37.2101, Diss: Computational Linguistics, Language Acquisition, Text/Corpus Linguistics: Eva Caltabellotta: "What’s the Word? A Multi-Dimensional Investigation of Vocabulary Knowledge and Vocabulary Use by Second Language Learners of English and French"

Wed Jun 17 15:05:02 UTC 2026

LINGUIST List: Vol-37-2101. Wed Jun 17 2026. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 37.2101, Diss: Computational Linguistics, Language Acquisition, Text/Corpus Linguistics: Eva Caltabellotta: "What’s the Word? A Multi-Dimensional Investigation of Vocabulary Knowledge and Vocabulary Use by Second Language Learners of English and French"

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Date: 17-Jun-2026
From: Eva Caltabellotta [eva.caltabellotta at kuleuven.be]
Subject: What’s the Word? A Multi-Dimensional Investigation of Vocabulary Knowledge and Vocabulary Use by Second Language Learners of English and French

Institution: KU Leuven
Program: Linguistics
Degree Date: 2025
Level: PhD

Author: Eva Caltabellotta

Dissertation Title: What’s the Word? A Multi-Dimensional Investigation
of Vocabulary Knowledge and Vocabulary Use by Second Language Learners
of English and French

Dissertation URL: https://lirias.kuleuven.be/4264138

Linguistic Field(s): Computational Linguistics
                     Language Acquisition
                     Text/Corpus Linguistics

Dissertation Director(s): Prof. Elke Peters (sup.), Prof. Elke Van
Steendam (co-sup.), Prof. Ann-Sophie Noreillie (co-sup.)

Dissertation Abstract:

This PhD thesis provides new insights into the development and the
assessment of productive vocabulary knowledge and written vocabulary
use in two L2s, English and French. Through three empirical studies,
the thesis investigates the productive vocabulary knowledge and
written vocabulary use of L2 learners in two grades of secondary
school and for two L2s, while also examining the role of
learner-related factors (e.g., formal instruction, out-of-school
contact) and methodology-related factors (e.g., the approach used to
analyze vocabulary use). A large-scale data collection was set up with
423 secondary school learners in grade 10 (15–16 years old) and grade
12 (17–18 years old), who each completed a test battery in both
English and French.
More specifically, the thesis investigates:
(1) the cross-sectional differences between grades in form recall
vocabulary knowledge, lexical diversity and lexical sophistication, as
well as their interrelationship;
(2) the impact of length of instruction and out-of-school contact on
form recall vocabulary knowledge, lexical diversity and lexical
sophistication; and
(3) the effect of methodological decisions in the automated assessment
of lexical diversity and lexical sophistication on research findings.
The results of this thesis have important theoretical, pedagogical and
methodological implications. The findings illustrate that different
aspects of vocabulary knowledge and vocabulary use may develop at
different rates, that their development is driven by both instruction
and out-of-school contact, that methodological choices can
significantly affect lexical findings, and that results can vary
considerably across L2s even within the same learners.

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