Cognates in Foreign Language Learning: A Cognitive and Linguodidactic Perspective
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18662/rrem/17.2/972Keywords:
cognates, priming effect, linguodidactics, mental lexicon, cross-linguistic transfer, writing systemsAbstract
This theoretical study offers a conceptual framework grounded in empirical literature to examine the cognitive and linguodidactic potential of cognates in foreign language learning. Focusing on languages with both similar and distinct writing systems, the paper explores how cognates – words sharing etymological roots and forms – facilitate vocabulary acquisition by activating prior knowledge and promoting cross-linguistic transfer. In today's multilingual education, recognizing and systematically leveraging linguistic similarities between languages, particularly cognates, is essential for promoting language mastery. This study aims to guide readers in understanding how such similarities can be integrated into language teaching to reduce cognitive load and enhance learning outcomes.
Central to this process is the priming effect, a key psycholinguistic mechanism that enhances mental lexicon activation and word recognition. While benefits such as accelerated vocabulary development are highlighted, challenges like false cognates are reframed as opportunities for fostering metacognitive awareness and refining learning strategies. Special attention is given to innovative approaches, including AI-assisted tools and associative techniques, aimed at maximizing the advantages of cognates in diverse linguistic contexts. The study does not present original experimental data but synthesizes and builds upon existing research to bridge cognitive theory with didactic practice. It raises open questions regarding the long-term role of cognates in bilingual development and the integration of technology into language learning. Ultimately, the article contributes to advancing multilingual education by offering insights into cross-linguistic learning strategies and proposing directions for future inquiry.
References
Apeltauer, E. (1997). Grundlagen des Erst- und Zweitspracherwerbs. Langenscheidt.
Bialystok, E. (2009). Bilingualism: The Good, the Bad, and the Indifferent. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 12(1), 3–11. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1366728908003477.
Champ, N. (2014). Gairaigo in Japanese foreign language learning: A tool for native English speakers? New Voices in Japanese Studies, 6, 117–143. http://dx.doi.org/10.21159/nv.06.05
Costa, A., Caramazza, A., & Sebastian-Galles, N. (2000). The cognate facilitation effect: Implications for models of lexical access. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 26(5), 1283–1296. https://doi.org/10.1037/0278-7393.26.5.1283
Crystal, D. (2012). English as a global language (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Cummins, J. (1981). The role of primary language development in promoting educational success for language minority students. In California State Department of Education (Ed.), Schooling and language minority students: A theoretical framework (pp. 3–49). Los Angeles: Evaluation, Dissemination, and Assessment Center.
Daulton, F. E. (2008). Japan's built-in lexicon of English-based loanwords (Vol. 26). Multilingual Matters.
Dijkstra, T., Miwa, K., Brummelhuis, B., Sappelli, M., & Baayen, H. (2010). How cross-language similarity and task demands affect cognate recognition. Journal of Memory and Language, 62(3), 284–301. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jml.2009.12.003.
Fries, C. C. (1945). Teaching and learning English as a foreign language. University of Michigan Press.
Gass, S. M., & Selinker, L. (1992). Second language acquisition: An introductory course. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Grekova, O. K. (2023). Integrative and associative methods for teaching the vocabulary of language for different majors. Education & Pedagogy Journal, 1(5), 61–81. https://doi.org/10.23951/2782-2575-2023-1-61-81.
Guediche, S. A., Li, S., & Sharma, M. (2020). Speech perception under adverse conditions: Insights from behavioral, computational, and neuroscience research. Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience, 7, 126. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnsys.2013.00126.
Herdina, P., & Jessner, U. (2002). A dynamic model of multilingualism: Perspectives of change in psycholinguistics. Multilingual Matters.
Jegede, O. O. (2024). Artificial Intelligence and English Language Learning: Exploring the Roles of AI-Driven Tools in Personalizing Learning and Providing Instant Feedback. 01(02), 06–19. https://doi.org/10.70315/uloap.ullli.2024.0102002
Jessner, U. (2008). A DST model of multilingualism and the role of metalinguistic awareness. The Modern Language Journal, 92(2), 270–283. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.2008.00718.x
Köbler, G. (1995). Deutsches Etymologisches Wörterbuch. http://www.koeblergerhard.de/derwbhin.html.
Krashen, S. D. (1981). Second language acquisition and second language learning. Pergamon.
