IV || The importance of vocabulary in language learning and how to be taught

Assalaamualaikum
Hello readers this is the next review of several components, especially about the next literature review of journal “The Importance of Vocabulary in Language Learning and How to be taught”.

Literature Review
- The Description of Vocabulary
   1. The definision of Vocabulary
   2.  Kinds of Vocabulary
   3. Vocabulary Mastery
- The Techniques of Teaching Vocabulary

Vocabulary is the total number of words that are needed to communicate ideas and express the speakers’ meaning. That’s the reason why it is important to learn vocabulary.

Here are the Kinds of Vocabulary

a.      Receptive Vocabulary, is words that learners recognize and understand when they are used in context, but which they cannot produce. (It’s vocabulary that learners recognize when they see or meet in reading text but don’t use in speaking and writing (Stuart Webb, 2005).

b.      Productive Vocabulary, is the words that the learners understand and can pronounce correctly and use constructively in speaking and writing

In order to understand the language, vocabulary mastery is needed to express our ideas and to able to understand other people’s sayings.

Vocabulary mastery is an individual’s great skill in using words of a language, which is acquired based on their own interest needs and motivation. Vocabulary mastery plays an important role in the four language skills and it has to be considered that vocabulary mastery is one of the needed components of language.

After knowing the definitions and kinds of vocabulary, the author then showed the results of his research to investigate the techniques used by an English teacher when presenting vocabulary meanings and forms.

The Techniques in Teaching Vocabulary

a.     Using Objects

Includes the use of realia, visual aids, and demonstration. They can be used to show meanings when the vocabulary consist of concrete nouns. Introducing a new word by showing the real object often helps learners to memorize the word through visualization.

b.   Drawing

Objects can either be drawn on the blackboard or drawn on flash card. They can help young learners easily understand and realize the main points that they have learned in the classroom.

c. Using Illustrations and Pictures

Illustration and pictures are excellent means of making the meaning of unknown words clear. They should be used as often as possible.

Nowadays many readers, vocabulary books and course books contain a vast number of attractive pictures that present the meaning of basic words. Visual support helps learners understand the meaning and helps to make the word more memorable.

d.   Contrast

Verb “contrast” means to show a difference. (e.g. “good” contrast with “bad”). However, learning about synonym also important because this is how dictionaries are organized.

e. Enumeration

An enumeration is a collection of items that is a complete, ordered listing of all of the items in that collection. This technique helps when any word is difficult to explain visual

      f. Mime, Expression, and Gesture

Learning vocabulary is not only for learn the meaning of a word in reading passage, but also in speaking activity as it stresses mostly on communication. Therefore, many words can be introduced through mime, expressions, and gestures. (E.g. to show how to express “happy” or “sad”).

 
g.  Guessing from Context
  In order to use technique of guessing a written or spoken text, there should be four elements available such as the reader, the text, unknown words, and clues of the text including some knowledge about guessing. This technique encourages learners to take risk and guess the meanings of words they do not know as much as possible.

h.  Eliciting

Giving simple pupils a list of words to learn.

i. Translation

This technique effective for teachers, such as when dealing incidental vocabulary (Thombury, 2002), checking students comprehension, and pointing out similarities or difference between first and second language (Takac, 2008).

That's  all.

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