A Study of The Effect of Bilingualism on EFL Kurdish Students’ Third Language Vocabulary Learning

Abstract

Despite the growing interest in multilingualism, research on how bilingualism affects third language learning remains limited compared to second language studies. The theoretical framework guiding this study is the Cumulative Enhancement Model (Flynn et al., 2004), which posits that all previously acquired languages contribute cumulatively and positively to the acquisition of a third language. In this model, bilingualism is treated as an independent variable influencing L3 learning outcomes. The current study aims at determining whether there is a statistically significant difference in English vocabulary learning between Kurdish monolingual and Kurdish-Arabic bilinguals EFL students while also, studying the effect of L1 (Kurdish) and L2 (Arabic) dominance on third language vocabulary learning achievement. The study has adopted a quantitative approach by administering a questionnaire first which identified eligible participants within each language group. Subsequently, curriculum materials from the participating universities were collected to develop a standardized vocabulary test reflective of the academic content studied throughout the year. The Vocabulary test was administered to 149 first-year English department students from University of Zakho and Duhok at the same time by the end of their academic year. The findings identified that there is a significant difference between monolingual and bilinguals’ vocabulary learning achievement. However, the study did not find noteworthy vocabulary learning achievement difference between L1 and L2 dominant bilinguals.