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65Central Asian Research Journal For Interdisciplinary Studies (CARJIS)
ISSN (online): 2181-2454
Volume 2 | Issue 5 | May, 2022 | SJIF: 5,965 | UIF: 7,6 | ISRA: JIF 1.947 | Google Scholar |
www.carjis.org
DOI: 10.24412/2181-2454-2022-5-738-742
THE IMPORTANCE OF TEACHING VOCABULARY
Kamuna Ismailovna Babajanova
Nukus State Pedagogical Institute Senior Teacher of the Department of Foreign Languages E-mail: [email protected]
ABSTRACT
The article deals with the study of presented information which is useful and effective in teaching vocabulary.
Keywords: vocabulary, secondary education, vocabulary teaching methods, approaches to teaching vocabulary
INTRODUCTION
Vocabulary is a very important means to express our thoughts and feeling, either in spoken or written form. Indeed, neither literature nor language exists without vocabulary. John Drink Water rightly says that words are the bricks the bricks with which the poetry and the literature of the world have been built. It is mainly through using words that we compose and express our thoughts to others. We can tackle our own task through words. It shows words are powerful tools. Famous imperialist poet, Rudyard Kipling says that words are the most powerful drug used by mankind. Those who are rich in vocabulary can speak and write English correctly. Therefore, the study of vocabulary is at the center while learning a new language. English being a second language or foreign language, one needs to learn vocabulary in the systematic way. In fact, without vocabulary communication in a second or foreign language is not possible in a meaningful way.
LITERATURE REVIEW AND METHODOLOGY
If one wants to use language effectively, he/she must have good stock of vocabulary. Language is made up of words. According to Throat et.al [6], 'Words are the building block of language'. Nagy [8] appropriately remarks, "Vocabulary knowledge is fundamental to reading comprehension; one cannot understand text without knowing what most of the words mean". Teaching vocabulary well is a key aspect of developing engaged and successful readers. "There is a great divide between what we know about vocabulary instruction and what we (often, still) do" [7,
Central Asian Research Journal For Interdisciplinary Studies (CARJIS)
ISSN (online): 2181-2454
Volume 2 | Issue 5 | May, 2022 | SJIF: 5,965 | UIF: 7,6 | ISRA: JIF 1.947 | Google Scholar |
www.carjis.org DOI: 10.24412/2181-2454-2022-5-738-742
p. 28].
First need tells that the learner has to know what a word sounds like (its pronunciation) and what it looks like (its spelling). These are completely various testimonials. One or the other will be followed by the learner when meeting the item for the first time. In teaching we need to assure that both these concepts are accurately presented and learned.
Second need is focused on the grammar. The grammar of a new item will need to be taught whether this is not obviously covered by universal grammatical rules. An item may have an unpredictable alteration of form in certain grammatical contexts. It may also have some idiosyncratic manner of connecting with other words in sentences. It is important to supply learners with this information at the same time as we teach the base form. When teaching a new verb, we ought to give also other forms if the verb is irregular. And we might note if it is transitive or intransitive. Similarly, when introducing a noun, we may give its plural form, if the verb is irregular or draws learners' attention to the fact that it has no plural at all.
Third need is based on the collocations of particular items are another factor. It makes a particular combination sound "right" or "wrong" in a given context [4]. So this is another piece of information about a new item which it may be valuable teaching. When presenting words like decision and conclusion, for example, we may note that you take or make the one, but usually come to the other. Similarly, you throw a ball but toss a coin.
Collocations are often noted in dictionaries either by proving the whole collocation under one of the head-words, or by a note in parenthesis.
Fourth need is named as aspects of meaning which contain denotation, connotation and appropriateness.
Denotation is the meaning of a word which primarily refers to in the real world. This is often the sort of definition that is given in a dictionary. For example, dog denotes a kind of animal, more specifically a common, domestic carnivorous mammal. Both dank and moist mean slightly wet.
A less obvious component of the meaning of an item is its connotation. It evokes the associations, either positive or negative feeling. And it may or may not be pointed out in a dictionary definition. For example, the word dog has positive connotations of friendship and loyalty as understood by most British people. Whereas the equivalent in Arabic, as understood by most people in Arab countries has negative associations of dirt and inferiority [3]. Within the English language, moist
Central Asian Research Journal For Interdisciplinary Studies (CARJIS)
ISSN (online): 2181-2454
Volume 2 | Issue 5 | May, 2022 | SJIF: 5,965 | UIF: 7,6 | ISRA: JIF 1.947 | Google Scholar |
www.carjis.org DOI: 10.24412/2181-2454-2022-5-738-742
has favorable connotations while dank has unfavorable. So that you could describe something as "pleasantly moist" where "pleasantly dank" would sound absurd.