Kumaravadivelu, B. (2006). Understanding language teaching: From method to postmethod. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781410615725
Lalor, E. E., & Kirsner, K. (2000a). Cross-linguistic priming and transfer of processing between languages. In J. L. Nicol (Ed.), One mind, two languages: Bilingual language processing (pp. 141–160). Blackwell Publishers.
Lalor, E., & Kirsner, K. (2000b). Cross-lingual transfer effects between English and Italian cognates and noncognates. International Journal of Bilingualism, 4(3), 385-398. https://doi.org/10.1177/13670069000040030501
Lawrance, J. C., Sambath, P., Shiny, C., Vazhangal, M., Subramaniam, P., & Bala, B. K. (2024). Developing an AI-assisted multilingual adaptive learning system for personalized English language teaching. 428–434. https://doi.org/10.1109/icaccs60874.2024.10716887
Levelt, W. J. M. (1989). Speaking from intention to articulation. Cambridge. MIT Press. http://hdl.handle.net/2027/heb.08442
Lutjeharms, M. (1999). Tertiärsprache und Sprachbewusstheit: Was Lernende über den Einfluss der ersten Fremdsprache denken. Fremdsprache Deutsch, 1, 7–11.
https://doi.org/10.37307/j.2194-1823.1999.20.04
Lutjeharms, M. (2004). Der Zugriff auf das mentale Lexikon und der Wortschatzerwerb in der Fremdsprache. In Fremdsprachen Lehren und Lernen (FLuL) (Vol. 33, pp. 10-26). Narr Francke Attempto.
Lutjeharms, M. (2019). 62. Das mehrsprachige mentale Lexikon. In C. Fäcke, & F-J. Meissner (Eds.), Handbuch Mehrsprachigkeits- und Mehrkulturalitätsdidaktik (pp. 312-216). Gunter Narr Verlag.
Marx, N. (2004). Forschungsmethoden zur Mehrsprachigkeit. In B. Hufeisen (Hrsg.), Beim Schwedischlernen sind Englisch und Deutsch ganz hilfsvoll: Untersuchungen zum multiplen Sprachenlernen (S. 65–79). Frankfurt am Main: Lang.
Matthews, P. H. (1997). The concise Oxford dictionary of linguistics. Oxford University Press.
Mohebbi, A. (2024). Enabling learner independence and self-regulation in language education using AI tools: a systematic review. Cogent Education, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186x.2024.2433814
Möller, R. (2009). Wann sind Kognaten erkennbar? Ähnlichkeit und synchrone Transparenz von Kognatenbeziehungen in der germanischen Interkomprehension. Linguistik Online, 39(4), 83–100. https://doi.org/10.13092/lo.46.373
Nickel, F. (2017). „Unbekannt“ heißt nicht „Ich verstehe es nicht“. Von der Identifizierung deutsch-englisch-japanischer Kognaten und ähnlicher Wörter durch japanische Deutschlernende. Informationen Deutsch als Fremdsprache, 44(1), 18–50. https://doi.org/10.1515/infodaf-2017-0002.
Okolo, C. J., Chinyere, G. E., Ihuoma, C. B., & Ugwu, N. J. (2024). Personalized language education in the age of AI: Opportunities and challenges. 4(1), 39–44. https://doi.org/10.59298/nijre/2024/41139448
Otwinowska, A., & Szewczyk, J. M. (2019). The more similar the better? Factors in learning cognates, false cognates, and non-cognate words. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 22(8), 974–991. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2017.1325834
Palmer, H. E. (1921). The Principles of Language-Study. Harrap.
Parashkevov, B. (2004). Wörter und Namen gleicher Herkunft und Struktur: Lexikon etymologischer Dubletten im Deutschen. De Gruyter EBooks.
Pavlenko, A. (2001). In the world of the tradition: Cross-Cultural perspectives on second language acquisition. Multilingual Matters.
PRISMA, P. C. (2015). Transparent reporting of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Fluxograma Prisma Statement, 41-58. http://www.prisma-statement.org/
Rabinovich, E., Tsvetkov, Y., & Wintner, S. (2018). Native language cognate effects on second language lexical choice. arXiv Preprint. https://arxiv.org/abs/1805.09590
Richards, J. C., & Rodgers, T. S. (2014). Approaches and methods in language teaching (3. Auflage). Cambridge University Press.
