Incidental L2 vocabulary learning: Recent developments and implications for future research

Abstract

The incidental or implicit learning of vocabulary has long been a topic of interest in various disciplines. In studies on foreign language acquisition, reading is often the activity that researchers use to generate their findings. Reading in a Foreign Language has maintained its position at the forefront of this research, consistently publishing manuscripts that support or refute previous findings, improve upon past research designs, or offer new perspectives on existing issues. The current article adds to this ongoing collection of texts by first discussing, in brief, the extent to which incidental vocabulary learning has been shown to be possible in past research. It then discusses recent innovations in research, homing in on two studies in particular that have been selected due to their unique implications for research and practice: the use of codeswitched texts and a new construct, dynamic exposure. The discussion section will expand on the ideas these studies introduce, suggesting future directions for research and further implications for practitioners.