Didactica I LEXICAL APPROACH Key principles: Language consists of grammaticalized lexis, not lexicalized grammar.

lexicalized grammar. Language consists of multi-word chunks. Language lessons are a a combination of input, awareness-raising, learner training and language practice. A central element of language teaching is raising students awareness of tose multiword chunks and developing their ability to chunk language successfully. Collocation is integrated as an organizing principle within syllabuses. Language is recognized as a personal resource. Successful language (communicative competence) is a wider concept than accuracy. Communicative power precedes and is the basis, not the product, of gramatical competence. Language is holistic a machine, an organism. The important of speech over writting. Writing, which have a grammar different from that of spoken language,should be delayed as long as possible. It is the co-textual (the linguistic environment of the word) which is of primacy importante for language teaching. Lexis is more important than grammar. Many grammar mistakes are caused by lexical deficiency. Gramatical error is recognized as intrinsic to the learning process. The teacher should respond to content rather than language. Teacher reformulation must be preferible to formal correction. Grammar is a receptive skill. Receptive grammar practice values awareness-raising and exploration above any teacher explanation. Sub-sentencial and supra-sentencial gramatical ideas are given greater emphasis. Task and process are emphasized. Receptive skills, particularly listening, are given enhanced status. The teacher is the best source of listening for students. The present-practise-product is rejected, in favour of a paradigm based on the observehypothessise-experiment cycle. Material and methods appropriate to beginner or elementary students are different from those employed for upper-intermediate or advanced students. Students learn best in language-rich classroom and with language-rich materials. Teachers must be unafraid of exposing their students to real English, at all stages. Lists are avoided. Non-linear formats (collocationtables, mind-maps,word treescollocation boxes, pattern displays) where new language is stored with the co-text are encouraged.

Key points to introduce vocabulary effectively: The grammar vocabulary dichotomy does not exist. Much language consists of multi word chunks Early learning should be centred on Listening and early production should be directed towards speaking. However, if students are able to develop sufficient vocabulary they

Didactica I will benedit from extensive reading containing rich vocabulary for them. Teachers must promote, in this case, good reading habits. She/he should encourage them to: - Guess the meaning of words depending on the context, rahter than to stop at every unknown word - Have a general idea of the text instead of expecting a complete detailed comprehension of it. Archetypical examples should be introduced as un-analysed wholes, and students encouraged to use them befote and parallel with any anlisis of them. Words should be treated differently since their generative power, collocational range and informational content varies form word to word. They must be exploited in different ways using different recording formats. Learning vocabulary involves more than just memorization. The vocabulary must be integrated into the learners linguistic resources so that it is spontaneously available when needed. Language is recognized as a personal resourse (it is not abstract) Successful language is a wider concept than accurate Language. Syllabuses content and sequence is influenced by computational Linguistics and Discourse Analysis. Collocation is integrated wihin the syllabus.

Formal Vocabulary teaching Vocabulary teaching has rarely been systematic. Frequently it is assumed, either explicitly or more covertly, that students will pick up the necessary vocabulary by reading, and while concentrating on the serious business of mastering the grammar system. Formal vocabulary has tended to be or based on formal presentation of words associated with a particular topic or field. A lexical approach requires a much more principled system of introducing and exploring lexis in the classroom. Random Vocabulary teaching The need often arises in the classroom for words which have not been anticipated by any formal programme. Unexpected difficulties arise in texts. It is common to hear questions like:

Sometimes it is appropriate to supply the needed word and simply continue with the main topic of the lesson. On other occasion the opportunity can be taken to supply, explore and record the new word systematically. Although vocabulary which is random and unexpected will be needed in the classroom, that does not mean that it cannot be exploited and recorded in principled ways. All students children or adults, general or ESP, should have a good quality book, ideally with an alphabetical thumb index, in which to record selective new lexis. Its physical size, quality and organization should endorse and encourage students to see it as a personal resource of lasting value. It is of little value unless the material in it is organized in such a way that the student

Didactica I can retrieve what is recorded in it efficiently. It pages should be formatted, often by the students themselves so that the process of exploring and organizing has pedagogic value. Topics or semantic fields:

Semant ic Fields

The main way of organizing lexical content

Explicit organizational principle

Coherent real world context

Essential that the teacher looks for words from different word categories by looking for those words which collocate with some nouns. To talk about any noun it is words in other categories which are needed Language teaching is about helping the students to see what language properly belongs with other lexical items. It is centrally about collocation COLLOCATION

It provides the most powerful Organizational principle for language teaching.

