Homophones facilitate lexical development in a second language

This study examined how previously learned words affect the acquisition of new words in a second language (L2). Twenty L1 English adults in a second semester L2 Mandarin Chinese class performed a three-day word learning experiment involving 10 tonal monosyllabic minimal pairs (e.g., ku4 ‘warehouse’ – ku1 ‘to cry’). Half of the words were homophonous with previously learned words, while the other half were not. Half of the words contained...