Hostname: page-component-669899f699-8p65j Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-04-27T11:43:06.242Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Examining lexical profile in general-audience English podcasts: A close replication of Nurmukhamedov and Sharakhimov (2021)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 October 2024

Hong Yu
Affiliation:
Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu, People's Republic of China
Ju Wen*
Affiliation:
Chengdu Jincheng College, Chengdu, People's Republic of China
*
Corresponding author: Ju Wen; Email: [email protected]

Abstract

We closely replicated Nurmukhamedov and Sharakhimov (2021), which was the first study to examine the lexical profile of general-audience English podcasts. Nurmukhamedov and Sharakhimov (2021) found that podcast listeners should have a knowledge of the most frequent 3,000 word families and 5,000 word families, respectively, plus proper nouns, marginal words, transparent compounds, and acronyms in order to achieve good and high-level listening comprehension. We followed the methods and procedures of the initial study with a much larger corpus. Specifically, a total of 8,862 podcast transcripts sampled from 12 general-audience podcast programs were used to compile the 14-million-word corpus. Results of the study confirmed Nurmukhamedov and Sharakhimov's (2021) findings in the vocabulary size required to understand general-audience English podcasts. However, some minor differences pertaining to individual podcast programs were revealed, indicating that the sampling of data had an effect on the lexical demand. These findings provide solid evidence to support the validity and generalizability of the initial study's findings. Implications for second language teaching and learning are also discussed.

Type
Replication Research
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Abraham, L. B., & Williams, L. (Eds.) (2009). Electronic discourse in language learning and language teaching. John Benjamins.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ädel, A. (2020). Corpus compilation. In Paquot, M. & Gries, S. T. (Eds.), A practical handbook of corpus linguistics (pp. 324). Springer.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Adolphs, S., & Schmitt, N. (2003). Lexical coverage of spoken discourse. Applied Linguistics, 24(4), 425438. doi:10.1093/applin/24.4.425CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Al-Surmi, M. (2014). TV shows, word coverage and incidental vocabulary learning: Implications for Arabic speakers learning English. In Bailey, K. M. & Damerow, R. M. (Eds.), Teaching and learning English in the Arabic-speaking world (pp. 132147). Routledge.Google Scholar
Anthony, L. (2023). Antwordprofiler (Version 4.2.4). Waseda University. Retrieved from https://www.laurenceanthony.net/softwareGoogle Scholar
Brown, D. (2010). An improper assumption? The treatment of proper nouns in text coverage counts. Reading in a Foreign Language, 22(2), 355361. http://hdl.handle.net/10125/66842Google Scholar
Brown, D., Stoeckel, T., McLean, S., & Stewart, J. (2020). The most appropriate lexical unit for L2 vocabulary research and pedagogy: A brief review of the evidence. Applied Linguistics, 43(3), 596602. doi:10.1093/applin/amaa061CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brown, D., Stewart, J., Stoeckel, T., & McLean, S. (2021). The coming paradigm shift in the use of lexical units. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 43(5), 950953. doi:10.1017/S0272263121000668CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cobb, T. (2010). Learning about language and learners from computer programs. Reading in a Foreign Language, 22(1), 181200. http://hdl.handle.net/10125/66641Google Scholar
Coxhead, A., Dang, T. N. Y., & Mukai, S. (2017). Single and multi-word unit vocabulary in university tutorials and laboratories: Evidence from corpora and textbooks. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 30(4), 6678. doi:10.1016/j.jeap.2017.11.001CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dang, T. N. Y., & Webb, S. (2014). The lexical profile of academic spoken English. English for Specific Purposes, 33(2), 6676. doi:10.1016/j.esp.2013.08.001Google Scholar
Ducate, L., & Lomicka, L. (2009). Podcasting: An effective tool for honing language students’ pronunciation? Language Learning & Technology, 13(3), 6686. http://hdl.handle.net/10125/44192Google Scholar
Egbert, J., & Baker, P. (Eds.) (2016). Triangulating methodological approaches in corpus linguistic research. Routledge.Google Scholar
Facer, B. R., & Abdous, M. (Eds.) (2011). Academic podcasting and mobile assisted language learning: Applications and outcomes. Information Science Reference.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Facer, B. R., Abdous, M., & Camarena, M. M. (2009). The impact of podcasting on students’ learning outcomes. In Marriott, R. de. C. V. & Torres, P. L. (Eds.), Handbook of research on e-learning methodologies for language acquisition (pp. 339351). Information Science Reference.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fouz-González, J. (2019). Podcast-based pronunciation training: Enhancing FL learners’ perception and production of fossilised segmental features. ReCALL, 31(2), 150169. doi:10.1017/S0958344018000174CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goetzen, N. (2020). Time spent with podcasts will dip amid the pandemic, but it should rebound by 2022. eMarketer. Retrieved from https://www.insiderintelligence.com/content/time-spent-with-podcasts-will-dip-amid-pandemic-should-rebound-by-2022Google Scholar
