Vocabulary building

♥ The concept of Vocabulary :

Vocabulary is considered as the most important part in learning a language. Napa (1991:6) says that
vocabulary is one of the language components and that no language exists without words. Through this
statement it can be inferred that the more words we learn, the more ideas we could have, so we can
communicate the ideas more effectively. According to Hughes (2003:179) vocabulary supports
language skills such as listening, speaking, reading, and writing, and it must be mastered when
learning
♥The Benefits of Building Your Vocabulary:

-Gives you the ability to say what you mean.

-Helps you understand other people.
-Helps you understand what you read.
-Assists you in becoming a more informed and involved citizen.
-Bolsters your ability to grasp ideas and think more logically and incisively.
-Allows you to communicate effectively.
-Boosts your powers of persuasion.
-Helps you make a good impression on others.

♥Kinds of Vocabulary:
Haycraft, quoted by Hatch and Brown (1995),indicate two kinds of vocabulary, namely receptive
vocabulary and productive vocabulary.
a. Receptive Vocabulary:
Receptive vocabulary is words that learners recognize and understand when they are used in context,
but which they cannot produce. It is vocabulary that learners recognize when they see or meet in
reading text but do not use it in speaking and writing
b. Productive Vocabulary:
Productive vocabulary is the words that the learners understand and can pronounce correctly and use
constructively in speaking and writing .Therefore, productive vocabulary can be addressed as an active
process, because the learners can produce the words to express their thoughts to others (Stuart Webb,
2005).

♥Principles of learning and teaching vocabulary:

There are several general principles for successful teaching , which are valid for any method.
According to Wallace,1988 the principles are:
▪aim – what is to be taught, which words, how many
▪ need – target vocabulary should respond students’ real needs and interests
▪frequent exposure and repetition
▪ meaningful presentation – clear and unambiguous denotation or reference should be assured

Learning vocabulary is a complex process. The students’ aim in learning vocabulary process is
primarily their ability to recall the word and to recognize it in its spoken and written form.
That is, the abilities to know its (Harmer 1993):
▪ Meaning, i.e. relate the word to an appropriate object or context
▪ Usage, i.e. knowledge of its collocations, metaphors and idioms, as well as style and register (the
appropriate level of formality), to be aware of any connotations and associations the word might have
▪Word formation, i.e. ability to spell and pronounce the word correctly, to
know any derivations (acceptable prefixes and suffixes),
▪Grammar, i.e. to use it in the appropriate grammatical form

♥How words are remembered:

Unlike the learning of grammar, which is essentially a rule based system,vocabulary knowledge is
largely a question of accumulating individual items. It’s a question of memory. So, How does memory
work?
Researchers into the workings of memory distinguish between the following systems ( Thornbury)
● short– term memory ● working memory ● long– term memory
Short - term memory:
Short-term memory is the brain capacity to hold a limited number of items of information for periods
of time up to a few seconds. It is the kind of memory that is involved in repeating a word that you have
just heard the teacher modeling.
Working memory:
Working memory means focussing on word long enough to perform operations on them. It means
the information is manipulated via the senses from external sources and/or can be downloaded from
the long- term memory. It works a bit like audiotape going round and round again. It assures the short-
term memory to be kept refreshed. The better ability to hold words in working memory ,the smoother
the process of learning foreign languages is.
Long –term memory:
Unlike working memory, which has a limited capacity and no permanent content, long term memory
has an enormous capacity and its contents are durable over time. However, to ensure moving new
materials(words) into long-term memory requires number of principles to be followed, described by
Thornbury, 2002:
● Repetition ●Retrieval ●Spacing ● Pacing ● Use ●Cognitive depth ●Personal organising ●Imaging
●Mnemonics ●Motivation● Attention

The Techniques in Teaching Vocabulary :

The modern approach to vocabulary teaching gives a balanced responsibility to the teacher and the
learners on how to develop the word power of the target language
Here are some techniques of teaching vocabulary as stated by Brewster, Ellis, and Girard :
a-Using Objects : this includes the use of realia, visual aids, and demonstration.
b. Drawing :Objects can either be drawn on the blackboard or drawn on flash cards
c. Using Illustrations and Pictures: Pictures connect students’ prior knowledge to a new story, and in
the process, help them learn new words.
d. Contrast& similarity: Some words are easily explained to learners either by contrasting it with its
opposite( antonyms) or giving synonymes
e. Enumeration:This technique helps when any word is difficult to explain visually. We can say
"clothes" and explain this by enumerating or listing various items..
f. Mime, Expressions and Gestures:. This technique can’t only be used to indicate the meaning of a
word found in reading passage ,but also in speaking activity stressing communication
g. Guessing from Context : Nation and Coady (1988) claim that there are two types of contexts. The
first type is the context within the text, which includes morphological, semantic and syntactic
information ina specific text, while the second one is the general context, or non-textual context, which
is the background knowledge the reader has about the subjects being read.
j. Translation : such as when dealing with incidental vocabulary (Thornbury, 2002), checking
students’ comprehension, and pointing out similarities or differences between first and second
language, this technique can save a lot of time
Drilling : To make learners more familiar with the word, drilling should be clear and natural

Effective Approaches to Enlarge English Vocabulary :

Enlarging English vocabulary does not simply mean learning and remembering words and their meanings from a
vocabulary list or an English dictionary. It has its principles to comply with.
►Paying Attention to Culture Differences Loaded by Vocabulary
 students must always be ready to get familiar with the cultural information loaded by words so that they can use
the words appropriately for example,"Individualism" in China always means somebody is selfish, or self-
centered. It is a complete derogatory word; while in English spoken countries, it means independence, self-
reliance or originality
► Making Full Use of Context; The context often helps in understanding the particular meaning of the
word,or phrase,
► Enlarging EnglishVocabulary Through Collocation: learners should enlarge their vocabulary not
only with their meanings but also their collocations.
► Enlarging English Vocabulary Through Connotation: . Meaning varies according to the
expressions and phrases the word is placed in and the user’s feelings and situations he/she stands in. Thus, a word
has its connotative meanings .
Recommendations:
►Vocabulary skill should be taught to help students to use the language in real communication.
Furthermore, teachers should allot enough time for learners to work on vocabulary tasks .
► Teachers should implement diversified techniques of teaching vocabulary skills based on the
situation.
►students need to be aware that vocabulary activities are very important to develop their vocabulary
using skills. Moreover, teachers should design and create vocabulary tasks to make students more
competent and motivated in using different words of their own in real communications.
►Teachers should help their students to become empowered in the classroom to make them to feel
confident to participate spontaneously during EFL vocabulary activities
► Teachers should adopt a facilitator role that helps students to take control of their process of
vocabulary storage and use.
►Errors should be seen as a proof of students’ ongoing targeted skills development.
►Teachers should elicit appropriate vocabularies before engaging learners to work on some
vocabulary tasks in EFL classes.

Submitted and presented by Ahmed Faid and Youness Souabni