Ringbom, H. (2007). Cross-linguistic similarity in foreign language learning. Multilingual Matters. https://doi.org/10.21832/9781853599361
Roembke, T. C., Koch, I., & Philipp, A. M. (2024). What makes a cognate? Implications for research on bilingualism. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 27(5), 1023–1028. https://doi:10.1017/S1366728924000233
Salhi, A. (2019). Das multilinguale Lexikon und die Mehrsprachigkeit – Implikationen für den mediengestützten Deutschunterricht in Tunesien. Philipps-Universität Marburg. https://doi.org/10.17192/z2019.0106
Schepens, J., Dijkstra, T., & Grootjen, F. (2012). Distributions of cognates in Europe as based on Levenshtein distance. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 15(1), 157–166. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1366728910000623
Schepens, J., Dijkstra, T., Grootjen, F., & Van Heuven, W. J. B. (2013). Cross-language distributions of high frequency and phonetically similar cognates. PLOS ONE, 8(5), e63006. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0063006.
Schwall, L. (2019). Faktoren der Kognatenerkennung in der germanischen Interkomprehension. [Master’s thesis, Université de Liège]. Matheo Repository. https://matheo.uliege.be/handle/2268.2/10514.
Sell, R. (1977). Early emphasis on speaking: An associative approach to foreign language learning. Foreign Language Annals, 10(1), 103–113. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1944-9720.1977.tb03085.x.
Singleton, D., & Aronin, L. (Eds.). (2018). Twelve lectures on multilingualism (Vol. 15). Multilingual Matters.
Spalek, K., Hoshino, N., Wu, Y. J., Damian, M., & Thierry, G. (2014). Speaking two languages at once: Unconscious native word form access in second language production. Cognition, 133(1), 226–231. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2014.06.016.
Szubko-Sitarek, W. (2011). Cognate facilitation effects in trilingual word recognition. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 1(2), 189–208. https://doi.org/10.14746/ssllt.2011.1.2.2.
Szubko-Sitarek, W. (2015). Multilingual lexical recognition in the mental lexicon of third language users. Springer.
Targonska, J. (2004). Zur Nutzung der Englischkenntnisse beim Erwerb des deutschen Wortschatzes: Eine empirische Untersuchung bei polnischen Schülern. In B. Hufeisen (Hrsg.), Beim Schwedischlernen sind Englisch und Deutsch ganz hilfsvoll: Untersuchungen zum multiplen Sprachenlernen (S. 117–136). Frankfurt am Main: Lang.
Uchida, E. (2001). The use of cognate inferencing strategies by Japanese learners of English (Ph.D. dissertation). University of Essex, England.
Uzun, L. (2024). We have a lot in common: Cognate words. European Journal of Education, e12675. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejed.12675.
Uzun, L., & Salihoǧlu, U. M. (2021). A list of English–Turkish cognates and false cognates. Poznan Studies in Contemporary Linguistics, 57(2), 325–327. https://doi.org/10.1515/psicl-2021-0014.
Vanlangendonck, F., Peeters, D., Rueschemeyer, S. A., & Dijkstra, T. (2020). Mixing the stimulus list in bilingual lexical decision turns cognate facilitation effects into mirrored inhibition effects. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 23(4), 836–844. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1366728919000531
Versteeg, L. (2019). Der Einfluss von Kognaten auf produktive Wortschatzleistungen von niederländisch-deutschen zweisprachigen Kindern. [Master’s thesis, Utrecht University]. Student Theses Repository.https://studenttheses.uu.nl/handle/20.500.12932/36524.
Warschauer, M., & Xu, Y. (2024). Generative AI for language learning: Entering a new era. Language Learning & Technology, 28(2), 1–4. https://hdl.handle.net/10125/73569
Wiggins, R. D., & Lambert, W. E. (1977). Bilingual education of children: The St. Lambert experiment. Newbury House.
Wlosowicz, T. M. (2010). Le transfert et les interférences entre L1, L2 et L3 dans la production des cognates aux terminaisons différentes. Synergies Espagne, 3, 159–170. https://gerflint.fr/Base/Espagne3/wlosowicz.pdf
Yeşilyurt, Y. E. (2023). AI-Enabled assessment and feedback mechanisms for language learning (pp. 25–43). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-6684-9893-4.ch002
Zhu, Y., & Mok, P. P. K. (2020). Visual recognition of cognates and interlingual homographs in two non-native languages: Evidence from Asian adult trilinguals. Linguistic Approaches to Bilingualism, 10(4), 441–470. https://doi.org/10.1075/lab.17049.zhu.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 The Authors & InManifest Network
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant this journalright of first publication, with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work, with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g. post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g. in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as an earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
Revista Romaneasca pentru Educatie Multidimensionala Journal has an Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs
CC BY-NC-ND
