Effects of Synonym Generation on Incidental and Intentional L2 Vocabulary Learning During Reading: A Replication of Barcroft (2009) Simon Burfoot (469849) January 2010 Introduction Various research in the field of second language (L2) vocabulary acquisition has attempted to investigate the question of whether semantic elaboration has the effect of aiding or impeding the acquisition of words in the target language. This research has its roots in human memory research such as that by Craik and Tulving (1975) which suggested that semantically oriented tasks aided the recall of already-acquired words in the experimental subjects' first language (L1). Semantic elaboration refers to actions learners take so that attention is posited on the meaning or semantic properties of the word. It has been theorized that the added depth of cognitive processing that semantic elaboration requires may facilitate L2 vocabulary learning in the same way that it appears to facilitate recall of already-learned L1 words. Attempts to observe the effects of semantically oriented tasks on the recall of L2 vocabulary have had differing results and it remains unclear whether semantic elaboration has a beneficial or detrimental effect on L2 vocabulary learning. This current study is a replication of a study by Barcroft (2009) who has conducted a series of studies investigating the effects of various semantically oriented tasks on L2 vocabulary learning including: supplying ratings of how pleasant words are, responding to meaning-related questions about words and composing sentences containing the target words (Barcroft 2002, 2003, 2004). Barcroft (2009) maintains that his studies “weigh against the idea of a generalized benefit for semantic processing on L2 vocabulary learning but are limited to the realm of intentional learning only” (Barcroft 2009, 79). Therefore, the intention of the current study is to investigate the effects of semantic elaboration on both intentional and incidental vocabulary learning during reading. In the current study, incidental and intentional conditions were created by differing instructions preceding the reading of a short L2 text. Ten L2 target words were included in the text alongside their L1 translations. Semantic elaboration was added to the task by having the subjects generate a synonym in their L1 for each of the target words. Barcroft (2009) selected this semantic elaboration task since it had been utilized in earlier memory and vocabulary learning experiments, based upon the assertion that “this task invokes semantic elaboration and can be verified in written form” (Barcroft 2009, 80). Barcroft (2009) theorizes that, if a word is provided in the L1, while generating a synonym for it also in the L1, the cognitive processes will largely be semantically focussed, since the formal properties of the words involved are already well known and therefore require the application of less cognitive effort (Barcroft 2009).