Vocabulary size and exposure to print predict mastery of connectives in teenage years

Abstract

Connectives such as because and but are crucial for signaling coherence relations in discourse. They contribute to a better reading comprehension and, thus, academic performance. The aim of this article is to contribute to our understanding of connective development during teenage years by studying individual differences in the performance of native Russian-speaking teenagers (N = 107, Mage = 13.93, range: 11 to 17) in a connective-cloze task. The tested connectives marked six coherence relations and were used either predominantly in speech or in the written language. In addition, we examined whether students’ performance with the connectives was modulated by their general linguistic experience, as assessed by a vocabulary test and degree of exposure to print. Our results reveal that interpersonal differences in lexicon size and level of exposure to print were the strongest predictors of appropriate usage of connectives, whereas differences in age, connective mode, and polyfunctionality played a lesser role. This finding may indicate that, starting from age 11, biological age and intrinsic properties of connectives matter less for their mastery than general linguistic experience, as measured by vocabulary level and exposure to print.