Definition
of Vocabulary
Vocabulary
is the study of the meanings of words. Many words have several different meanings each,
study the meanings of the words and the part of speech. Study the words in context;
apply what you learn by writing sentences with your words.
Vocabulary is important
Vocabulary is vital to communicating
with others and understanding what one is reading. We know that information is
known to everyone, but acknowledging it instead of taking it for granted adds
important goals to child's list of basic skills to master.
“Without grammar very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed”
“If you spend most of your time studying grammar, your English
will not improve very much. You will see most improvement if you learn more
words and expressions. You can say very little with grammar, but you can say
almost anything with words!” (David Wilkins).
Vocabulary Item Is Difficult
There are
some factors that make some words more difficult than others:
- Pronunciation
Research shows that words that are difficult to pronounce are more
difficult to learn. Potentially difficult words will typically be those that
contain sounds that are unfamiliar to some groups of learners, such as regular
and lorry for Japanese speakers. Many learners find that words with clusters of
consonants, such as strength or crisps or breakfast, are also problematic.
- Spelling
Sound-spelling mismatches are likely to be the cause of errors,
either of pronunciation or of spelling, and can contribute to a word’s difficulty.
While most English spelling is fairly law-abiding, there also some glaring
irregularities. Words that contain silent letters are particularly problematic:
foreign, listen, headache, climbing,
bored, honest, cupboard, muscle, etc.
- Length and complexity
Long words seem to be no more difficult to learn than short ones.
But, as a rule of thumb, high frequency words tend to be short in English, and
therefore the learner is likely to meet them more often, a factor favouring
their ‘learnability’. Also, variable stress in polysyllabic words – such as in
word families like necessary, necessity and necessarily – can add to their difficulty.
- Grammar
Also problematic is the grammar associated with the word,
especially if this differ from that of its L1 equivalent. Spanish learners of
English, for example, tend to assume that explain follows the same pattern as
both Spanish explicar and English tell, and say he explained me the lesson.
Remembering whether a verb like enjoy,
love, or hope is followed by an infinitive (to swim) or an –ing form (swimming)
can add to its difficulty. And the grammar of phrasal verbs is particularly
troublesome: some phrasal verbs are separable (she looked the word up) but others are not (she looked
after the children).
- Meaning
When two words overlap in meaning, learners are likely to confuse
them. Make and do are a case in point: you make
breakfast and make an appointment,
but you do the housework and do a questionnaire. Words with multiple
meanings, such as since and still, can also be troublesome for
learners. Having learned one meaning of the word, they may be reluctant to
accept a second, totally different, meaning. Unfamiliar concepts may make a
word difficult to learn. Thus, culture specific items such as words and
expressions associated with the game cricket (a sticky wicket, a hat trick, a good innings) will seem fairly
opaque to most learners and are unlikely to be easily learned.
- Range, connotation and idiomaticity
Words that can be used in a wide range of contexts will generally
be perceived as easier than their synonyms with a narrower range. Thus put is a very wide-ranging verb,
compared to impose, place, position,
etc. Likewise, thin is a safer bet
than skinny, slim, slender. Words
that have style constraints, such as very informal words (chuck for throw, swap for exchange), may cause problems.
Uncertainty as to the connotations of some words may cause problems too. Thus, propaganda has negative connotations in
English, but its equivalent may simply mean publicity.
On the other hand, eccentric does not
have negative connotations in English, but its nearest equivalent other
languages may mean deviant. Finally,
words or expressions that are idiomatic (like make up your mind, keep an eye on …) will generally be more
difficult than words whose meaning is transparent (decide, watch). It is their idiomaticity, as well as their
syntactic complexity, that makes phrasal verbs so difficult.
The Reason Why We Forget Words
As a rule, forgetting is rapid at first, but gradually slows down.
This is true in both the short term (e.g. from lesson to lesson) and in long
term (e.g. after a whole course). It has been estimated that up to 80 per cent
of material is lost within 24 hours of initial learning, but that then the rate
of forgetting levels out. And a study of learners’ retention of a foreign
language over an extended period showed that in the absence of opportunities to
use the language, rapid forgetting occurred in the first three or four years
after instruction, but then leveled out, with very little further loss, even up
to 50 years later.
