Chapter 1 the study of collocations

Table 46.  Accuracy order for the collocation types included in the translation 
test - Group 3 
Type 
13. SV Inf 
14. SVV-ing 
1. Noun Prep 
16. SVO Inf 
11. SV(O) Prep O 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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5. Adjective Prep 
27. Verb Noun (creation) 
 
 
The above accuracy order shows that: 
i)  SV Inf collocations are easier to translate than SVO Inf collocations. 
ii)  With the exception of Noun Prep collocations, collocation types that contain a 
preposition are more difficult to translate than collocation types that contain an 
infinitive. 
iii)  Verb Noun (creation) collocations are the most difficult to translate for Group 3. 
 
Even for the subjects in the highest proficiency level, Verb Noun (creation) 
collocations are the most difficult to translate with accuracy.  The same applies for 
structures that are grammatically more complex, e.g. SVO Inf versus SV Inf (see 
above).  According to the cumulative grammatical complexity (Brown 1973), SVO 
Inf structures are more complex than SV Inf structures since they require the 
insertion of an Object, and as such they are more difficult to acquire.  Also, recent 
research in L2 acquisition has shown that the greater number of units and 
morphemes in some structures obscure their perceptual 'salience' making them 
harder to 'notice' and therefore to produce accurately (Bardovi-Harlig 1987; 
Robinson 1995; Schmidt 1990, 1995).  SVO Inf collocations contain all the units of 
SV Inf constructions plus one more, i.e. Object, and as such they are less salient and 
harder to produce accurately.  The above result is also consistent with previous 
studies on the acquisition of grammatical structures (see Anderson 1978). 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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The subjects' accuracy improves significantly in the translation of Type 1. 
Noun Prep collocations, i.e. as the students' level increased, their ability to translate 
lexical collocations also improved.  This result is in line with Zhang's (1993) study, 
in which he found that the high proficiency L2 students had a better command of 
English lexical collocations than the low proficiency L2 students (Zhang 1993:148).   
 
Comparing the three accuracy orders for the translation data, we can 
conclude the following. 
i)  Verb Noun (creation) collocations are difficult for all three proficiency groups.  
This was also evident from the between-group analysis.  Collocations of this type 
also appeared infrequently in the students' essays with no significant between-
group differences.  As mentioned above, collocations of this type are fixed, e.g. 'to 
face problems', 'to draw conclusions', and subjects at all three levels exhibit a 
general weakness in the free production (essay data) and cued production 
(translation data) of Verb Noun (creation) collocations.  Zhang (1993) also found the 
use of such collocations to be "weak areas" for L2 learners (Zhang 1993:106). 
ii)  Grammatical collocations, e.g. SV Inf, SVO Inf, SVV-ing, are easier to translate 
than lexical collocations, e.g. Noun Prep, Adjective Prep, Verb Noun (creation).  
However, as subjects become more proficient, their accuracy in lexical collocations 
improves, i.e. Group 3 subjects become more accurate in translating Noun Prep 
collocations than students in Groups 1 and 2.  This is also consistent with Zhang's 
results. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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iii)  Collocations that contain prepositions are harder to translate than collocations 
that contain infinitives.  Zhang reports that "knowing prepositions and being able 
to use them in idiomatic combinations with other words are part of native fluency" 
(Zhang 1993:135).  In his study, too, L2 learners showed a weakness in knowledge 
and ability to use collocations that contained prepositions.