Lexical Approach Flashcards
LA Definition
1) Belief in the centrality of the lexicon to multiword lexical units (chunks) that are learned as single items
2) Building blocks of language learning
≠ Grammar / Functions / Notions
= Lexis (Words and word combinations)
Author
1) Pawlet and Syder
2) Chomsky (Father of contemporary syntax)
- Minimalist linguistic theory
- Lexicon = Prime
Lexical units
Holophrases / Prefabricated patterns / Gambits
Chomsky’s influential theory
Capacity of speakers to create and interpret sentences that are unique and have never been produced or heard previously
Lexical View
A minority of spoken sentences are entirely novel creations and that chunks form a high proportion of the fluent stretches of speech heard in everyday conversation.
Chunks
Memorable patterns / Multiword units functioning
Collocations
Regular occurrence together of words
1) Do my homework | Make my bed
Binomials
o Back and forth o Fish and chips o Knife and fork o Law and order o Salt and pepper
Trinomials
o Left, right, and center o Mind, body, and soul o Rock, paper, or scissors o Tall, dark and handsome o This, that, and the other
Idioms
o Back to the drawing board o Beat around the bush o Bite the bullet o Blessing in disguise o Call it a night
Similes
o As common as dirt o As happy as a clam o As light as a feather o As bright as a button o As tall as a giraffe
Connectives
o And o Moreover o Therefore o However o Unless
Conversational gambits
o I’ve got news for you! o Let’s face it o The truth of the matter is o Come on now o Let’s be realistic
Lexis
Central role in language learning
Lexis | Production
Piecing together the ready-made units appropriate for a particular situation.
Lexis | Comprehension
Knowing which of these patterns to predict in these situations.
How might second language learners approach the daunting task of internalizing hundreds of thousands of chunks?
1) Massive amounts of “language input” (reading)
2) Explore the context of lexical use in distinct kinds of texts and language data.
3) Concentrate on items for which there is no direct translational equivalence
Assumptions about learning theory in the lexical approach
1) Encountering new learning items on several occasions is necessary but not necessary for learning (intake)
2) Noticing lexical chunks is a necessary but not sufficient for learning
3) Noticing similarities, differences, restrictions, and examples contributes to learning (intake)
4) Acquisition is based on an accumulation of examples from which learners make provisional generalizations.
5) No linear syllabus can reflect the nonlinear nature of acquisition
Materials of LA
1) Based on lexical rather than grammatical principles
2) Classifying collocations and chunks by using a functional schema
3) Complete packages = Texts | Tapes | Teacher’s manuals
4) Collections of vocabulary teaching activities
5) Printout versions of chunks collections packaged in text format
6) Computer concordancing programs and attached data sets
Teacher Role ≠ Knower
1) Talk is the major source of learner input in demonstrating how lexical phrases are used for different functional purposes
2) Need to understand and manage classroom methodology based on stages = Task | Planning | Report
2) Creating an environment in which learners can operate effectively and helping learners manage their own learning.
Learner Role = Discoverer
1) Make use of computers to analyze text data previously collected
2) Data analyst constructing his own linguistic generalizations based on examination of chunks
Conclusion
1) Status of lexis in language teaching
- Developments in lexical and linguistic theory
- Work in chunks analysis
- Recognition of the role of multiword units in language learning
2) Lexical approach ≠ Approach / Method