Forgetting may be caused both by interference from subsequent
learning and by insufficient recycling. With regard to interference, most
teachers will be familiar with the symptoms of ‘overload’, when the price for
learning new language items is the forgetting of old ones. This seems to be
particularly acute if words are taught that are very similar to recently
acquired words. The new words have the effect of ‘overwriting’ the previously
learned material.
The Ways to Memorizing Vocabulary
Memorizing vocabulary words is part of basic and ongoing
education. Both children and adults alike benefit from expanding their
vocabulary. It helps when trying to articulate a complicated subject, doing
advanced reading and even in everyday conversation. The hard part is trying to
memorize the vocabulary words. Sometimes, certain exercises can help people put
words and their definitions together.
1.
Repetition
Copying your vocabulary words and their
definitions onto a sheet of paper repeatedly until you remember the words and
their meanings is one way to memorize them. Another memory trick using
repetition is to create flash cards with your vocabulary words and definitions
and use the cards every day until you have them memorized. Also, try using your
vocabulary words in written sentences. Write one sentence per vocabulary word
each day until you have memorized your words. As well, repeat the word in your
head as often as possible.
2.
Use in Conversation
Sometimes, we learn a vocabulary word and then
forget it, because we do not put it to use. In order to remember vocabulary
words longer, learn their definitions and their pronunciations, and then use
them in everyday conversations. The action of saying them aloud in an everyday
context should help the words become a part of your vocabulary. Try not to
force the use of the words or misuse them.
3.
Study before bedtime
It is best to study your vocabulary before
bedtime, so the words and definitions are in your mind when you fall asleep.
Read the words and definitions by themselves and in context while you fall
asleep. This will help get what you are learning to stick in your mind firmly.
4.
Say it Aloud
While studying your vocabulary words, read them
and their definitions aloud. Spell the words aloud, and speak them in sentences
while you are studying. When a word becomes part of your vocabulary, you are
able to access it for speaking and writing, so do both activities with words
you are trying to learn.
5.
Visualization
Visualizing the context of vocabulary words can
help you memorize them. For example, when trying to learn the word
"run," picture someone running. Use mental images that are familiar
to you to form a visualization of the word. For example, the word "calamity"
is a synonym for disaster. Associate the word with a disaster you have
experienced in your life or that you have witnessed on television. Picture the
event, and repeat the word calamity in your head. Once you make the visual
association, it will become easier to access the word calamity for similar
events.
Technique in Teaching Vocabulary
Building up vocabulary in children helps ensure that they come
across as smart and focused in future conversations (especially interviews).
1. Pre-teaching
Introduce your children to new
vocabulary by using pre-teaching techniques. Teach them about unfamiliar words
in a book before reading it to them. Determine which words in the text are
unfamiliar to your child. Define and discuss these words with her. Go into full
detail about the meanings behind the words. This helps the child understand
their connotations and direct meanings. You can also observe how your child
understands the words by going over them with him. Have your child read the
text after going over the words.
2. Repeated Exposure
After teaching your child new
vocabulary, be sure to keep using it around her as often as possible. Use the
words in sentences when talking with your child. Use them when you are not
talking directly to your child, but around her. Find any opportunity to use the
new words. Have your child write down the words on paper and use them in
sentences weekly. This reinforces the new words in her head, ensuring she will
remember them down the line.
3. Keyword Method
Similar to pre-teaching, the
keyword method introduces new words from a text prior to reading it. Rather
than teaching your child the definitions, however, you will give him word
clues. These could be portions of the word definitions, images strongly
associated with the words or anything that strongly correlates to the words.
Keywording fosters a cognitive link to the words and their meanings that the
child can use while reading the text.
4. Root Analysis
Teach your child the most common roots, prefixes and suffixes in
the English language. For example, the root word "port" means
"to carry." Attaching "ex," a prefix meaning out, gives us
the word "export," meaning "to carry out." Discuss how root
words are used in common words. Teaching your child a word's root can help her
understand its meaning. Have your child practice locating roots in other words
as well.