Goulden, R., Nation, I. S. P., & Read, J. (1990). How large can a receptive vocabulary be? Applied Linguistics, 11(4), 341363. doi:10.1093/applin/11.4.341CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hu, M., & Nation, I. S. P. (2000). Unknown vocabulary density and Reading comprehension. Reading in a Foreign Language, 13(1), 403430. http://hdl.handle.net/10125/66973Google Scholar
Kaneko, M. (2015). Vocabulary size required for the TOEFL iBT listening section. The Language Teacher, 39(1), 914. doi:10.37546/JALTTLT39.1-2CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kobeleva, P. P. (2008). The impact of unfamiliar proper names on ESL learners’ listening comprehension [Unpublished Ph.D. Dissertation]. Victoria University of Wellington.Google Scholar
Kremmel, B., & Schmitt, N. (2016). Interpreting vocabulary test scores: What do various item formats tell us about learners’ ability to employ words? Language Assessment Quarterly, 13(4), 377392. doi:10.1080/15434303.2016.1237516CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Laufer, B. (1989). What percentage of text lexis is essential for comprehension? In Laurén, C. & Nordman, M. (Eds.), Special language: From humans thinking to thinking machines (pp. 316323). Multilingual Matters.Google Scholar
Laufer, B. (2001). Quantitative evaluation of vocabulary: How it can be done and what it is good for. In Elder, C. & Davies, A. (Eds.), Experimenting with uncertainty: Essays in honour of Alan Davies (pp. 241250). Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Laufer, B., & Ravenhorst-Kalovski, G. C. (2010). Lexical threshold revisited: Lexical text coverage, learners’ vocabulary size. Reading in a Foreign Language, 22(1), 1530. http://hdl.handle.net/10125/66648Google Scholar
Liu, C.-Y. (2023). Podcasts as a resource for learning academic English: A lexical perspective. English for Specific Purposes, 71(3), 1933. doi: 10.1016/j.esp.2023.02.003CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McBride, K. (2009). Podcasts and second language learning: Promoting listening comprehension and intercultural competence. In Abraham, L. B. & Williams, L. (Eds.), Electronic discourse in language learning and language teaching (pp. 153168). John Benjamins.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McEnery, T., & Brookes, G. (2022). Building a written corpus: What are the basics? In O'Keeffe, A. & McCarthy, M. (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of corpus linguistics (pp. 3547). Routledge.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McEnery, T., & Hardie, A. (2012). Corpus linguistics: Method, theory and practice. Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
McLean, S. (2018). Evidence for the adoption of the flemma as an appropriate word counting unit. Applied Linguistics, 39(6), 823845. doi:10.1093/applin/amw050Google Scholar
McManus, K. (2022). Are replication studies infrequent because of negative attitudes? Insights from a survey of attitudes and practices in second language research. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 44(5), 14101423. doi:10.1017/S0272263121000838CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Motamedynia, M., & Shahri, N. N. (2022). Investigating the lexical demands of English-as-an-additional-language and general-audience podcasts and their potential for incidental vocabulary learning. Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 25(2), 103131. doi:10.37213/cjal.2022.32746CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nation, I. S. P. (2006). How large a vocabulary is needed for reading and listening? The Canadian Modern Language Review, 63(1), 5982. doi:10.1353/cml.2006.0049CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nation, I. S. P. (2016). Making and using word lists for language learning and testing. John Benjamins.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nation, I. S. P. (2018). The BNC/COCA word family lists. Retrieved from http://www.victoria.ac.nz/lals/about/staff/paul-nationGoogle Scholar
Nation, I. S. P. (2020). The BNC/COCA word family lists. Retrieved from https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/1857641/about-bnc-coca-vocabulary-list.pdfGoogle Scholar
