Can objective second language (L2) ages of acquisition (AoA) surpass subjective L2 AoA? Quantifying and comparing objective and subjective L2 AoA for 3500 + L2 English words

The present study complemented the extant second language (L2) Age of Acquisition (AoA) normative database by providing over 3500 English L2 words on objective AoA and over 2600 English L2 words on subjective AoA. The correlation between the objective and subjective L2 AoA confirmed the validity of the present database. The objective L2 AoA was related to body-object interaction, word frequency, and semantic diversity. Concreteness, valence, and word frequency also predicted both objective and subjective L2 AoA. The results supported the integrated account that AoA effect is dependent on both semantic and lexical factors. However, when both subjective and objective L2 AoA are considered as predictors for lexical decision performance, it is subjective L2 AoA rather than objective L2 AoA that can predict the reaction time and accuracy rate of L2 lexical decision. The availability of this database provided L2 researchers with an enhanced tool to investigate and understand the role of AoA in L2 word processing.