Being able to use a word involves mastering its collocational range and restrictions of that range. How words go together

The gradual perception of collocational patterns underlies the development of gramatical competence Organizing things syntagmatically or horizontally, paying attention to the word-grammar pattern. Ex: be immersed in + a fascinating + book Rahter than paradigmatically or vertically as in

Didactica I I really love to play tennis, to go riding, to go swimming Institutionalised expressions or Lexical phrases We may divide these into sentence heads or frames and institutionalised sentences. The latter will typically be presented in dialogues, ideally in oral rather than written form. Students must be made aware that they are to understand the whole phrase, without necessary analyzing it grammatically. They must also be trained to note it accurately. Usually we listen to a language to understand the message, paying little attention to the precise words used to express it. In Wilbergs words we eat the sweet but discard the wrapper. With language material intended to present lexical phrases for learning, students must be trained to recognize the importance of the wrapper- the prcis words used to express a particular pragmatic function. Teachers must frequently ask not: what does (s) he mean when (s) he said? But two questions to focus students attention on the precise words and pragmatic value:

What were the exact words used when (s) he ? Why did (s) he say that? Students should be encourage to record whole sentences in their resource book, arranged in such a way that they can retrieve them. Record lexical phrases with either an equivalent in their own language (not a crude translation), or a functional gloss in their own language To record together items expressing similar pragmatic functions, most notably a pair which represent positive and negative responses. (Only rarely will the pragmatic opposite be expressed by simple grammatical negation)

Didactica I

CHUNKING

It refers to the way in which lexical tems are stored in our memory. Speakers are more likely to retain chunks of speech. for this As a result T must be able to help Sts store and retrieve Chunks Fluency is achieved by combining chunks. This process is called pedagogical chunking. it is essential to raise stss awareness of the multi-word chunks present in a text.

Didactica I ,

RECORDING FORMATS
Vocabulary learning Non-linear ways of organizing And recording new lexical tems. Explore and evaluate a word or Other lexical item, to think of its Collocates, pragmatic force and Record it in a format . Collocation boxes Pattern Displays Wilkings created 3 typical varieties:

Discourse Structures

They will show Adj-N, V-N, N-V, V-A-N groups

They are used with delexicalized words, Particularly verbs and prep. Have a break, shall we? get the early train Go to the bank first.

They are more typical of the griten mode, Incluyes formulaic Languge.

Lets Small Nice Popular Italian Chinese Mexican

Restaurants

Good morning (laidies and gentleman). on behalf ofmay I welcome you to .It is a great pleasure to have you With us today.

Cloze Procedures: Lexical items, with the exception of single words are relatively fixed multi words combinations. It can be practised by deleting parts of a whole. The deletions must not be arbitrary, the purpose is pedagogical (individual words for collocation, fixed phrases, discourse markers from the whole text) It can be used to test STS memory and for awareness raising but it is not a way to teach lexical items Lexical Phrase drills LEXICAL PHRASE DRILLS

They are like grammar drills but with a modified and restricted form.

Asking sts to repeat lexical phrases several times in a drill-activity is a good way to:

help sts learn lexical phrases help sts use the phrases naturally.

Grids, matrices and componential analysis

As teaching materials they have nothing to offer within the lexical approach since Their purpose is analytic, atomistic and semantic, and disregards the importante of collocation and other co-text.

LEXICAL EXERCISE TYPES

The emphasis is put on introducing and Practising lexis. Practise should be directed towards helping sts collocate words and grammaticalise from word to sentence. Teaching and teacher Training: Teachers have to be both COMPETENT( having theoretical basis and techniques) and CONFIDENT(that she/he is helping the STS) Key Points Teachers have only been really successful when they have made themselves redundant learner autonomy, not teacher dependence Ts primary responsibility is response- ability Intervene without interfering Teacher facilitator, editor, editor, consultant Successful teaching is measured by successful learning but successful language learning is a much more complex than anything to be measured. However, there are certain unproductive attitudes which do not help learning: over-correction, over- eagerness to make the STS speak, too fast a pace, urge to finish something. There is not a single method. The T need to have a theoretical over-view so that she may select from a range of strategies and techniques but in a principled way. Students learn best with language- rich vocabulary and language rich materials. T is the best source of listening for the STS. With caution, increase TTT. Awareness raising, ST training and language practice Avoid lists and encourage non linear formats Take lexis seriously The lexical approach is not a revolution but a helpful change of emphasis Methodological Implications of the Lexical Approach Early emphasis on receptive skills, especially listening is essential. The role of grammar as a receptive skill must be recognized

 The importance of contrast in language awareness must be recognized Extensive writing should be delayed as long as possible Non linear recording formats are intrinsic to the Lexical approach Reformulation is the natural response to errors Pedagogical chunking should be a frequent classroom activity

Some exercises:
Exercise 1 Work in pairs. Write a short story. Your store must have exactly 100words- but you must not use any single English word more than once. Every word must be different Exercise 2 Which of these adv are used as qualifiers or intensifiers in front o fan adjective? Amazingly Fortunately Awfully Extremely Particularly Generally Dangerously Surprisingly Really Shockingly Slightly Unusually which of them: a)- do you understand and use? b)- do you understand but not use? c)- are new to you? d)- do you not like, and dont think you will ever use? Exercise 3 How many expressions can you make which use: a)- part of the verb have with: b)- part of the verb give with: 1)- a party 2)- lunch 3)- a pound. 4)- a present for 5)- a cupo f tea. 6)- time to 7)- a hand 8)- a cold.