A more elusive concept of meaning that often needs to be taught is whether a particular item is the appropriate one to use in a certain context or not. Thus it is useful for a learner to know that a certain word is very common, or relatively rare, or "taboo" in polite conversation. It tends to be used in writing or in speech or it is more suitable for formal than informal discourse, or belongs to a certain dialect. For example, you may know that weep is virtually synonymous in denotation with cry. But it is more formal, tends to be used in writing more than in speech, and is in general much less common.
Fifth need is named as aspects of meaning which contain meaning relationships. How the meaning of one item relates to the meaning of others can also be useful in teaching. There various such relationships. Here are some of the main ones:
- Items that mean the same or nearly the same are named synonyms. For example, bright, clever, smart may serve as synonyms of intelligent.
- Items that mean the opposite are named antonyms; rich is an antonym of
poor.
- Items that serve as specific examples of a general concept are named hyponyms; dog, lion, mouse are hyponyms of animal.
- Other items that are the "same kind of thing" named co-hyponyms or coordinates; red, blue, green and brown are co-ordinates.
- General concepts that "cover" specific items are named super ordinates; animal is the super ordinate of dog, lion, and mouse.
- Translation: words or expressions in the learners' mother tongue that are equivalent in meaning to the item being taught.
Besides these, there are other, perhaps looser, ways of associating meaning that are useful in teaching. You can, for instance, relate parts to a whole (the relationship between arm and body). You can also associate items that are part of the same real-world context (tractor, farmer, milking, and irrigate are all associated with agriculture).
All these can be exploited in teaching to clarify the meaning of a new item, or for practice or test materials [5, 44 p.; 1, 174 p.].
Sixth need is a word formation where vocabulary items can often be broken down into their component "bits". Exactly how these bits are put together is another
Central Asian Research Journal For Interdisciplinary Studies (CARJIS)
ISSN (online): 2181-2454 Volume 2 | Issue 5 | May, 2022 | SJIF: 5,965 | UIF: 7,6 | ISRA: JIF 1.947 | Google Scholar |
www.carjis.org DOI: 10.24412/2181-2454-2022-5-738-742
piece of useful information perhaps, mainly for more advanced learners. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
We may wish to teach the common prefixes and suffixes. For example, if learners know the meaning of sub- or un- , this will help them guess the meanings of words like substandard and ungrateful. They should be warned that in many common words the affixes do not have any obvious connection with their root meaning. New combinations using prefixes are not unusual, and the reader or hearer would be expected to gather their meaning from an understanding of their components (ultramodern, super-hero).
In a detailed study of negotiation and vocabulary learning from communication activities, Nation [2, 75 p.] found that all of the negotiated vocabulary in the activity took place in written input to the activity. And the negotiation of the meaning of words cooperated significantly to their learning. This vocabulary learning occurred even though the learners' attention was focused on the communication activity and its solution. Newton's findings have several implications for teachers.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, theory of teaching language tells that special time should be spent on teaching specific vocabulary items. Searching effective ways of increasing specific vocabulary shows that specific vocabulary items should be contextualized and taught through interactive activities.
Another way vocabulary items are built is by combining two words (two nouns, or a gerund and a noun, or a noun and a verb) to make one item. For example, a single compound word, or two separate, sometimes hyphenated words (bookcase, follow-up, swimming pool). Again, new coinages using this kind of combination are very common.
REFERENCES
1. Elley W. (1989). Vocabulary acquisition from listening to stories. Reading Research Quarterly.24(2), 174-187.
2. Paul Nation (1994). New Ways in Teaching Vocabulary. TESOL:USA.
3. Swain. M & Canale M. (1982). The role of grammar in a communicative approach to second language teaching and testing. TESOL: USA.
4. Mary B.M. (1990). Teen Health. Glencoe Macmillan/McGraw-Hill: USA.
Central Asian Research Journal For Interdisciplinary Studies (CARJIS)
ISSN (online): 2181-2454 Volume 2 | Issue 5 | May, 2022 | SJIF: 5,965 | UIF: 7,6 | ISRA: JIF 1.947 | Google Scholar |
www.carjis.org DOI: 10.24412/2181-2454-2022-5-738-742
5. Larsen -Freeman D.(1986). Techniques and principles in language teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
6. Hurford R. (1983) Semantics: A Course-book, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
7. Baddeley A. (1990). Human memory: Theory and practice. Hillsdale.
8. Carter and McCarty. (1988)Vocabulary and Language Teaching Longman: London.
