Teaching Vocabulary in English

Vocabulary means the stock of words used in a language.

Vocabulary differs from person to person.

A word is a living thing, as it were, and not a museum

specimen dead and set in a fixed pose'.

​ verybody expresses his thoughts in his own way. For

E
this purpose, he makes use of some words. In the words
"Words are like bottles that contain ideas just as bottles
contain medicines. The thing that is important for us in
'words' is the ideas that they embody and not their
sounds or shapes when written or printed. They only exist
for what they contain.

It is an admitted fact that our school going children and

college students are quite deficient in vocabulary.

Frisby has pointed out, "It is obvious that if we do not

know the words of a language, we cannot speak the
language. On the other hand, learning a language does
not mean merely leading the words and substituting those
words for the corresponding words in our own language."
 English language has a vast vocabulary. It is not possible
for us to learn all the words of this language. We have
to depend upon a list of selected words. We need those
words very often in speech, reading and writing. So the
minimum number of words i.e.,
3000 are very essential for acquiring mastery over the
four aspects of English language. This list of words is
termed as the Foundation Vocabulary. Types of
Vocabulary Fundamentally speaking, there are two types
of vocabulary.

Types of Vocabulary

1. ​Working Vocabulary.
Working vocabulary is the stock of words which we use in
our daily life. It is related to our environment. We have
experiences in our environment.

We express our activities by using some words. There

are many words which we use very actively. Whatever we
want to say, we use some words again and again. The list
of those words which are actively used by us is known as
active vocabulary. It is also called the working
vocabulary.

2​. Recognition Vocabulary

It is also called passive vocabulary. There are many
words which are not used by a person though he has the
knowledge of those words. This type of vocabulary
remains in the unconscious mind.

These words are rarely used by the person. Whenever

those words come before the person, he is able to
recognise them well. That is why it is called recognition
vocabulary.

A ​Comparative View

Active vocabulary of one person differs from the active

vocabulary of the other person. There are some words
which are actively used by a person and those very words
may not be used actively by the other person. Thus the
active vocabulary of a person can be the passive
vocabulary of the other and vice-versa.

Characteristics of Vocabulary The following are the

characteristics of Vocabulary :

1. Active vocabulary varies from person to person

2. Vocabulary increases with the exerience.

. ​VOCABULARY AT THE EARLY STAGES OF LANGUAGE

LEARNING
At the early stages of language learning, the child has
limited knowledge. His area of living and hence his
experiences are very much limited. But he starts learning
the language.

Learning of the Vocabulary in English language will take

place in a better way if he starts the structure by using
limited vocabulary.

This type of practice should continue till he is able to

have command over some basic structures. Then in higher
classes, he is expected to have more reading and writing
practice. So at that level more emphasis should be laid
on vocabulary and comparatively less emphasis on the
structures. At that stage, the learner should be
acquainted with as many words as possible. Thus
recognition vocabulary should be extended considerably.

KINDS OF WORDS

1. ​Function Words.

These words have no meanings of their own. But they

can be used in utterances to signal grammatical
relationship. They are also called structural words. They
are very simple to look at but it is quite difficult when
they are taken up for teaching purposes​.
For example ; auxiliaries (may, will),
preposition (on, to, up),
conjunctions (when, whether),
the articles (a, an, the),
degree words (more, most)
interrogative particles (who, whose),
the generalising particle (ever) and
special uses of there, it, one.

2. ​Content Words.
The chief item of vocabulary of a language
is the content words. They stand for things,
actions and qualities. They are words that
have meanings by themselves.

​ or example, book, table (things)

F
sit, sleep (actions) ; flood,
beautiful (qualities) etc.

Edward Sapir says, " .if language is to be satisfactory

means of communication.. .we must have objects, actions,
qualities to talk about and these must have their
compounding symbols in independent words.

Three Types of Content Words

 Class I Words :
The words (N)

(i) Simple form of nouns such as pen, book, table, etc.

