Explaining the meaning of new words

Basic rules and tips for teachers

Outline

• Basic Rules• Ways to present vocabulary • Basic Rules. Using Context• Grammar tricks• What a student may need to know about an

item

Basic rules

• The second language (L2) mental lexicon must be independent of its first language (L1) counterpart:– learners do not access their L2 lexicon by means

of translating and so can save processing time while improving their fluency and

– L1 does not interfere and so the target language produced is more native-like.

Basic rules

• Fixed expressions or sentence frames, which is impossible to acquire on productive level

• These items cannot be efficiently accessed through the process of translating from L1 to L2.

• True also for some collocations or discourse markers.

Ways to present vocabulary

• Illustration

• Mime

• Synonyms/Antonyms/Gradable items

• Definition

• Translation

• Context

Basic rules. Using Context.

• Use context to explain the meaning.• Give students plenty of time to study the word

in the contexts.• Discuss the meaning in plenary.• Provide a phonological model.• Provide a prompt - to elicit use of the word in a

natural way.• Set up a simulation, providing students with the

chance to say the word in a natural situation.

Grammar tricks

• The ability to grow• Borrowing• Affixation• Coinage• Onomatopoeia and reduplicatives• Acronyms• Clipping• Blending

What a student may need to know about an item

• What it means

• The form

• How it is pronounced

• How it is spelt

• If it follows any unpredictable grammatical patterns

• The connotations that the item may have

• The situations when the word is or is not used

• How the word is related to others

• Collocation or the way that words occur together

• What the affixes (the prefixes and suffixes) may indicate about the meaning

References

• http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/articles/seven-steps-vocabulary-learning

• http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/articles/context-developing-activities

Thank you for your attention!