How does vocabulary size impact French proficiency at advanced levels

Vocabulary size has a significant impact on French proficiency at advanced levels. Research shows that an expanded vocabulary is linked to improved lexical sophistication, greater lexical diversity, and more precise communication ability in both oral and written tasks. Advanced learners with larger vocabularies tend to demonstrate higher proficiency as they can better understand and use nuanced language and complex expressions. Vocabulary knowledge also interacts with morphological and grammatical abilities, which further refines language fluency at advanced stages. Additionally, vocabulary depth (qualitative aspects of word knowledge) alongside size contributes to meaningfully better use of French in academic and social contexts.

In summary:

• Larger vocabulary size correlates with higher proficiency and lexical sophistication in advanced French learners.
• Vocabulary diversity and depth play a role in improved oral and written language performance.
• Morphological knowledge aids vocabulary acquisition and processing at advanced levels.
• Vocabulary capacity influences comprehension, expression, and fluency in nuanced and complex language use.

This relationship is supported by studies and reviews focused on advanced learners’ lexical development, vocabulary testing, and language output analysis in French. ^{1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6}

References

• Vocabulary size and type goals in advanced EFL and ESL classrooms. A review of research on lexical threshold, lexical coverage, reading and listening comprehension

• A Receptive Vocabulary Knowledge Test for French L2 Learners With Academic Reading Goals

• L2 French lexical development of undergraduate students in a UK university

• ASPECTS OF LEXICAL SOPHISTICATION IN ADVANCED LEARNERS’ ORAL PRODUCTION

• Proficiency at the lexis–grammar interface: Comparing oral versus written French exam tasks

• Vocabulary Knowledge in L3 French: A Study of Swedish Learners’ Vocabulary Depth

• Suggestions for Designing a PBL-Enabled Hindi Class: Focusing on Face-to-Face Classroom

• Direct vocabulary instruction: The effects of contextualised word families on students’ vocabulary acquisition / Frankie Subon

• Bilingual Lexical Acquisition. On the crossroads of early word production and grammar: Evidence from a French-Russian bilingual child aged from 2;0 to 4;0

• Emotion Vocabulary in Interlanguage

• Assessing the Impact of Morphological Knowledge on Lexical Acquisition and Processing

• Educating for advanced foreign language capacities : constructs, curriculum, instruction, assessment

• Vocabulary size and speed of word recognition in very young French–English bilinguals: A longitudinal study*

• The relation between phonological and lexical development in French-speaking children

• Vocabulary Knowledge Predicts Lexical Processing: Evidence from a Group of Participants with Diverse Educational Backgrounds

• Multilingual toddlers’ vocabulary development in two languages: Comparing bilinguals and trilinguals

• Does first word development in bilingual French-Portuguese toddlers mirror monolingual one? A study exploring executive function abilities

• Vocabulary size, translation equivalents, and efficiency in word recognition in very young bilinguals

• Vocabulary learning through an online computerized flashcard site

• Breadth and Depth of Vocabulary Knowledge and Their Effects on L2 Vocabulary Profiles.