How to learn vocabulary quickly?
031066 Emi Takahashi
Introduction
We have learned English until junior high, after we can more communicate in English
we need more wide vocabulary skill. We can’t learn so many words so quickly. How
should we learn vocabulary quickly?
1. How many words we should learn?
It is obvious that in order to learn a foreign language, one needs to learn many many words.
But how many? Educated English native speakers have a vocabulary of about
20,000-25,000 word families (A 'word family' refers to a group of words that share the same
basic meaning e.g. create, creation, creating, created, creative etc), foreign learners of
English need far fewer[1].The speaking vocabulary is usually said to be half of the reading
and writing vocabulary. Foreign learners of English only need about 3000-5000 word
families to be quite competent in speaking and listening to English. This is great news for
learners of English because their task is much easier than that of native speakers!
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◎How should we learn words each word families?
0-500 word families
500-1000 word families
1000-2000 word
2000-5000 word families
5000+ word families
families
Speaking
Very difficult and often not
Mostly incomplete
Daily conversation
Daily conversation with
Can speak well on
even attempted. Mostly one
sentences and some
with difficulty, mostly
some
most topics. Some
word sentence of a maximum
original constructions
broken. A few
ease. Unpredictable
vocabulary problems
of about 4 words. Some set
but still a lot of non-
complete sentences
conversation is difficult
in specialist areas.
phrases and memorized
verbal communication.
but characterized by
especially abstract topics.
Able to mingle with
chunks of language are use
Communication is
poor word choice.
May feel lost especially
natives with relative
but in disconnected speech.
broken while the learner
Mostly transactional
when listening in to a
ease, but may on
Gesture and reliance on
searches for words. Some
language is used.
natives' conversation.
occasions will lose
visual support are main
questions can be formed
Beginnings of ability
Constant need to ask for
the thread or feel
communication strategy. The
but often after several
to speak freely but
clarifications or to check
overawed. Need to
speaker 'hopes' the listener
attempts. Very poor word
often hesitatingly
one's understanding.
occasionally ask for
will understand by speaking
choice. Most questions
even on familiar
Collocation and
clarifications.
in remembered words or
are formulaic. Able to
subjects.
idiomaticity is a problem.
phrases rather than
respond to predictable
Self-correction is
sentences. Avoidance of
direct questions often
common. Questions
partially known forms is a
after being prompted.
sometimes go beyond
major strategy.
Avoidance of verbs and a
the formulaic and
preference for pronouns
predictable. Many
and nouns to convey
errors when
meaning. Some
producing
capacity to correct lexical
collocations.
errors.
Listening
Very little of natural speech
The language still seems
Most words are
Comprehension of
Inference mostly
is understood and most
to be full of noise. Many
recognized, but not
predictable TV and radio
understood. TV and
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speech has to be slowed down
words are recognized,
comprehended
is possible. Determining
radio can be
and enunciated clearly. Only
but many can't be
quickly. Native
inference is possible.
comprehended
the most predictable
recalled quickly enough
discourse is still
Many jokes are still a
provided the topic is
conversations are possible.
to enable fluent
mostly a blur. Top
mystery.
not specialized. Able
The main listening strategy
comprehension. More
down listening
to deal with abstract
is to try to get a rhythm for
often loses the thread
strategies are mostly
topics
the language (a top-down
than has it. Visual
used. Comprehension
strategy) and catch the odd
stimulus still a major
of highly structured
word here and there. Visual
assistance. Short term
text possible (but not
clues are often vital to
memory
technical or specialist
understanding. Memory is
overloaded. Often
language). Limited
constantly overload.
guesses poorly at
number of words with
unknown words. Low
multiple meanings
chance of learning new
are recognized.
words from speech.
Reading
Pictures and illustrations
Native speaker texts are
The dictionary
Most words are
Most native text can
have to contribute strongly
still well beyond the
remains a main
understood but not
be comprehended if
to aid comprehension. A few
learner. Dictionary use is
reading strategy for
fluently. A dictionary is
the topic is not
content words are recognized
the main reading
native texts except for
regularly called upon.
specialized. May be
in native text. Can only
strategy. Slow and
highly predictable
Able to deal with texts at
willing to try more
understand the most
halting. Re-reading is
text. May soon give up
the discourse level.
academic texts.
