A letter to the teachers of English: 48How to develop your learner’s vocabulary (1) [Archives:2004/722/Education]

Dr..M.N.K.Bose ([email protected])
Associate Professor of English,
Faculty of Arts, Ibb.
Dear Fellow teachers,
This is another important aspect of teaching English in our classes – developing the learner's vocabulary in English. The term 'vocabulary' is defined in a dictionary as all the words known to a person. One's language ability depends on one's vocabulary; if one has a large vocabulary, one can be comfortable with the language one uses. Before we see how we can develop our learner's vocabulary in English, let's have some information about vocabulary in general.
One's vocabulary can be active or passive in one's mother tongue as well as in English. An active vocabulary comprises the words he/she knows and uses often; for example, in English words like table, breakfast, games, mosque, and classroom for our learners. A passive vocabulary or receptive vocabulary (I prefer the second name because it removes the passivity from the name), on the other hand, comprises the words he/she knows but not uses or uses occasionally; for example, snow, bear, skiing, valve etc. It is possible that words move from one to the other depending on the frequency of their use. For example, 'snow', which is a part of the passive vocabulary of our leaner becomes a part of his/her active vocabulary, when he/she travels to Switzerland with his/her family for a vacation. Christine Nuttall, whom I have referred to in my last letter, identifies another category, which she calls 'throwaway vocabulary' (she herself admits as not a good term) by which she means the words not of immediate use to the learner; for example, words like epicenter, glaciers etc. But remember, these may become a part of the passive or active vocabulary if the learner is placed in a different context where he needs such words. There is also the technical vocabulary i.e. the list of words used in a particular field or discipline such as medical vocabulary (with words like syringe, catheter, and intravenous) and military vocabulary (with words like roll call, platoon, bullets, target and haversack). You are familiar, aren't you, with the kinds of words used in the lessons in the Arts Reader and the Science Reader in the CECY Pupil's Book 5 and 6. You can ask your learners of these classes to make lists of words that are specific to the Arts Reader and the Science Reader as a preparation for some dictionary work, pointed out in the earlier letters.
The larger the vocabulary, the faster your reading, the grander your writing and the more elegant your conversation will be. In other words, you will find it easier to use English. It is, therefore, necessary for any user of English to build a good and fairly large vocabulary as early as possible, and keep expanding it further. It is essential for teachers like us to have a rich vocabulary in order to command respect from our students. So, start thinking of ways to build your vocabulary and expand it as much as possible. It is, no doubt, a life long process, but a good beginning must be made to enrich one's vocabulary. You can test the size of your vocabulary with the help of certain books produced for this purpose, but the easiest and the best way is to write down all the words that you know, put them in active and passive lists, before you plunge into expanding your vocabulary. A rough estimate expects an English graduate in an EFL situation to have between 2000 and 3000 words in his/her vocabulary; don't panic, if you fall short of this number. You can always increase your vocabulary quickly, if you attempt to do so. Good luck. More about vocabulary later.
Yours fraternally,
Dr.M.N.K.Bose.
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