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When Congruency Meets Figurativeness: Does Congruency Facilitation or Figurative Interference Persist in Second Language Collocational Processing?

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Title: When Congruency Meets Figurativeness: Does Congruency Facilitation or Figurative Interference Persist in Second Language Collocational Processing?
Language: English
Authors: Jinfang Shi (ORCID 0000-0002-2104-1093), Yin Zhong
Source: Language Learning. 2026 76(1):280-310.
Availability: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 31
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Descriptors: English (Second Language), Second Language Learning, Native Speakers, English, Figurative Language, Reaction Time, Interference (Language), Priming, Language Proficiency
DOI: 10.1111/lang.12720
ISSN: 0023-8333
1467-9922
Abstract: The present study investigates whether congruency facilitation and figurative interference--two counteractive effects--persist in L2 collocational processing when both congruency and figurativeness are present. A primed lexical decision task was administered to 44 L1-Chinese L2-English learners and 40 L1-English speakers to assess response times for figurative congruent collocations, along with their matched literal congruent and figurative incongruent collocations. Results showed that while collocational priming was absent, both congruency facilitation and figurative interference emerged, with their effects modulated by L2 proficiency. Specifically, in low-proficiency learners, congruency facilitation appeared to outweigh figurative interference, whereas in high-proficiency learners, figurative interference became more pronounced as L1-based facilitation was suppressed. These findings suggest that L2 learners initially rely on their activated L1 semantic network but gradually shift toward developing L2 collocational representations as proficiency increases, though these representations may remain weak and insufficient to facilitate collocate access.
Abstractor: As Provided
Notes: https://osf.io/5ayvr
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1496688
Database: ERIC
FullText Text:
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  Data: When Congruency Meets Figurativeness: Does Congruency Facilitation or Figurative Interference Persist in Second Language Collocational Processing?
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Jinfang+Shi%22">Jinfang Shi</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2104-1093">0000-0002-2104-1093</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Yin+Zhong%22">Yin Zhong</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Language+Learning%22"><i>Language Learning</i></searchLink>. 2026 76(1):280-310.
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  Data: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22English+%28Second+Language%29%22">English (Second Language)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Second+Language+Learning%22">Second Language Learning</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Native+Speakers%22">Native Speakers</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22English%22">English</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Figurative+Language%22">Figurative Language</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Reaction+Time%22">Reaction Time</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Interference+%28Language%29%22">Interference (Language)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Priming%22">Priming</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Language+Proficiency%22">Language Proficiency</searchLink>
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  Data: 0023-8333<br />1467-9922
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
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  Data: The present study investigates whether congruency facilitation and figurative interference--two counteractive effects--persist in L2 collocational processing when both congruency and figurativeness are present. A primed lexical decision task was administered to 44 L1-Chinese L2-English learners and 40 L1-English speakers to assess response times for figurative congruent collocations, along with their matched literal congruent and figurative incongruent collocations. Results showed that while collocational priming was absent, both congruency facilitation and figurative interference emerged, with their effects modulated by L2 proficiency. Specifically, in low-proficiency learners, congruency facilitation appeared to outweigh figurative interference, whereas in high-proficiency learners, figurative interference became more pronounced as L1-based facilitation was suppressed. These findings suggest that L2 learners initially rely on their activated L1 semantic network but gradually shift toward developing L2 collocational representations as proficiency increases, though these representations may remain weak and insufficient to facilitate collocate access.
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  Label: Abstractor
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  Data: As Provided
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  Data: https://osf.io/5ayvr
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  Data: 2026
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