UNIVERSIDAD CATLICA DE TEMUCO

FACULTAD DE EDUCACIN
PEDAGOGIA EN INGLS
VKD2014

TEACHING VOCABULARY
MAIN ISSUES

2014

WHAT IS VOCABULARY?
VOCABULARY

all the words known

and used by a particular
person

Receptive/passive

Productive/active

all the words which exist

in a particular language
or subject

Vocabulary is the most important

aspect of language to teach
1. You can understand a reading text and make
yourself understood with almost no grammar at all

2. you cant get anywhere without vocabulary.

3. Vocabulary is more important than reading

strategies for understanding a text.
4. Vocabulary is the best measure of proficiency

WHAT IMPLIES KNOWING

VOCABULARY..?
FORM

PRONUNCIATION+
SPELLING
GRAMMAR

(Thornbury, 2002).

MEANING

DENOTATION
CONNOTATION

USE

COLLOCATIONS
APPROPIATENESSformality level,
context etc

HOW MANY WORDS ..?

ADVANCED LEARNERS8000
INFORMAL SPOKEN LANGUAGE..6000
TO FULLY UNDERSTAND A TEXT %
So.....Our students need to learn.

REASONS TEACHER HAVE FOR

TEACHING VOCABULARY

USEFUL FOR THE TOPICS

RELEVANT TO STUDENTSLIVES
INTERESTING TO STUDENTS
EASY TO LEARN
EASY TO TEACH

Learners cant acquire enough

vocabulary only through incidental
encounters
By picking up through extensive reading or
listening: learners appear to learn one new
word per 2,000 read - VERY slow!

So we need deliberate teaching and reteaching of new items. Penny Ur

How do you introduce new

vocabulary?
If you can introduce them in an interesting
and impactful way, learners are likely to
master them more quickly and find it more
enjoyable Penny Ur

PRESENTING VOCABULARY
Most of researchers agree that an item should
not be presented in isolation and should not
be learned through memorization.
Vocabulary items should be presented in
context rich enough to provide clue to
meaning and that students be given multiple
exposure to items they should learn. (CelceMurcia, 2001)

Any word..?

Its most important to teach the

commonest words
700 most common words make up 70% of text
Then in order to get up to 85% you need 2,500
(an extra 1,800)
And so on
Its vitally important to make sure that the
commonest items are mastered, and not to
spend too much time and energy on the ones
learners are unlikely to encounter very much.
Facts and figures taken from Penny Urs lectures

Every language has a set of this

Some Techniques
ILLUSTRATION:
This is very useful for more concrete words:
dog, rain, tall
and
for visual learners. It has its limits though, not
all items can be drawn.. Ex. Patience, hate.

MIME:
Best if used with action verbs and it can be
fun and memorable.
Run, kick, jump, look etc

Synonyms/Antonyms/Gradable items:
Using the words a students already knows can
be effective for getting meaning across.

DEFINITION:
Make sure that it is clear (maybe check in a
learner dictionary. Remember to ask questions
to check they have understood properly.

 Some principles

1. The Principle of Cognitive Depth:

The more one manipulates, thinks about, and
uses mental information, the more likely it is
that one will retain that information. In the
case of vocabulary

.the more one engages with a word

(deeper processing), the more likely
the word will be remembered for later
use (Schmitt 2000: 120).

2. The Principle of Retrieval:

The act of successfully recalling an item
increases the chance that the item will be
remembered. It appears that the retrieval
route to that item is in some way
strengthened by being successfully used
(Baddeley).

3. The Principle of Associations:

The human lexicon is believed to be a
network of associations, a web-like structure
of interconnected links.)

 When students are asked to manipulate

words, relate them to other words and to
their own experiences, and then to justify
their choices, these word associations are
reinforced (Skmen 1997

4. The Principle of Multiple

Encounters:
Due to the incremental nature of vocabulary
acquisition, repeated exposures are necessary
to consolidate a new word in the learners
mind (Schmitt & Carter 2000)