Name : IRMAN FATONI SRN : 2211410031 Idiom-based Lexical Studies

CHAPTER 11 Implications for Learning and Teaching: Theory and Practice

This chapter will briefly consider what the measurements of vocabulary reported in this book can tell us about the theories which underpin our understanding of language learning and especially vocabulary learning. In particular, it looks at: The way words are stored in the mental lexicon. The frequency model that underpins so much vocabulary testing. The role of individual variation. It will also consider what these measurements might mean for the practice of teaching vocabulary. Vocabulary Storage and the Definition of a Word for Testing The most widely used vocabulary tests we have tend to draw on lists of single words that have been lemmatized or reduced to word families. These words can be tested in isolation or in context, receptively or productively. But the assumption is that if we test one form of a word, then the learners are likely to know other forms of a word within the same learners really handle and store words. Vocabulary Frequency as a Model for Learning The second assumption that underpins the measurements we have of vocabulary learning, is that learners are especially sensitive to the frequency of words and that this will be reflected in the way words are added to the L2 lexicon. Successful learners, it seems, employ strategies, like link word systems to aid memory, but also create their own opportunities for exposure and repetition; even if it is no more than repeating and learning wordlists. Evidence suggests this can be a very successful way to develop a sizable L2 lexicon. How Much do Learners Vary in the Vocabulary They Learn? A third assumption that has underpinned discussion in this book is that all learners are pretty much the same and will follow the same kinds of processes in language learning. We assume that all learners will be better able to learn repeated materials. Sometimes, learners still come up with very different vocabulary learning outcome. Some learners make a huge progress and others do not. The reason may be learners are differently motivated. We have some evidence that different aptitudes can predispose learners to acquire subtly different types of vocabulary. Aptitude is broken down into 4 sub-elements. 1. Phonemic Coding ability 2. Grammatical Sensitivity 3. Inductive Language Learning Ability 4. Rote Learning Ability The volumes of vocabulary learned could be the same, but the nature of the vocabulary known could vary considerably from one individual to another. It appears that differences in aptitude

can influence the nature of vocabulary that is learned. These results suggest that different learning strengths and styles really can influence the foreign language vocabulary that learners acquire in class, and that this effect is particularly noticeable in the degree to which vocabulary in the first two 1000 word frequency bands is learned. Learners can vary in other ways. One is the way in which learners develop automaticity in the use of the foreign language. Second is individuals can vary in the speed and automaticity with which they read and recognize words is their L1, and this has the effect of undermining attempts to make food use of measurements of automaticity in L2 learning. Individual Variation and the Dimension of Vocabulary Depth A further aspect of individual variation already touched upon in Chapter 6 is the way individuals handle word associations. This has implications for the way we view word knowledge in the L2 learner and the importance of developing vocabulary depth in addition to vocabulary breadth. The assumption underlying the organization of the lexicon in L2 learners is that it is quantitatively and qualitatively different from that of native speakers, and that as the learner grows in competence, knowledge, and skill, the lexicon will become more native-like. This tells us something about how we should view this dimension vocabulary depth. Individual Variation, Age and Word Difficulty Learners will vary in terms of their age and cognitive development. Very young learners and adult learners have the differences in the degree of literateness they possess. Adult learners of a foreign language will be skilled and experienced readers who are able to use strategies such as predicting ideas and words that will occur in a text and recognizing words by shape rather than by spelling. Young learners will be very different and will be far less fluent both in word recognition and moving from word to meaning. It seems inevitable that these two types of learner will process, learn and store words very differently. Implications for the Practice of Teaching Vocabulary A goal of measuring vocabulary uptake and progress must be to feed information back into the learning and teaching process so that the time spent on these activities can be optimized. The principle lesson that emerges from the study of vocabulary learning in foreign languages is that learners need to learn lots of vocabulary if they are to achieve any level of independent communicability. Successful learners, and by implication good courses, manage to organize the acquisition of vocabulary so that it is learned in regular amounts over extended periods of time. It is a standard of good teaching practice that both the spoken and written forms of new words should be presented to learners and the evidence of real learners show how important both phonological and orthographic word form knowledge is for success in later examination. Conclusion These considerations have suggested that the more we understand of the vocabulary learning process, the more important is seems to be to the whole of the language learning process. Below are some measurements of vocabulary have suggested: 1. Vocabulary might also have an important role to play in language assessment, as growth in vocabulary is a principal factor in the development of communication skills. 2. The importance of corpora and frequency studies both learning and in the design of tests with some confidence what vocabulary knowledge groups of learners will possess after certain amounts of language input or at specified levels of performance.

3. Measurements of vocabulary have challenged some of the dimensions we have used to try to conveniently characterize vocabulary knowledge. 4. The process of measuring vocabulary learning allows us to be fairly sure that this is a requirement of language learning success. We also have some idea on how the words might optimally be presented to learners and how they have to be engaged with in order to expedite learning.