Abstract:

Vocabulary learning is a central component of second-language acquisition, yet the cognitive mechanisms underlying word retention remain insufficiently explored. Meaning is often considered the fundamental point of cognitive semantic theory. Within this perspective, cognitive semantics examines how language shapes the cognitive processes of the human mind. It emphasizes that meaning does not arise solely from linguistic structures, but is closely linked to human experiences, perceptions, and mental representations. This study investigates how story-based language learning influences the representation and recall of lexical items in plurilingual learners. Drawing on conceptual semantics and cognitive lexical semantics, we examined how words are mentally organized, connected to concepts, and integrated into meaningful narrative contexts. Fifty-two first-year medical students studying at Jessenius Faculty of Medicine Comenius University in Martin, Slovakia (JFM) participated in the present study where they memorized and recalled target words in Slovak and English. Short-term memory (STM) performance was analyzed to assess how narrative contexts enhance mental representation and conceptual integration of vocabulary. Results indicate that embedding words in coherent stories significantly (p<0.05) improves recall compared to isolated word lists, highlighting the role of meaningful conceptual frameworks in language processing. There was also statistically significant difference between the word recall success in both languages for STM. In this way, words act as potent catalysts for mental images, enabling the brain to transform linguistic information into visual, auditory, or sensory representations. These findings support the view that vocabulary retention is not solely a matter of repetition but depends on the activation of mental representations and conceptual networks, underscoring the importance of cognitively informed instructional strategies in plurilingual education.

Keywords:

Pluringual students, English language acquisition, English for Medical Purposes, Short-term-memory, Cognitive lexical semantics, Neuro-cognitive processes.