Abstract of

Integration of Information From Context and Word Elements in Interpreting Novel Kanji Compounds

Yoshiko Mori

William Nagy

This study examines the degree to which English-speaking students learning Japanese utilize information from word elements and contextual clues in interpreting novel kanji compounds (i.e., words consisting of two or more Chinese characters). Fifty-nine college students inferred the meanings of novel compounds consisting of familiar characters under three conditions (i.e., words in isolation, contextual clues only, and both). Students were most likely to obtain correct answers when both types of clues were available, demonstrating their ability to combine information from multiple sources to interpret unfamiliar words. Furthermore, use of kanji clues and context use are not correlated, and proficiency correlates with context use, but not with kanji use. Thus, morphological analysis is an independent strategy from guessing word meanings from context.

Abstract from Mori, Y., & Nagy, W. (1999). Integration of Information From Context and Word Elements in Interpreting Novel Kanji Compounds. Reading Research Quarterly, 34(1), 80–101. doi: 10.1598/RRQ.34.1.5