Vocabulary Learning Strategies in a Multilingual Academic Environment: Ιs Morphological Segmentation Quite Sustainable?

Abstract

Τhis article contributes to the ongoing research on the importance of the strategy of morphological segmentation to vocabulary growth in foreign language learning. A total of 45 students of the department of Italian Language and Literature at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece) were to segment 21 Italian words—among which there were 6 pseudo-words—and write their meaning with the use of an e-questionnaire. In turn, 10 out of 45 students participated in a focus group discussion. Results reveal no correlation between morphological segmentation and understanding of the meaning of words, except in the case of pseudo-words that were completely unknown to the participants. During the focus group, students attempted to recognize the productive and transparent suffixes of the words and discover their contribution to the building and the meaning of them. Other languages, such as English—L2/first foreign language for the majority of the interviewed students—assisted multilingual students in retrieving the meaning of the words implementing translanguaging practices. The students’ responses show that they managed to segment the words correctly at a rate of 49.3%, while they understand their meaning due to their frequent use at a rate of 57.8%, without having been taught the morphology of L2.