Addressing the
Vocabulary Gap
with the
GSL and the AWL
TESL Ontario Conference
October 2011
Daragh Hayes & Kristibeth Kelly
AGENDA
The Vocabulary Predicament
- What do learners need to know?
 The General Service List (GSL)
 The Academic Word List (AWL)
 Approaches at Lower Levels
 Application at Intermediate/Advanced
Levels

THE VOCABULARY PREDICAMENT
Spoken Discourse:
• 2,000 words everyday spoken conversation
(Schonell et al., 1956)
• 2,000 – 3,000 words for 95% comprehension
(Laufer, 1989)
• 6,000 – 7,000 words for 98% comprehension
(Nation, 2006)
THE VOCABULARY PREDICAMENT
Written Discourse:
• 8,000 - 9,000 words to comprehend the
average newspaper article (Jeffries, 2011)
• 10,000 word families to read most university
textbooks (Hazenburg & Hulstijn, 1996)
• 15,000 – 20,000 word families for a native
speaker-like proficiency (Nation & Waring,
1997)
• (Lemmas = inflections: adapt  adapts; no
change in Part of Speech)
THE VOCABULARY PREDICAMENT
Written Discourse:
• 8,000 - 9,000 words to comprehend the
average newspaper article (Jeffries, 2011)
• 10,000 word families to read most university
textbooks (Hazenburg & Hulstijn, 1996)
• 15,000 – 20,000 word families for a native
speaker-like proficiency (Nation & Waring,
1997)
• (Word Families = adapt  adaptation; the
other Parts of Speech)
HOW MUCH DOES A LEARNER
NEED TO KNOW?
Reading Comprehension:
 95%
of the words in any given text to facilitate
comprehension (Schmitt, 2000)
 For
full comprehension, 98% coverage is
necessary (Jeffries, 2011 via Nation)
HOW MUCH DOES A LEARNER
NEED TO KNOW? (OPTIMISM!)
 50%
of the words in an average passage (e.g.
newspaper article) are common function words
(the, it, to, is, etc.).
 If
a learner knows the 2,000 most frequent
words, he/she knows 85-90% of the words in
most reading texts.
(Jeffries, 2011, Extensive Reading, via Nation)
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO ‘KNOW’
A WORD?
Vocabulary is not
an
all-or-nothing
meaning
frequency
piece
of learning for any particular
pronunciation
word… It is a gradual process of
one
meeting with a word adding
to
spelling
grammar
Word
or strengthening the small amounts
of knowledge gained about the
collocations
connotations
word
from previous encounters.
formality
(Nation, 2001)
FACILITATING VOCABULARY
ACQUISITION
How do we begin to address the gap?
 Incidental Learning?
 Extensive Reading?
 Explicit Vocabulary Instruction?
INCIDENTAL LEARNING
…learning which accrues as a byproduct of language usage, without
the intended purpose of learning a
particular linguistic feature. An
example is any vocabulary learned
while reading a novel simply for
pleasure, with no stated goal of
learning new lexical items.
(Schmitt, 2010: 29)
INTENTIONAL LEARNING
…is learning which accrues as a
result of a focused and deliberate
attempt to learn a particular
linguistic feature. An example is any
vocabulary learned from explicitly
studying a word list with the
intention of memorizing the words
on it.
(Schmitt, 2011)
FACILITATING VOCABULARY
ACQUISITION
7
- 10, up to 20 encounters, depending on the
word, the context, the type of text, etc.
(Jeffries, 2011)

Learning = Function of repetition & time
(Mikulecky, 2011)
FACILITATING VOCABULARY
ACQUISITION
Teaching  Intentional Learning:
- Explicit focus on target linguistic features results
in learning that is:
• stronger
• more durable
• more consistent among learners with
different learning styles
 Productive mastery  Productive engagement
(Schmitt, 2011)
 Explicit
EXPOSURE VS. LEARNING
Reading does not
teach you the word
meanings
Students need
multiple exposures
to words
HOW TO BEST ‘TEACH’ A WORD?
Vocabulary cannot be taught. It
can be presented, explained,
included in all kinds of activities,
and experienced in all manner of
associations … but ultimately it is
learned by the individual.
Wilga Rivers, 1983
HOW CAN WE BEST ‘TEACH’ A WORD?
The most important deliberate
learning part of a vocabulary
course is the learners taking
responsibility for their own
learning.
Paul Nation, 2008
WORD FREQUENCY LISTS
General
-
Service List (GSL)
2,284 most common head words in English
(i.e. “be” includes “am”, “is”, “are”, etc.)
Academic
Word List (AWL)
- 570 words, ten sublists, excludes the GSL
(Note: UWL updated to AWL)
WORD FREQUENCY LISTS
(Hotta Dover & Dimeropoulos, 2010)
WORD FREQUENCY LISTS
Text
Coverage for a Range of Texts
Source
GSL
UWL
Total
(first 2,000)
Academic
78%
9%
87%
Newspapers
80%
4%
84%
Popular
Magazines
83%
4%
87%
Fiction
87%
2%
89%
(Nation & Waring, 1997)
GSL AT THE LOWER LEVELS
Access to list
 Rationale & data
 Accountability
 Link to success in
course
(i.e. Test scores)

