words are processed more easily than abstract ones. Several theories of vocabulary acquisition additionally propose a critical role of sensorimotor and emotional information during novel word learning. In this study, proficient adult speakers of English read novel words denoting concrete and abstract words (e.g. boat vs religion) embedded in informative passages with different emotional valence (positive, neutral, and negative). After five exposures to each novel word in an emotionally consistent context, participants were tested on orthographic and semantic vocabulary learning, and provided valence judgments of these novel words. A concreteness advantage was seen in both tasks measuring semantic learning. Critically, valence of linguistic contexts was more influential for novel words with concrete denotations. In line with previous reports, the transfer of context emotionality to novel words (i.e. semantic prosody) took place in concrete stimuli but it was not found in abstract stimuli, even though both were embedded in emotional contexts. An equal advantage was seen for semantic learning of novel words with both concrete and abstract denotations seen in positive contexts. These findings provide support for weak embodied theories of cognition, which propose experiential and linguistic information as critical for concrete and abstract novel word learning.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Supplemental data

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/15475441.2023.2246438

Additional information

Funding

Nadia Lana’s contribution was supported by Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Partnership Training Grant 895-2016-1008 (Libben, PI). Victor Kuperman’s contribution was partially supported by the Canada Research Chair http://www.chairs-chaires.gc.ca/program-programme/index-eng.aspx (Tier 2; Kuperman, PI), the Canada Foundation for Innovation Leaders Opportunity Fund https://www.innovation.ca/about/news/leaders-opportunity-fund (Kuperman, PI), and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Partnership Training Grant 895-2016-1008 (Libben, PI). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Kind acknowledgments are due to Bryor Snefjella for a discussion of the concept of the study. Thanks also due to the audience of the Words in World International Conference, 2020.