'babyish' of texts. Often not
very common. Word by
with native texts.
able to identify letters or
word reading. The
Beginning to see
letter strings
thread is often lost.
words in chunks of
immediately. Reading
Cannot understand
text. Humour is not
letter-by-letter, or word by
inference. Difficulty in
often spotted. Can
word. Often forgets the
retaining the message -
deal with most texts
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beginning of the sentence
content soon forgotten.
at the sentence level.
when she gets to the end of
Slow and predictable
Not good at inference.
it. Comprehension poor.
plots in graded readers
Complex plots
Dictionary always open.
can be read. Soon gets
difficult to follow.
tired.
Writing
Only the most basic of
A few complex sentences
Writing longer texts
Predictable texts can be
The dictionary is
sentences can be made,
are used and then only
without a dictionary
written without the need
rarely used for
characterized by extremely
basic conjunctions. Tends
is almost impossible.
of the dictionary, but the
predictable texts
poor word choice. Mostly set
to read as if it had been
Word choice needs
dictionary is always
except for
phrase or words strung
'translated'. Poor word
work. Some
nearby. Unpredictable
discriminating
together with strong
choice.
collocations are
topics require constant
between difficult
elements of the mother
known, but many are
use of a dictionary.
words or for finding
tongue. Many phrases
strange. Colligation is
'forgotten words'.
appear translated straight
still a problem.
Extensive use of the
from the dictionary.
dictionary for
specialist
texts. Some
fossilized errors
apparent. Major
weakness is still
collocation.
'Grammar'
Lack of ability to control
Major distortions of basic
Basic structure
Grammar often sounds
Generally cohesive
many basic sentence
sentence patterns often
becoming more
foreign but not serious for
and coherent.
patterns.. Inability to form
accompanied by
native-like, but errors
getting the message
Relatively few errors
many questions, or control
seemingly correct forms
abound. Great
across. Able to construct
with a wide range of
word order. Almost clueless
that are later seen as not
difficulty with
many kinds of sentence
structures used, but
about the use of prepositions,
properly developed.
complex structures.
patterns.
complex structures
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tenses and so on.
Basic connectors can be
Can experiment with
used, but often get mixed
less common
up. Grammar use can be
grammatical
a kind of 'try and see if it
elements. Some forms
works' but more in hope
are still not yet fully
than from real
developed. Still
knowledge.
having problems with
still cause problems.
tenses and
prepositions.
Vocabulary
Very slight, so
Severe lack of vocabulary
May have an
Sounds stilted and still
Still nowhere near
resources.
communication is hardly
make communication at
adequate everyday
finds it difficult to
native-like. Choice of
possible. Word selection is
best difficult. Usually the
vocabulary, but is
converse freely even on
vocabulary is often
very poor and speaks or
person has a store of
limited in word
non-specialty topics. Still
adequate but sounds
writes with great difficult..
'ready to use' phrases
choice. Often lost for
may sound 'odd' to
stilted and not
Almost completely dictionary
and may take the
words. Can guess
natives. Fluency still a
idiomatic. Can
dependent. Almost always at
initiative in a
meanings of some
problem.
control register or
sea.
conversation to control it
unfamiliar words
select appropriate
to within the learner's
from context. Many
forms in many
ability level. A lot of
words with multiple
situations. Still
searching for words. Can
meanings are noticed.
distinctly foreign in
handle predictable
Messages can be lost
many ways but not
vocabulary situations
due to the poor
'odd'. Fluency
such as personal
selection of the correct
largely attained, but
information. Some words
sense of words with
needs accuracy of
with multiple meanings
multiple meanings.
expression rather
are noticed.
than fluency.
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So, what is a Start-up vocabulary?
A Start-up vocabulary would be a basic set of words that the learner needs in order to start to learn from
books or by listening to the teacher. Learners with little or no vocabulary can do very little in the target
language and as soon as they get a few hundred basic words, then they will be able to learn from their
coursebooks and understand their teacher in the L2. As a complete beginner, we cannot of course just pick
up a book and try to read from that as we do not know the spelling-sound combinations.
How can we learn this startup vocabulary?
Foreign language learners do not have the benefit of a huge listening or reading vocabulary to start reading
with. Secondly, in the same way the foreign language learner does not already have a grammatical system in
place to hang new words on, this also has to be learned. Thirdly, children do not learn in the same ways that
adult foreign language learners do. Adult language learners have the benefit of analytical skills that children
do not posses, but they also have lost the ability to learn freely and easily like children do. Therefore, it is
probably more effective to teach the basic vocabulary first to enable learning from the reading (or listening) to
take place.
