Knowing a Word

Knowing a Word

 

Fluent native speakers intuitively know how to use a lexical item in the appropriate context. They can even determine meaning of an unfamiliar word when it is written or spoken. However, second language learners may not understand what constitutes knowledge of vocabulary. This post delineates the various strands of vocabulary non-native speakers need to acquire to become highly proficient in writing and speaking in their second language. 

1. Word meaning: Knowing a word entails understanding it when it is written and/or spoken by 

    others in formal contexts. Native speakers do this readily without asking for clarification, but 

    second language learners need to acquire this tacit knowledge of vocabulary. 

2. Recall: A fluent speaker of a language can recall a word when it is needed in writing or in speech.

    S/he can incorporate the needed word while speaking without looking it up in a dictionary. In other

    words, proficient speakers can recall the needed word from long-term memory immediately. 

3. Use: Knowledge of vocabulary includes using a word with the correct meaning. Second language

    learners, however, may use words that are contextually inappropriate. Consider the following 

    sentence written by an English as a Second Language (ESL):

            

             *We need to consider this important problem. 

     

          (The asterisk is a linguistic convention to denote syntactic and semantic awkwardness.) 

     A native speaker would say: We need to consider this serious problem or this important issue. 

4. Grammar: Advanced speakers of a language know how to use a word in a grammatically correct 

    way, but this may not always be the case with non-native speakers. Thai speakers of English often 

    confuse "wish" with "hope" and say "I wish you had a good trip" when their intended meaning is "I 

    hope you had a good trip". The sentence they produce is both syntactically awkward and

    semantically anomalous.  

5. Pronunciation: A word may be monosyllabic, bisyllabic, or multisyllabic, but fluent speakers 

    know how to pronounce the word correctly. Correct pronunciation, in this sense, includes a 

    mastery of segmental phonology - enunciating specific vowels and consonants - and 

    suprasegmental phonology - using pitch, intonation, rhythm, etc., appropriately. Hindi speakers of 

    English tend to pronounce "assume" as "azume", which is an error. Even though they know the

    meaning of the word and use it in the right context, they mispronounce it. As a result, native 

    English speakers may not interpret their intended meaning correctly.  

6. Collocation: Knowledge of vocabulary not only constitutes a word's denotation - its dictionary

    definition, but it also encompasses knowing what other words it can be used with. The word 

    "rancid", for example, is used with words that mean an oily substance or something unpleasant or 

    decomposed. Native speakers know that "rancid butter/oil" is the right association, but "rancid

    milk" is not. English language programs can strengthen students' vocabulary development by

    subsuming collocation in the curriculum. 

7. Spelling: Knowing a word also includes spelling it correctly. A typical mistake made by non-

    native speakers of English is using "their" and "there" interchangeably. This error stems from a

    weak knowledge of spelling. Fluent speakers know how to distinguish between "fair" and "fare",

    but second language learners may need formal instruction and time-on-task to master spelling. 

8. Context: Knowing a word or a phrase entails pragmatic competence. In other words, knowledge of

    vocabulary is crucially important to convey intended meaning accurately and to use it in the right

    context. Second language pragmatic rules can be acquired by observing native speakers closely to 

    learn how to use a word in the appropriate context. Japanese speakers, for example, often say to

    native English speakers, "I am sorry", though they intend to say, "Excuse me". Native English

    speakers are confused by this approach, because an apology is offered only when one has

    committed something wrong intentionally or unintentionally. 

9. Connotation: Last but not least, fluent speakers tend to know whether a word or phrase has 

    positive or negative associations. The word "consequence" usually means a negative outcome or 

    result. In English, "face the consequences" means something bad will happen to the interlocutor if 

    s/he behaves in a certain way. Similarly, when native English speakers say to someone "we need to 

    talk", it is an indication that there is a conflict that needs to be resolved through dialogue and 

    reconciliation. This negative association may be lost on second language learners who misuse the   

    expression "we need to talk" when then mean "I need to talk with you (about something)". 

To sum up, while highly proficient speakers of a language know how to use a specific word in the right context, second language learners need to acquire the multiple strands of vocabulary mentioned above. Rather than teaching vocabulary in citation form, an English language program will do well if vocabulary lessons are planned with these strands in mind.