2 Introduction

added here that in the vocabulary of unit 14 on leisure and tourism,

which is so wide-ranging, this is not the case, so that level 3 does
contain some material more appropriate to level 2, or even level 1. The
exercises do, however, show a clear progression.
There exists no progress in intellectual challenge from unit to unit
so that the professor, class or individual student may tackle, for
instance, unit 9 before unit 6. Unit 4 may be studied before unit 3.
There is no barrier here. It should be added that an attempt has been
made to establish a thematic progression over the twenty units, but this
does not constitute a rigid pattern, and it is conceivable that the order
of presentation of units may not hold the same attraction for everyone.
It should be further added that some subdivisions could appear in other
units. Should “Mathematics” appear in unit 9 (“Calculations”) or unit
16 (“Arts and Sciences”)? It appears in unit 9.
The lists offered are far from complete but do provide a general
indication of the kind of semi-specialized vocabulary that the
well-informed Spanish speaker has at his/her disposal. These lists may
be exploited in at least four ways. First, the learner should make a
serious and systematic effort to memorize the terms in any given list.
Second, (s)he should work through the exercises so that the vocabulary
lists become part and parcel of her/his intellectual apparatus, and
become second nature. Third, any given term should be studied with a
view to developing groups or families of words which are semantically
connected to the term originally studied. Fourth, any given term should
encourage the student to find further terms organically associated with
it. To take a simple example, it is not sufficient to recognize the verb
amar and then pass on to the next term. Amar should attract the
student’s attention to amor, amorı́o, amoroso, enamorarse and so on.
It may be argued that the inclusion of some vocabulary in level 1
requires too much of the student. Some slightly more advanced terms
do appear in level 1 in order to prompt the student to push beyond the
notion of hermetically sealed units. This is for two reasons. The first is
that, in his/her general reading (newspapers and magazines for
instance), advanced words and expressions will inevitably be
encountered. Second, the study of vocabulary is qualitatively different
from the study of grammar which relies on the progression of building
blocks. What is certain is that the generic term caballo, for example,
appears in level 1 while pingo, an Argentinian word often used in Es un
buen pingo, appears quite logically in a higher level. Numerous
decisions over the inclusion of some vocabulary in one level or another
have to be taken arbitrarily. It is evident, however, that the higher the
level the more technical the word, and that the ultimate criterion for
inclusion at any level is the alert and well-informed Spanish speaker’s
knowledge, and use of that knowledge, with respect to any term.
A helpful and even exciting feature of the book is the emphasis on
register, or level of language. For practical purposes, four levels have
been established, and these are indicated by R1∗ , R1, R2 and R3. R1∗
refers to vulgar usage, to be considered with care; R1 to colloquial