72.15 %
-First 1,000 level words
8.79%
-Second 1,000 level words
3.12%
-Academic Word List
15.97%
-Off List
LOWER LEVEL APPROACH:
VOCABULARY JOURNALS
 Vocabulary
Journal - Front
LOWER LEVEL APPROACH:
L1 AS A LEARNING RESOURCE
 Vocabulary
Journal - Back
LOWER LEVEL APPROACH:
L1 AS A LEARNING RESOURCE

Establish a meaning – form link

L1 as vehicle to establish this link quickly
(Schmitt, 2011)
LOWER LEVEL APPROACH:
L1 AS A LEARNING RESOURCE
(Cummins, 1980/2001, p. 118)
Cummins’

‘Dual Iceberg’ model
Pre-existing schema  relabeling
INDIVIDUALIZED VOCABULARY
QUIZ… IN PRACTICE
AWL IN THE
INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED LEVELS
Access to list
 Explanation of Benefits
- get “buy in”
 Multiple Exposures
- reading texts
- listening passages
 Practice
- online
- in class
 Accountability
- rubrics
 Application
- writing
- speaking

INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED APPLICATION:
AWL HIGHLIGHTER
INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED APPLICATION:
AWL HIGHLIGHTER
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/~alzsh3/ac
vocab/awlhighlighter.htm
AWL HIGHLIGHTER IN USE:
STUDENT ESSAY
ACCOUNTABILITY AT LOWER LEVELS
Remember the
individual
vocabulary
quiz?
How much do
you remember?
RETENTION STRATEGY
REHEARSAL & REPETITION
In what manner does a mind forget new
information?
(Schmitt, N., 2011)
RETENTION STRATEGY
REHEARSAL & REPETITION
(Schmitt, N., 2000, p. 131)
RETENTION STRATEGY:
KEEP IT BRAIN FRIENDLY
Reading
Listening
to speech
Thinking
about
words
Thinking
about
words &
speaking
Carter, R. Mapping the mind. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1999.
SUGGESTIONS OF HOW TO INCLUDE THE
GSL & AWL IN AN ESL PROGRAM:
 Raise
awareness among faculty and students
 Link the GSL & AWL to student success
 Add vocabulary level questions to placement,
diagnostic and/or exit level tests
 Assess current levels, set tangible learning targets
 Promote self-study and individual accountability
 Make explicit links to classroom evaluation
 Include GSL/AWL in all skill areas
(Don't just limit vocabulary to reading & writing
tasks alone)
INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED ONLINE RESOURCES:
AWL Websites
Practice your knowledge of AWL words - http://awl.londongt.org/questions
AWL Highlighter - http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/~alzsh3/acvocab/awlhighlighter.htm
AWL Exercises & Pronunciation - http://www.academicvocabularyexercises.com/id21.htm
Prefixes & Suffixes- http://www.uefap.com/vocab/vocfram.htm
Concordance - http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/~alzsh3/acvocab/concordances.htm
The GSL and AWL Lists of Words
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/~alzsh3/acvocab/wordlists.htm
Exercises from all 10 sublists of the AWL - http://www.academicvocabularyexercises.com/
Reading Articles with AWL words - http://www.uefap.com/vocab/exercise/exercise.htm
Academic Word Lists and Exercises - http://www.mrcoward.com/slcusd/academicwords.html

GSL - Games & Exercises
http://www.uefap.com/vocab/exercise/wordsrch/gsl/gsl.htm
General Service List Exercises - http://www.englishvocabularyexercises.com/

Student Choice in Vocabulary Testing http://www.teslontario.org/uploads/publications/contact/ContactFall2011final.pdf
Addressing the
Vocabulary Gap with
the GSL and the AWL
Daragh Hayes - dchayes@fanshawec.ca
& Kristibeth Kelly – kkelly@fanshawec.ca