Vocabulary is an essential part of language learning at any level. The way in which we learn and remember vocabulary is different from how we process grammar and pronunciation in a second language, and some learners find it easier to work with new words and phrases by the meanings that they convey, rather than more detailed structural chunks of language.
One approach to language learning takes vocabulary (or lexis) as the starting point for work with a range of different language items. This is known as the lexical approach, developed by Michael Lewis in the 1980s and 90s. The lexical approach assumes that it is beneficial for students to work with language in meaningful chunks (such as vocabulary words and phrases), and that these should be prioritised over structural grammar and pronunciation study as a form of input.
This doesn’t mean that grammar and pronunciation do not play a part in language learning, however - it just puts the focus on meaningful chunks of language, and the relationships between them.
How do our brains store vocabulary?
In terms of learning and memory, our brains are very good at making connections between concepts. The brain is built on connections, and it stores knowledge in a network of relationships between ideas, concepts and information.
Our language brains work in the same way. When we engage with a word, phrase or text, our brain works to make connections between the language it sees and the words, phrases, memories, experiences and knowledge that it already contains. In language learning, this is an important factor to consider, and this can be used to develop effective strategies to help learners retain vocabulary more effectively.
In vocabulary-focused lessons, it is common for students to use spider diagrams or webs of meaning, which group or organise lexis by different criteria, for example:
This way of organising lexis mirrors the brain’s way of storing words, and helps to reinforce the connections between items organised according to the same topic.
Other ways of connecting language lexically
Word relationships are not always based on topic-based organisation. Chunks of language are also formed by convention, based on how frequently they appear together in collocations. A collocation is two or more words which commonly appear together, for example, the word ‘fruit’ collocates strongly with several words: -bowl, -punch, -juice and -cocktail, for example. By focusing on collocated chunks of language in class, students can develop a more natural vocabulary through these connections.
Another way of making associations between words is by thinking about the different forms that they can appear in, and grouping by morphology (prefixes, suffixes and endings). For example, the noun, verb and adjective forms of words can be remembered together in word families, for example:
Noun | Verb | Adjective |
information | inform | well-informed / informative |
advertisement / advertiser | advertise | advertised |
broadcast / broadcaster | broadcast | broadcast |
publishing | publish | (un)published / publishable |
By revisiting these different forms of words that students are learning, perhaps in sentence-building and as parts of colocations themselves, learners can apply these word family relationships into their own language. Although word families like this could be seen as grammar work, as they deal with word structure. However, organising and relating them in this way also helps students to acquire them lexically, as they are likely to remember the words themselves more meaningfully than is possible through work with the words’ structures alone.
Can grammar be studied lexically?
As we have seen, the lexical approach is a way of working with meaningful chunks of language, focusing on how they are stores through conceptual, rather than structural links. In most languages, grammar structures are composed of multiple words which represent a meaningful addition to a sentence. In this way, grammar structures can be seen as meaningful chunks of language, so can be taught and learnt lexically.
By presenting chunks of language, rather than focusing on the specific structural details of a piece of grammar, phrases can be learnt and retained as individual units of meaning. For many learners, this can reduce the complexity of grammar, and make complex structures more manageable.
For example, the concept of a conditional sentence can be introduced through a common form. The second conditional, which is a relatively complex piece of grammar, including two clauses which include a past tense and a modal auxiliary ‘would’, could be presented as a chunk used for giving advice: ‘If I were you, I’d…’. This chunk has a clear concept: ‘you should…’, or ‘I advise you to…’, which are simpler, more intuitive meanings. Drilling the chunk ‘if I were you, I’d…’ as one unit and substituting verb phrases to practice different advice topics cements this as a fixed form without having to focus on the individual components of the form, for example:
If I were you, I’d…
—> If I were you, I’d go to the doctor
—> If I were you, I’d study hard
—> If I were you, I’d wait and see
This initial, top-down contact with a second conditional form can form the basis for more specific structural work with the grammar, to highlight why it is formed in this way, and other functions which it can fulfil.
In summary, a lexical approach has wide applications to many different areas of language. As long as we focus on work with chunks of language, and focusing on their concept rather than structure, it is more likely that these forms will be retained by students as units of meaning, rather than fragments of structures which could be challenging for learners to remember and use.
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