Lexical development of learners of Portuguese as a foreign language
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5007/1984-8412.2026.e110061Keywords:
Words, Breadth, Lexical knowledgeAbstract
This qualiquantitative case study aimed to analyze the lexical development in Portuguese of two students of Portuguese as a Foreign Language (PLE) as an indication of improved language proficiency as they prepared for the Certificate of Proficiency in Portuguese for Foreigners (CELPE BRAS) exam. In the study, vocabulary breadth is an impacting variable on performance in a proficiency exam (Milton, 2010) and is considered a construct that encompasses a person's word knowledge, from incomplete or partial knowledge (recognition of the form or uncertain knowledge of the meaning), culminating in the ability to use it in diverse contexts (Gyllstad, 2013). For seven months, the research participants took PLE classes and completed three tasks, both oral and written, simulating the CELPE-BRAS. To verify the participants' lexical acquisition curve, two types of words were considered: valid words and non-repeated words. These variables were analyzed through multiple convergent tests (correlation, regression, and trend) to determine if there was a relationship (correlation) between the variables, if this relationship showed a constant pattern of improvement (trend), and how this improvement could be described or possibly predicted (regression). Overall, the study pointed to lexical improvement. The research brings to light the possibility of an individual in immersion continuing their lexical improvement, without excluding the possibility of lexical stabilization, which would cause the learner to use a limited quantity of words to resolve their language production activities.
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