How does language distance affect reading fluency and comprehension in English as second language
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21506363 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Victor Kuperman (0000-0001-8961-3767, McMaster University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 47 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 757-773 |
| Publication date | 2025-07-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Studies in Second Language Acquisition (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0272-2631 • E-ISSN: 1470-1545 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s027226312510065x |
| OpenAlex | W4410834580 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
| References cited | 31 |
Acquisition of reading skill in a second language (L2) requires development and coordinated use of multiple component skills. This acquisition is less effortful the more similar the first language (L1) of the L2 learner is to that L2. While ways to quantify the L1–L2 distance are well defined in the current literature, the theoretical status of this distance in models of L2 reading acquisition is under-specified. This paper tests whether the L1–L2 distance influences English reading fluency and comprehension directly, via the mediation of component skills of reading, or both. We used text reading data and tests of component skills of English reading from the Multilingual Eye-movement Corpus database, representing advanced L2 readers of English from 18 distinct language backgrounds. Mediation analyses show that the L1–L2 distance has both a direct and an indirect effect on English reading fluency and eye movements, yet it has no effect on reading comprehension. These findings are novel in that they specify the mechanism through which the L1–L2 distance affects L2 reading acquisition
Cognitive psychology · Comprehension · Comprehension approach · Fluency · Language assessment · Language education · Language transfer · Linguistics · Reading comprehension · Second-language attrition · Communication · EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning · Psychology · Reading and Literacy Development · Second Language Acquisition and Learning
Using AI to adapt reading input for mixed-proficiency EFL learners
Vocabulary and Processing Speed Explain Reading and Writing Disparities Between Linguistic Groups in Higher Education
Do modality and frequency matter in predicting reading proficiency from vocabulary knowledge? A comparison of meaning recognition and meaning recall
Narrowing and widening the reading divide associated with home language background
Crosslinguistic Influence in Language and Cognition
Introducing LexTale
Cross‐Linguistic Influence
The relationship between vocabulary knowledge and L2 reading/listening comprehension
Mediation
The Language Experience and Proficiency Questionnaire (Leap-Q)
Text reading in English as a second language
Quantifying the Difference in Reading Fluency Between L1 and L2 Readers of English
The influence of exposure, parents, and linguistic distance on young European learners' foreign language comprehension
The role of phonemic awareness in second language reading
The economics of L2 English. Evidence from 2.0 mln subjects suggests an economics of language framework to account for country differences in L2 English proficiency
Reading comprehension and its underlying components in second-language learners
L1 and L2 Distance Effects in Learning L3 Dutch
Eye movements in reading and information processing
L2 Reading Comprehension and Its Correlates
| Citations per year | 4 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |