Studies on Vocabulary Teaching

Author: vivicome

As is stated in the beginning part, vocabulary teaching takes a very fundamental and essential part in foreign language teaching and learning. Vocabulary teaching and learning has undergone many changes through time, and the vocabulary teaching methods in different times has different characteristics, which are usually in accordance with the prevailing linguistic theory and teaching methodology at that time.

Therefore, what follows is the review of various vocabulary teaching methods in history. Behaviourism has always been the dominant theory guiding language teaching in school before the 1960s, and it holds the view that the learning of language is a process of stimulus and response. Based on this theory, there are three main teaching methods, that is, the grammar-translation method, the audiolingual method and the total physical response method. On the basis of the grammar-translation method, the way teachers teach vocabulary is very mechanical. Richards and Rodgers (2001: 6) points out that in a typical class of grammar-translation method, teachers explain grammar and students get a long list of vocabulary related to the text with every word has its translation equivalence, so words are taught through bilingual word lists, dictionary study and memorization.

As to the audiolingual method which attaches much importance to pronunciation and grammar, vocabulary learning in this method is considered not very important and should be confined. Audiolingual ' focus on accuracy through drill and practice in the basic structures and sentence patterns of the target language' (Richard & Rodgers, 2001: 67). In terms of the total physical response method, verbs are the center of the vocabulary teaching, because only the teaching of verbs can be possible through the commands-responses way. The vocabulary to learn are decided not by related texts or grammar rules, but by whether they are easy to act out in the classrooms (Asher, 1977: 4). The three methods based on behaviourism all attach much importance to drills and constant exercises in the teaching and learning of vocabulary.

Then comes the communicative view of language learning which mainly focuses on communication ability instead of grammatical accuracy. The natural approach method which considers vocabulary an important part of learning is based on this view. Krashen and Terrell (1983: 156) think that students\' attention in this approach should not be on vocabulary learning but on communication, and true vocabulary acquisition should be encouraged. In this approach, the teaching pays more attention to the students\' interest and emotional state, and students are supposed to learn vocabulary through relevant input and master the complete information of vocabulary rather than only vocabulary itself.

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