LEXIS SESSION 1
Brian Knight
A Brief Overview
One of the first things we learn in either our L1 or an L2 are words
- the lexis of a language.
Our personal association for the words we store in our minds depends on our
experience, culture and the surrounding environment among a host of other features.
This is also true for the concepts behind the words, especially the influence
of our cultural upbringing and heritage. Just think of a few words like:
crumpets
blackbirds
ravens
corn soup
frost
In other words, there is clearly a psychological dimension to lexis and its
corresponding lexical networks.
Linguists trying to find the associations of words from a linguistic point of
view have found lexical systems inherent in language, not in an individual's
psychology. TEFL has adopted these linguistically-based systems in order to
make the teaching and learning of lexis more systematic.
However, there is a growing feeling that we should allow vocabulary to grow
at the behest of the learners, not that of the teachers.
In other words we should put an emphasis on the psychological dimension of the
individual and exploit it in our approaches.
An exercise on the lexis of lexis.
Match each term (numbered) in the left hand column to its definition
(lettered) in the right hand column.
Think about that psychological dimension while you are doing this.
| 1. collocation | a. same spelling, different pronunciation (read / read (past)) |
| 2. synonym | b. word that is opposite in meaning |
| 3. antonym | c. classifying head word, e.g. animal: dog, cat |
| 4. homonym | d. technical or specialised words used by groups of people |
| 5. polysemy |
e. systematic means of examining sense relations, e.g.
boy: human - male - child; girl: human - female - child
|
| 6. homophone | f. bungalow, anorak |
| 7. homograph | g. process by which an item may be used in different parts of speech, yet does not change its form |
| 8. superordinate | h. words that go together (by accident, strong tea)grammatical collocations (infinitives) |
| 9. hyponym | i. e.g. cup and saucer, salt and pepper |
| 10. connotation | j. classifying examples of superordinates |
| 11. componential analysis | k. mixing words, e.g. ginormous brunch, smog |
| 12. complementaries (binary antonyms) | l. spelt differently but sounds the same |
| 13. slang | m. word spelt and pronounced like another word, but with a different meaning (left) |
| 14. jargon | n. affixation, compounding |
| 15. coinage | o. inventing a new word, e.g. internet |
| 16. borrowing | p. abbreviations, e.g. bus, fridge |
| 17. conversion / zero affixation | q. similar meanings (not always interchangeable) |
| 18. blending | r. associations, e.g. spinster: old |
| 19. clipping | s. informal words or phrases commonly used in speech |
| 20. derivation | t. one word but related in some way to others (head: person, pin, organisation) |
Now, check your answers here.
Presentation Techniques for New Vocabulary
Look at the following list of presentation techniques.
Which words would you teach with each technique?
Give an example for each.
Antonyms
Grammatical
Phonetics
Context and Guess
Guided Discovery
Realia
Dictionary
Hyponyms
Silent Way
Drawing
Lexical Sets
Situational
Example Sentences
Matching
Suggestopedia
Exemplification
Mime
Synonyms
Explanation
Morphology
Texts
Etymology
Pictures
Translation
Do you use any other ways of presenting new vocabulary?
Retention
How can we ensure that students retain, both short and long term, the vocabulary
we have presented?
Consider the following and discuss:
The role of testing
Helping students organise their notes
Planning cyclical work based on vocabulary content
Retention load and overload
Grouping Vocabulary
Look at the following groups of words and briefly explain the relationship
within each group.
a) vessel - ship - boat - freighter - liner - yacht - dinghy
b) walk - stagger - stride - hobble - stroll - march - hike
c) sleep - kip - slumber - nap - shuteye
d) hopeful - hopeless / drunk - sober / agree - disagree - agreeable - disagreeable / lock - unlock
e) signal - track - train - station - platform - locomotive - passenger
Consider how you would take account of such relationships in vocabulary work with a class at any level.