Communications in Humanities Research ISSN: 2753-7072
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Research Article

The Roles of Typological Proximity and L2 Status in L3 Lexical Acquisition: Evidence from Chinese–English–Japanese Trilinguals

Mingyang YuShandong University*

* Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract

Within the field of third language acquisition, typological proximity and L2 status have been consistently identified as two determining factors governing how previously acquired languages affect the acquisition of a third. To date, however, it remains unclear which of the two factors plays a more influential role in L3 lexical processing. This study aims to disentangle these variables and investigate their relative influences. To this end, we will employ a lexical decision task to test participants’ recognition of L3–L3-Japanese words: Chinese–Japanese cognates, English–Japanese cognates, and non–cognates. Reaction time and accuracy will be recorded for two groups of trilinguals: Chinese (L1)–English (L2)–Japanese (L3) and English (L1)–Chinese (L2)–Japanese (L3). We predict that when the language distance between L1–L3 and L2–L3 is substantial, typological proximity may override L2 status as the determining factor in the selection of a source language. This study will shed light on how previously acquired languages affect L3 lexical acquisition, offering empirical support for the refinement of existing theoretical models of cross-linguistic transfer and providing pedagogical guidance for improving L3 vocabulary learning efficiency.

Keywords: Cross-linguistic influence; L3 lexical acquisition; Typological proximity; L2 status
Published: November 19, 2025
DOI: 10.54254/2753-7064/2025.HT29671
Volume: CHR Vol.97
pp. 93-100
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