​(ii) Compound forms such as football, book-shop.
​(iii) Action words used in grammatical structure as thing
words. Nouns made of verbs such as failure, discovery,
decision etc.
(iv) Quality words used in grammatical structures as thing
words. Nouns made of adjectives such as goodness,
truth, happiness etc.

​ lass II Words : Action Words (Verb)

C
(i) Simple form of verbs such as run, play, etc.
​(ii) Compound form of verbs such as run out, play with
etc.
iii) Thing words used in grammatical structures as action
words. Verbs made out of nouns such as enjoy, entitle,
(iv) Quality words used in grammatical structures as
action words. There are verbs made out of adjectives.
For example, weaken, beautify etc​.

Class III Words :

Quality words (Adjectives)
 (​ i) Simple form of adjectives such as true, good, bad
etc
. ​(ii) Thing words used in grammatical structures as
quality words. They are adjectives made from nouns.
For example, lovely, rainy etc.

(​ iii) Action words used in grammatical structures as

quality words. They are adjectives made out of verbs.
For example, suitable, written etc.

In English we find that there are a large number of

words. If we want to understand the meaning of a
particular word very clearly, we shall have to see the
context and situation in used. We cannot get the real
meaning by taking up the words in isolation. It is all the
more important to notice that there are different kinds
of meanings .

DIFFERENT TYPES OF MEANINGS

The students should know it very well that apart from
dictionary meaning, there are other meanings of words.
In all, there are five kinds of meanings which are
discussed here under :

1. Lexical Meaning.
​By lexical meaning we mean the meaning of words as
given in the dictionary.
Suppose we want to understand the sentence :
The beautiful girl married the ugly boy.

' The dictionary tells us that the girl and the boy are
beings, the word 'marry' shows the specific action and
the words beautiful' and 'ugly' indicate the qualities.
Dictionary gives us only this much of understanding.
It does not tell us whether 'beautiful' refers to the
quality of boy or girl.

2. ​Syntactical Meaning​.

Syntactical meaning is indicated by word order in a

sentence. We come to know the position of words. They
help us to have understanding of the sentence. For
example, in the sentence referred above, we know that
the girl is beautiful and the boy is ugly. The beautiful
girl comes before the verb 'marry', so we get the idea
that the beautiful girl performed the action and not the
boy.

3. Morphological Meaning.

Morphological meaning is indicated by the form of the

word. The form of the word 'girl' (as Vocabulary in
English against girls) and the form of the word 'boy' (as
against boys) tells us that there was only one boy and
one girl. Again the word 'married' shows that the action
was performed in the past and not in the present or in
the future as will be the case if 'marries' or 'will marry'
are used.

4. Intonational Meaning.
Meanings of the words or sentences also depend upon the
way they are spoken. The word 'fire' can be spoken in
two ways.
By using
​(i) Falling intonation
(ii) Rising intonation.

If we use the falling intonation, the word 'fire' gives us

a warning that there is blaze, but if we use the rising
intonation, it seems to ask a question whether there is a
really fire.

5. Cultural Meaning.
Cultural meaning is taken from the knowledge of
background experience of the life of the speakers. It
also helps us a good deal in understanding a sentence very
thoroughly. Here is an interesting example of a change
that is now taking place in U.S.A.

specifically. It relates to their culture alone. The use of

the word 'bad' is taking up a new meaning. That was a
bad movie'-they say it with an extra stress on the word
'bad'. In this sentence, if taken in the cultural context
in which it is developing, the world 'bad' actually means
very good. So while speaking this sentence, the person is
actually saying. That was a very good movie'. Spoken
outside the cultural area of U.S.A., people would
understand the sentence to mean the movie was not good,
but in this cultural situation the meaning is different.