Fitting a Start-up vocabulary into a curriculum
Initially in this schedule there is a very heavy emphasis on vocabulary learning and if the learning is done
effectively this need not last more than a few weeks. Also important in this process is to see an early
emphasis on building a study atmosphere, explaining why it is necessary to learn a lot of words quickly so
they can quickly start to read and listen later, and explaining how to do it. Most of this learning is done out of
class, and there would need to be constant need to ensure that the learning was being done
effectively. Learners can test each other and competitive classes may have a reward / competitive element if
desired. The aim at this stage is to build the Start-up vocabulary, so that learners can then move on to other
things.
As the ability level of the learner increases, different activities come to dominate. There will be more normal
classwork which the learners will now be able to tackle faster and easier, and a LOT of work on simplified
reading and listening to build fluency with the words learned and to consolidate them. The following table sets
out the steps necessary to master the types of vocabulary one will need.
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Conclusion
We should learn by best way for each words family, and the balance is important of reading /listening /writing
. Study in class room important but
out class learning is important ,too. As an English course student, I must challenge more by these way .
0 - 600 word families
Aim
Build
a
recognition
600 - 1000 word families
1000 - 2000 word families
2000 + word families
(sight Build recognition Start-up vocabulary. Consolidate Start-up vocabulary. Continue direct Learning from context as the main vocab
vocabulary) Start-up vocabulary Reinforce
direct
learning
with learning to feed the extensive reading and strategy (WordBank system still operates).
quickly.
extensive reading and listening to listening. Build chunking skills to aid fluency / Build accuracy / word distinctiveness
Build class study atmosphere.
increase lexical access speed. Speed comprehension / speed. Build 'deeper levels' of awareness.
reading and quick reading exercises.
Reading.
Reading
and
word knowledge e.g. word partnerships, multiple Reading.
meanings. semantic networks.
Vocab
Receptive vocabulary. Emphasis NOTE. The first 1000 words are the Emphasis on word distinctions and boundaries. Filling out word families. Low frequency
type
on words of wide range and most important as they are needed Work on common words from word families of words for special interest e.g. Academic /
coverage.
Very
few
functors the most often, and they hold the most words
already
known.
Multiple
meanings. medical etc.
(tend to be grammatical and hard meaning senses. It is VITAL a LOT of Common collocations / associations. Word roots
to acquire). Formulaic phrases. work is done on these.
and affixes.
Loan words.
Receptive (and a few productive).
Functors and content words with wide
range. Less common meaning of
already known word forms. Formulae.
Loan words. Fixed and semi-fixed
expressions. Sentence heads.
Common collocations.
Teacher - Compile word lists to hand out at Compile word lists to hand out at each Compile word lists to hand out at each class. Compile word lists of special needs
out
of each class. Write check tests.
class. Set up extensive reading and Write check tests (this can be handed over for vocabulary.
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class
listening. Write check tests.
each learner in turn to write the class test).
task
Learner - Create
out
WordBank
and
word Making word cards and learning them. Making word cards and learning them. Expand Continue with extensive reading / listening.
of cards. Learn X words for every Introduce a lot of work on extensive work on graded reading and listening (e.g. at least Introduce some native speaker level video
class
class hour.
task
reading and listening (e.g. at least a a book a week at the learner's ability level).
/ reading as fluency work. Wide reading
book a week at the learner's ability
and listening - as much as possible. At this
level)
level to buld vocabulary the learner has to
meet more text tomeet more unknown
words, thus the volume of text that needs
to be met will INCREASE a lot from now on
- but hopefully they can read it faster now!
In
class Explain the need for a large early Monitor WordBank and SAC work.
work
Start work on word parts and word roots and on A lot of work on guessing from context /
vocabulary. Agree with class on Check vocabulary targets are met - guessing from context of graded material only. word parts and roots.
setting vocabulary targets (X start a wall chart (?).
Start to use Eng - Eng dictionary. Monitor Monitor WordBank
words for every class hour). Set Administer word check tests.
WordBank work. Check vocabulary targets are
up
met.
direct
learning
-
explain Sight / sound correspondence work.
mnemonics and WordBank / Work
vocabulary notebook systems.
Do
vocab
games/tests
on
reading
strategies.
and
listening Administer word check tests. Build reading and
listening strategies. Do vocab games/tests and
and Do vocab games/tests and exercises exercises designed to build associations / and
exercises designed to build the designed to build associations / and semantic networks. Speak about reading /
number of words known.
semantic networks.
listening.
Total Physical Response work
will be good here.
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