By
Dr. Peter Wuteh Vakunta
Introduction
Seasoned linguists have pointed out that poor mastery of grammar may not necessarily break down communication but ineffective mastery of vocabulary in the second language that one is learning would result in communication breakdown. As I revisit the travails of the hundreds of students to whom I have taught foreign languages (French, Hausa, Cameroonian Creole and Ngiemeukokeuh) over the years, this truism becomes real. Seven Effective Vocabulary Mastery Strategies provides some dependable tips that would help foreign language learners grapple with vocabulary retention.
Strategy 1: Spaced Repetition of Vocabulary
Proficiency in a foreign language is attainable through interaction with words over time. Vocabulary retention has to be taken seriously by second language learners. To retain new words, learners must make a conscious effort to recycle words learned in a classroom setting. Learning new words in class and not studying them later is counterproductive for second language acquisition. Learners should study vocabulary throughout the day in short 10-minute intervals, using the spiraling or spaced repetition modus operandi. During school days, this vocabulary retention process should be accomplished before class starts, between classes, during breaks, during lunch, and during other time-frames throughout the school day when students have small amounts of free time. The merits of this strategy are threefold: 1) It increases learners’ retention of the vocabulary learned, 2) It frees up study time at the end of the day for review rather than learning, and 3) It reduces stress levels that comes with the need to learn large chunks of vocabulary.
Strategy 2: Vocabulary Preview
Vocabulary preview is an effective language learning technique that second language learners must prioritize. Learners should get into the habit of previewing vocabulary in each unit before the instructor teaches the lesson in class. The rationale behind this practice is that it familiarizes learners with the terminology the instructor will be using in class the following day. More importantly, vocabulary preview empowers learners with a lexical bank that would eventually come in handy in the language learning process. More often than not, I require my students to wet their feet by previewing the vocabulary of upcoming lessons. My experience shows that learners are better off for the reasons adumbrated above.
Strategy 3: Vocabulary Review
Vocabulary review is a rite of passage in the second language acquisition process. Language learners should review vocabulary that they have learned previously. Vocabulary review enables learners to develop retention skills; it enhances receptive skills (listening and reading) and productive skills (speaking and writing) in the course of time. Second language learners should consider the possibility of planning vocabulary review sessions in 15-20 minute intervals. They should work on vocabulary tasks for 15-20 minutes, and then take a short break before starting a new task.
Strategy 4: Repetition Cycle
Another strategy that is akin to vocabulary review is vocabulary recycling. One effective way to gain confidence in oneself and be able to listen and comprehend native speakers of any language is to recycle one’s vocabulary bank. This is attainable by having recourse to the technique of the Repetition Cycle. The Repetition Cycle strategy enables second language learners to practice listening, speaking and reading and writing the target language in the form of a cycle: listen, read and write, or read, write and listen. Regardless of where learners want to start, they should immerse themselves in all four language acquisition skills at the same time. Global Language Online Support System (GLOSS), is an online resource that provides an excellent opportunity for language learners to put the Repetition Cycle technique into practice.
Strategy 5: Vocabulary Recycling
Re-using new words over time facilitates vocabulary retention. Second language learners should make a conscious effort to re-use vocabulary on a daily basis. In other words, rather than stop at the level of rote memorization of words, learners should use words in constructing meaningful sentences and then eventually transform these sentences into short paragraphs. Ultimately, learners should be able to dip into their lexical banks and craft stories that pertain to self, family members and circle of friends. Learners could begin by writing sentences that relate to their lived experiences, and daily routine.
Strategy 6: Lexical Categorization
For ease of memorization, language learners should re-arrange news words into lexical banks. For example, they could arrange words into the following lexical families: professions, sports, healthcare, food and nutrition, media, information technology and more. Words could also be categorized according to whether they are easy, very easy, moderately easy, difficult or very difficult to memorize. Finally yet importantly, learners could categorize words based on text typology or register, namely generic, specialized, or technical words. Over time, the technique of lexical categorization alleviates the pangs of vocabulary retention.
Strategy 7: Semantic Organizer
A graphic organizer is a teaching and learning tool used to organize information and ideas in a way that is easy to comprehend and internalize. By integrating text and visuals, graphic organizers show relationships and connections between concepts, terms, and facts. Graphic organizers can be used at all grade levels, and have proven to be effective learning tools for both children and adult learners. Graphic organizers enable the connection between what students already know and newly acquired knowledge.
Foreign language learners stand to gain from using the semantic organizer as a vocabulary retention strategy. Semantics is the study of meaning in a language. It can be applied to entire texts or to single words. For example, "destination" and "last stop" technically mean the same thing, but students of semantics analyze their subtle shades of meaning. A semantic organizer alternatively called graphic organizer is a method used to organize information garnered from reading passages or other sources. Graphic organizers can be categorized in many ways according to the way they arrange information: hierarchical, conceptual, sequential, or cyclical (Bromley, Irwin-DeVitis, & Modlo, 1995). The merit of this technique is that it provides learners with a visual representation of the ideas they have read about. Graphic organizers integrate both text and visuals. This has been scientifically proven to be an effective way of teaching and learning languages. Using them can be extremely beneficial for both teachers and students. They make language classes more engaging as well as easily comprehensible. Instructors can use this tool to assess the vocabulary acquisition process of students. They can create graphic organizers that enable learners to integrate lower-order and higher-order learning tasks to help students learn master new words.
Conclusion
Briefly, retention of vocabulary seems to be the bugbear of most language learners, the more so because the new language being learned may belong in a linguistic family that is at variance with the mother tongue of the language learner. In this light, one cannot overstate the importance of dependable vocabulary retention paradigms such as the ones adumbrated above. A rich word bank is a boon in the learning process. Foreign language learners should to do their level best to enrich their lexical banks using the techniques we have discussed in this article.
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