POLICY OF PICK-AND-CHOOSE IN VOCABULARY

Leaming a language does not mean mastery over the whole
of vocabulary. In fact, nobody can learn all the words of
a language. Even the editor of a dictionary does not know
all the words of the language. Every learner has to
depend upon the policy of pick and choose. For different
stages of learning a language, vocabulary has to be
selected.
During these five years they are expected to learn
about 3000 words as suggested by the experts of the
language. The following are the principles on which the
selection of vocabulary is based:-

PRINCIPLES FOR THE SELECTION OF VOCABULARY​ ​1.

Usefulness of a word.

Words which are useful for the learners should be

selected. There are some words which are not useful at
the immediate moment. That type of words should be
kept for other times which the learner can pick up at the
later stages. For example, the word 'write' is useful at
every stage of school​.

2. Frequency of a Word.

While selecting words, it should be seen how much

popular a particular word is. Another thing is that it
should be seen how frequently that word is to be used by
the learners.
For example the words 'work', 'play' will have very high
frequency in the classrooms.

3. ​Structural Value of a Word.

There are sorme words which have more structural value

than others. Those words help a good deal in the
construction of sentences. That type of words should be
given preference for selection. For example, the word
'and' has a very high structural value.

4​. Universality of a Word.

Those words which are selected Pinoys every where and
they remain important for all times to come. For
example, the words 'War and Peace' may not be taken up
at early stages but the students will leam these words
sooner or later because they are of universal
significance. of universal significance. That type of words
are important

5. ​Range of Applicability.

While selecting words, it should be seen in how many

different situations a word can be used. Those words
which have more range of applicability should be selected.
For example, the word 'meal' has wider range than
breakfast, lunch or dinner.

6​. Productivity of a Word.

There are some words out of which more words can be

produced by means of prefixes and suffixes. Such words
have more productivity than others and so they should be
selected. For example, the word 'man has more
productivity as we can have words like manly, unmanly,
manliness, manhood by adding prefixes.

7​. Regional Value of a Word.

While selecting words, it should be seen for which

particular region they are being selected. There are some
words which are popular in one region only. Such words
should be included in the list of words meant for that
region. And those words should not be selected for that
region whose knowledge is not required there. For
example the word 'sector' has its regional value in
Chandigarh area and not in remote areas of the country.

Thus on the basis of the above said principles, the words

are selected. Then comes the question of presenting them
to the learners. First of all they will have to be placed in
order of teachability.
This process is called GRADATION. It is done on the
basis of some principles which are given ahead :

PRINCIPLES FOR THE GRADATION OF VOCABULARY​ ​1.

Simplicity.

Out of the selected words, the most simple words should

come first, then the difficult ones and thereafter the
more difficult ones.

2. Immediate Utility

Those words which have their utility for the child at the
immediate moment should be taken up first. The words
which are useful at later stages should be kept for other
times.

3.Structural Value.
 A word which has more structural value for the learners
should be taken up first. And the words having less
structural value for the leamer should come afterwards.
4. Teachability. There are some words which can be
taught more easily as compared to others. That type of
words should be taken up first and other words may be
placed afterwards.

METHODS OF TEACHING WORDS

A number of methods can be used for teaching new words

to the learners. Some of them are briefly discussed here
below :-

1. By Showing Actual Objects.

Words which can be taught by showing actual objects

should be taught that way. For example, the words
'Fan', 'Window can be taught to the students by showing
the actual objects. This method is quite useful for the
lower classes as it brings variety and life into the
classroom situations.

2. By Performing Actions.

There are some words whose actions can be performed.

For example walking, writing, jumping etc. That type of
words should be taught by actions. Thus there is activity
in the class and the students also love to learn those
words by that way.

3. By Showing Models.

Sometimes the actual objects are not available. In that

case, their models can be shown to the leamers and thus
the words can be taught. For example when we want to
teach the words camel, cat, elephant etc. their models
can be shown to the learners and thus those words can
be taught.

​4. By Using Charts and Pictures.