Nation, I. S. P. (2022). Learning vocabulary in another language (3rd ed.). Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nurmukhamedov, U. (2017). Lexical coverage of TED talks: Implications for vocabulary instruction. TESOL Journal, 8(4), 768790. doi:10.1002/tesj.323CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nurmukhamedov, U., & Sadler, R. (2011). Podcasts in four categories: Applications to language learning. In Facer, B. R. & Abdous, M. (Eds.), Academic podcasting and mobile assisted language learning: Applications and outcomes (pp. 176195). Information Science Reference.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nurmukhamedov, U., & Sharakhimov, S. (2021). Corpus-based vocabulary analysis of English podcasts. RELC Journal, 54(1), 721. doi:10.1177/0033688220979315CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nurmukhamedov, U., & Webb, S. (2019). Lexical coverage and profiling. Language Teaching, 52(2), 188200. doi:10.1017/S0261444819000028CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Omidian, T., Ballance, O. J., & Siyanova-Chanturia, A. (2023). Replicating corpus-based research in English for academic purposes: Proposed replication of Cortes (2013) and Biber and Gray (2010). Language Teaching, 56(1), 128136. doi:10.1017/S0261444821000367CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ozturk, M. (2012). Second language vocabulary growth at advanced level. The Language Learning Journal, 44(1), 616. doi:10.1080/09571736.2012.708054CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Porte, G. K. (2012). Replication research in applied linguistics. Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Porte, G. K., & McManus, K. (2019). Doing replication research in applied linguistics. Routledge.Google Scholar
Quah, N. (2021). Yes, podcast listenership is still on the rise. Vulture. Retrieved from https://www.vulture.com/2021/03/podcast-listenership-download-data-on-the-rise.htmlGoogle Scholar
Radiolab. (2023). Podcast. Retrieved from https://www.radiolab.org/podcastGoogle Scholar
Reppen, R. (2022). Building a corpus: What are key considerations? In O'Keeffe, A. & McCarthy, M. (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of corpus linguistics (pp. 1320). Routledge.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rodgers, M. P. H., & Webb, S. (2016). Listening to lectures. In Hyland, K. & Shaw, P. (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of English for academic purposes (pp. 165176). Routledge.Google Scholar
Rowe, A. (2020). How the podcast industry is surviving the pandemic. Tech.co. Retrieved from https://tech.co/news/podcasting-pandemic-impact-2020-07Google Scholar
Saeedakhtar, A., Haqju, R., & Rouhi, A. (2021). The impact of collaborative listening to podcasts on high school learners’ listening comprehension and vocabulary learning. System, 101(1), 115. doi:10.1016/j.system.2021.102588CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schmitt, N. (2010). Researching vocabulary: A vocabulary research manual. Palgrave Macmillan.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schmitt, N., Jiang, X., & Grabe, W. (2011). The percentage of words known in a text and reading comprehension. Modern Language Journal, 95(1), 2643. doi:10.1111/j.1540-4781.2011.01146.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schmitt, N., Cobb, T., Horst, M., & Schmitt, D. (2017). How much vocabulary is needed to use English? Replication of van Zeeland & Schmitt (2012), Nation (2006) and Cobb (2007). Language Teaching, 50(2), 212226. doi:10.1017/S0261444815000075CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stubbs, M. (2001). Words and phrases: Corpus studies of lexical semantics. Blackwell.Google Scholar
Tegge, F. (2017). The lexical coverage of popular songs in English language teaching. System, 67(4), 8798. doi:10.1016/j.system.2017.04.016CrossRefGoogle Scholar
van Zeeland, H., & Schmitt, N. (2013). Lexical coverage in L1 and L2 listening comprehension: The same or different from reading comprehension? Applied Linguistics, 34(4), 457479. doi:10.1093/applin/ams074CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ward, J., & Chuenjundaeng, J. (2009). Suffix knowledge: Acquisition and applications. System, 37(3), 461469. doi:10.1016/j.system.2009.01.004CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Webb, S. (2021). Research investigating lexical coverage and lexical profiling: What we know, what we don't know, and what needs to be examined. Reading in a Foreign Language, 33(2), 278293. http://hdl.handle.net/10125/67407Google Scholar
Webb, S., & Chang, A. C.-S. (2012). Second language vocabulary growth. RELC Journal, 43(1), 113126. doi:10.1177/0033688212439367CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Webb, S., & Paribakht, T. S. (2015). What is the relationship between the lexical profile of test items and performance on a standardized English proficiency test? English for Specific Purposes, 38(1), 3443. doi:10.1016/j.esp.2014.11.001CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Webb, S., & Rodgers, M. P. H. (2009a). The lexical coverage of movies. Applied Linguistics, 30(3), 407427. doi:10.1093/applin/amp010CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Webb, S., & Rodgers, M. P. H. (2009b). Vocabulary demands of television programs. Language Learning, 59(2), 335366. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9922.2009.00509.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Whitner, G. (2023). The meteoric rise of podcasting: Insights about the most compelling audio format. Music Strive. Retrieved from https://musicstrive.com/podcast-statistics/Google Scholar