Chapter 1 the study of collocations

Table 43.  Accuracy order for the collocation types included in the translation 
test - All Groups 
Type 
14. SVV-ing 
16. SVO Inf 
11. SV(O) Prep O 
1. Noun Prep 
5. Adjective Prep 
27. Verb Noun (creation)  
 
 
The results from the implicational analysis indicate that students were more 
accurate in translating grammatical collocations (Types 14, 16, and 11) than lexical 
collocations (Types 1, 5, and 27).  Type 14. SVV-ing was easier to translate than 
Type 16. SVO Inf.  Similar results were reported by Anderson (1978), who found 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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that gerund SVV-ing constructions were acquired earlier than SVO Inf 
constructions that required to-deletion (Anderson 1978:97). 
 
The most accurately translated lexical collocation type on the scale, Type 1. 
Noun Prep, included collocations such as 'things about', 'flight to', 'plans about', 
'champion in', 'success in', 'pain in [the stomach]'.  Students found these lexical 
collocations easier to translate than Type 5. Adjective Prep collocations.  The 
following Type 5 collocations were included in the translation test: 'afraid of', 
'interested in', 'bored with', 'married to'.  Type 1 occurred more frequently than 
Type 5 in the TWE series, i.e. the type-token ratio for Type 1 in the TWE series was 
100.3, while for Type 5 it was 82.6.  Also, all of the Type 1 collocations included in 
the translation test have a similar structure in Greek, i.e. a noun followed by a 
preposition.  Some Type 5 collocations, on the other hand, e.g. 'afraid of' and 'bored 
with', have a different structure in Greek, i.e. Verb Det Noun ’foba;mai ta fi;dia’ 
[afraid-[Middle Voice Verb] the snakes], ’barie;mai to scolei;o’ [bored-[Middle 
Voice Verb] the school].  The L1-L2 difference with regard to the English Adjective 
Prep collocations could be one factor responsible for the subjects' low accuracy in 
the translation of Type 5. Adjective Prep collocations.  It has also been reported that 
Adjective Prep collocations are more fixed (i.e. consistently used with a preposition, 
e.g. 'fond of', 'afraid of', 'deaf to' (Benson et al. 1986a:xii)) and difficult for low 
proficiency students, and as such they are indicative of a higher level of 
proficiency.  Zhang (1993) also reports that in his investigation of English 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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collocational knowledge by L2 learners and native speakers, collocations such as 
Adjective Prep were used considerably more by native writers than L2 learners. 
 
Type 27, the most difficult collocation type on the scale, included lexical 
collocations that are fairly fixed in English, e.g. 'draw conclusions', 'face problems', 
and different from their equivalent collocations in Greek, e.g. 'bga;zw 
sumpera;smata
' [take out conclusions], 'antimetwpi;zw problh;mata' [confront 
problems].  The arbitrary nature of Verb Noun (creation) collocations has also been 
reported by the writers of the BBI (Benson et al. 1986b).  The arbitrariness and 
unpredictability of these collocations makes non-native speakers unable to cope 
with them.  It is not surprising, then, that such collocations were difficult for the 
subjects of this study.  Also, an examination of the translations supplied by the 
students showed considerable influence from Greek.  It is possible that the nature 
of the test, i.e. translation, could have increased L1 influence.  L1 interference has 
been also reported in past studies on collocations involving a translation test 
(Marton 1977:46). 
 
The acquisition order for the translation data approached statistical 
significance: that is, students who correctly translated Type 27. Verb Noun (creation) 
collocations, the last and most difficult to translate type on the scale, also translated 
correctly the rest of the collocation types included in the translation test. 
 
Overall, results show a very low accuracy in the translation test, i.e. only 88 
out of 275 subjects, about 33%, were 80% or more accurate in the translation of 
Type 14. SVV-ing collocations, which was the most accurately translated type on 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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the scale.  Hence, translation proved to be a difficult test for the subjects.  Previous 
research involving advanced L2 learners, i.e. fifth year Polish students majoring in 
English, in a translation test, Polish to English, showed that even advanced 
students did not have most of the collocations which were tested in their 
productive repertoires (Marton 1977:45).