A chart or a picture can be prepared for certain

words-may be nouns or action words. Some situations can
also be created with the help of charts and pictures. In
this way a sentence or group of words can be made clear
to the learners.

5. By Using a Black-Board.

Black-Board is the best type of aid for teaching

purposes. If the teacher is an expert in drawing, in that
case pictures can be drawn on the black-board. That way
some of the words can be taught to the students.
6. By Creating Verbal Situations.

Sometimes it so happens that for some words, visual

situations are not possible. In that case verbal situations
are created.

For example ;
we want to teach the word 'forget'. The teacher may
speak the names of the student-
'Your name is Ram. Your name is Mohan.
Your name is x. 1 forget'. When this type of verbal
situation is before the students, they will be able to
understand that word.

7. By Using Mother Tongue.

When all sorts of devices fail for teaching a particular

word, it is rather advisable that the teacher should tell
the meaning of the word in mother tongue.

8. By Associations.

The new words may be associated with the old ones

which the child has already learnt. It can be done by
asking antonyms, synonyms, past tense, gender etc. as
the case may be. For example while teaching the word
'bad', the teacher may ask. "What is the opposite of
'good' ? Here it will be presumed that the students
already know the word 'good'.
Use of Dictionary

Teaching-learning of a langauge needs a lot of

improvement. The way it is conducted in the classrooms,
not good. The teacher teaches the language and then the
students learn it. When the teacher does not teach, the
students do not learn. They don't try even to learn at
their own. There is a sort of spoon feeding of the
learners.

This is a wrong habit of learning. This must be checked.

The teacher should inculcate among the students the
right type of attitudes and help them have good habits of
learning. Self-learning is the best habit.

The teacher should help the learners learn by that way.

In the learning of a foreign language, the student is
often confronted with the problem of understanding. The
student reads some material and is unable to understand
it.

On scrutinizing further, the learner feels that if the

meaning of some words were known to him, he could
understand the subject matter well. Meaning of difficult
words can be known by consulting the dictionary.

Dictionary is a never failing friend of the learner. It

helps the learner in solving the problems of meanings. A
good dictionary also teaches him many other things such
as noun, verb, adverb-its forms, conjungation etc. Even
for teaching stress, correct pronunciation, dictionary
helps.

Advantages of Consulting a Dictionary

A student becomes a better learner of the language.

2. The learner becomes good in spellings.
3. It improves the knowledge of grammar.
4. It creates a good habit of self learning.
5. Knowledge of stress is acquired by the learners.
6. It expands vocabulary of the students.
7. It helps in the improvement of pronunciation.
8. And above all, it gives a lot of confidence to the
student and he becomes self reliant.

USE OF THESAURUS

A thesaurus is the opposite of a dictionary.

It is needed by the student when he/she has the meaning
in mind but the exact word is escaping.

Surely keeping the thesaurus at the desk of the learner

will help him in every situational need. This is also a step
towards self learning by the student.
Why should the student always remain on the lookout for
the teacher's personal help or guidance ?

The teacher should, in fact, play such a role during

teaching that he should equip the learners with this type
of self learning habits.

That way then, the student makes progress and marches

ahead fully inspired and self- motivated. This is the sure
way to help the student learn English well.

A Thesaurus makes a person think more and more.

Suppose we have got a word with the help of a
thesaurus. With that word, the person may become
happy first but after some time it makes the person
think of finding out another word.

Advantages Using a thesaurus has the following

advantages :

(1) It expands and enriches the vocabulary of the

student.

(2) It helps the learner have mastery of language.

(3) It helps him to find out synonyms or antonyms of any

word.
(4) It helps him to find out suitable word to express
some ideas.

(5) It provides new ideas on any given subject. Thus we

find that a dictionary and a thesaurus are very good
tools in the hands of learners of English. With their help
the learner can learn English well. Only the right use
of the tool helps in the achievement of the desired goal.

A good learner keeps this type of tool at his disposal and

does not allow them to go beyond control.