Revisiting The Relationship Between Phonological Memory And L2 Grammar Learning

Previous studies revealed’ that learners with larger capacity of phonological memory performed better in tests of L2 grammar skills.The current study re-examined the relationship between phonological memory and L2 grammar learning in a more specific dimension by using new experimental paradigms among 41 Chinese English learners.The experiment investigated how phonological memory related to specific English grammar skills by controlling vocabulary knowledge at Time1 and Time2.Besides an English vocabulary test,auditory judgment tasks were applied to assess participants’grammar knowledge on plurality of nouns,phrasal and subject-verb agreement,and nonword recognition measured their phonological memory span.The results showed moderate to strong correlations between phonological memory and grammar skills at both Time 1 and Time2.When dividing the participants into high-phonological memory group and low-phonological memory group,strong correlations were found in the high-phonological memory group at both Timel and Time2 but not in the low-phonological memory group.The vocabulary mediating effect was found only at Time 1.The results indicated that phonological memory had a significant effect on the process of L2 grammar learning,but the proficiency of specific grammar skills and vocabulary size also played a role.In conclusion,the result supported the Connectionist Approaches and the Universal Phonological Principle in L2 learning.