How do L2 English readers approach proper names?

Abstract

While online lexical analysis tools can help reading teachers determine whether materials are suitable for their students of English as a second language, one aspect of the analysis that teachers may be unsure how to approach is proper names. It is commonly assumed in second language (L2) vocabulary and reading research that proper names are known, though there is little empirical support for this assumption. This study investigates how L2 readers handle proper names in continuous text. Japanese readers of English ( N = 49) were given texts of varying difficulty, and asked to mark any unknown vocabulary. Choosing from marked vocabulary, participants listed items to check in a dictionary. It was found that participants did mark proper names as unknown vocabulary. A Chi-square test of independence indicated a significant dependence between the number of names marked as unknown and text difficulty, with a small to medium effect size ( V = .23). Nearly a third of participants listed at least one proper name to check, not supporting the assumption that L2 readers understand all proper names. The finding that proper names may represent enough of a burden to trigger look-up behaviour has implications for classroom teachers, and materials and test writers.