BETWEEN BILINGUALISM AND MULTILINGUALISM: DETERMINANTS OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE VOCABULARY ACQUISITION

• Main Author: TENGKU NUR NABILA, TENGKU AHMAD DANDARAWI
• Format: Final Year Project Report
• Language: English
• Published: Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, (UNIMAS) 2020
• Subjects: PN Literature (General)
• Online Access: http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/34756/3/Tengku%20Nur%20Nabila.pdf; http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/34756/

A total of 44 undergraduates who belong to 2 groups of bilinguals and multi-linguals were compared their foreign language (FL) vocabulary size and foreign language learning motivation to examine the factors that affect learners‟ FL performance. Both groups are undergraduates who were taking 2nd level Mandarin or Japanese as one of their courses. 2 diagnostics test were conducted to determine learners‟ L2 proficiency, followed by a foreign language vocabulary test, and a motivation inventory to observe motivational factors of FL learners in learning foreign languages in an academic setting. The influence of initial proficiency in English on undergraduates‟ FL vocabulary level was found. Correlation between motivation factors (eMpowerment, Usefulness, Success, Interest, & Caring) varies in Mandarin group and Japanese group. The results attained established the importance of L2/L3 basic proficiency, a sense of control over classroom contents and environment, and the interest level for the course in nonverbal performance. Given the insufficient number of participants, it was difficult to verify whether bilingualism and multilingualism determine learners‟ FL vocabulary level.