Received: 31 May 2022 Accepted: 21 November 2022

DOI: 10.1111/ijal.12451

BOOK REVIEW

Measuring native-speaker vocabulary size

Paul Nation Averil Coxhead

Amsterdam/Philadelphia, 2021, xiii, 160 pp., Hardbound: ISBN 9789027208149, EUR 95.00; Paperback: ISBN 9789027208132,
EUR 33.00; e-Book: ISBN 9789027260291, EUR 95.00

It is no exaggeration to say that receptive vocabulary knowledge, or the knowledge of words we need for reading and
listening, has received increasing attention in recent years. For teachers and researchers of English, whether as first,
second, or foreign language, questions concerning the vocabulary size of a native speaker never cease to be of great
interest. How many words do native speakers of English know? How many words do they acquire every day? How
do native speakers of English learn words? Measuring Native-Speaker Vocabulary Size written by Paul Nation and Averil
Coxhead, the two leading scholars in the field of vocabulary studies, answers all of these and many other questions
related to vocabulary knowledge, vocabulary development, and vocabulary measurement. By reviewing the more-
than-100-year history of vocabulary measurement research, coupled with theoretical arguments and critical analyses,
the book provides readers with lessons from the past, comments on the present, and suggestions for the future of
research and practices in vocabulary teaching, learning and testing.
The book’s content definitely should not be judged by its cover. Despite the fact that the book offers evidence-
based answers to questions regarding the vocabulary size of English native speakers of different age groups, ranging
from young children (Chapters 2 and 4) to secondary school teenagers (Chapter 5) and adults (Chapter 6), its con-
tent ventures beyond just “Measuring Native-Speaker Vocabulary Size.” In fact, a substantial part of the monograph is
devoted to issues in vocabulary testing such as word counting units (Chapters 2, 3, 4, and 6), test formats (Chapters 2,
4, and 9), statistical relationships between the representativeness of sample, sample size, the proportion of popula-
tion sampled, and the accuracy of estimate (Chapter 3), test administration (Chapters 4 and 5), conditions affecting
vocabulary development (Chapter 7), and suggestions for vocabulary learning (Chapter 8) and testing (Chapter 10), all
of which are transferable and not limited to native speakers. Chapters 1 and 11 introduce key research questions and
offer directions for future research based on the core findings summarized, in the order given.
One of the main highlights of the book is the rough rule of thumb for native speakers’ vocabulary size and growth.
Based on solid research data, the authors propose that “Each year, from around the age of two, a native-speaker’s
vocabulary size grows at around 1000 words a year. [. . . ] So, a 10-year-old will have a vocabulary size around 8,000
words (10 minus 2 equals 8, times 1000 equals 8,000)” (p. 3). Some readers may disagree and argue that individual
differences could lead to significant variations; the authors anticipated this and provided an in-depth discussion on the
issue in Chapter 7. As for us, we find the estimation well-argued and appreciate the efforts of the authors, especially
when the book is the first and only of its kind to shed light upon this topic.
The book was published in the midst of a great academic debate concerning the appropriate test formats for vocab-
ulary tests. Interestingly, throughout the book and especially in Chapter 9, the authors actively participated in the
discussion and provided deep and comprehensive insights into the three most popular formats for Vocabulary Size
Test (VST): Yes/No, 4-option Multiple-choice and Meaning-recall. The sound theoretical perspectives and profound
analyses of the pros and cons of each format did give readers clear answers to the questions of which format to use
as well as when and where to use them. However, as a result of the primary focus on the VST, the Vocabulary Levels
Test (VLT), another similarly important test of receptive vocabulary knowledge, and the matching format which is also

Int J Appl Linguist. 2023;1–3. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/ijal © 2023 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. 1
2 BOOK REVIEW

having its validity challenged were overlooked. Although the VLTs are primarily designed for English as a Second
Language learners, discussing the VLT and the matching format would add value to the future editions of the book.
The year the book was published also witnessed another heated debate on the topic of word counting units for
vocabulary measurement instruments (Brown et al., 2021; Laufer, 2021; Nation, 2021; Stoeckel et al., 2021; Webb,
2021a, 2021b). In fact, these academic conversations stretch well beyond the cited literatures and show no signs of
ending. As the readers will see, most popular vocabulary tests in the field are currently based on a word counting unit
called “word family” which is also under severe criticism. Although concepts of word counting units such as token, type,
lemma, flemma, and word family were clearly defined in the chapters, the discussion on the appropriateness of these
units for vocabulary testing was only taken on the surface, and the authors focused heavily on word family as the count-
ing unit. There could be two possible reasons why such an issue was not addressed in the current edition. The first one
may be due to the primary focus of the monograph: native speakers of English, who greatly develop their morphological
knowledge over time (p. 116) and are therefore suitable for vocabulary tests based on word family (p. 62). The second
reason concerns the time when the book was written, which we consider too early for those debates. Therefore, a
section where these issues would be addressed is especially looked forward to in the next edition.
Written in simple language but containing profound theoretical perspectives, the tome would be suitable for
researchers of different levels of expertise. By carefully offering definitions and explanations for key terminologies
in the beginning chapters, the authors gradually build up a sound theoretical foundation for later arguments of greater
depth. In this way, even student researchers can understand most, if not all, of the values the authors wish to con-
vey. Senior researchers may find the in-depth discussions set forth by the book thought-provoking. In Chapter 11,
Nation and Coxhead sensitively communicate the current state of knowledge in the field of vocabulary assessment
and put forward what they have yet to discover, many of which are warranted research gaps and could lead to further
advances. Although the book missed one of the most influential academic debates regarding word counting units, the
current edition’s clear and comprehensive explanation of key concepts in word counting units and statistical theory
(Chapter 3) would give junior researchers in the field a sound theoretical basis to understand these state-of-the-art
critical commentaries.
Since a substantial part of the book deals with improving vocabulary development, it might appeal to those who
teach and learn vocabulary. As the longest chapter, 20 pages of Chapter 8 are devoted to guiding parents, caregivers,
teachers, program developers, and even learners themselves in the task of increasing vocabulary growth rate. One
of the strong points of the chapter is that it offers specific, research-based recommendations for different stages of
a child’s development, from toddler to adulthood. As the chapter contains all the necessary explanations for the ter-
minologies used and is rather independent in terms of content, readers who are only interested in the teaching and
learning aspects of vocabulary could comfortably read Chapter 8 as a stand-alone section and take home valuable
lessons for their practices.
Written by Paul Nation and Averil Coxhead, Measuring Native-Speaker Vocabulary Size fills a gap in vocabulary
research by confirming the vocabulary size and growth rate of native speakers through scientific evidence and estab-
lishing a reliable body of literature. Still, we do not feel the need to keep limiting the content of future editions to
native speakers of English, as the current title suggests. Most of the ideas conversed in the monograph could easily be
adapted to second language vocabulary learning and testing. Moreover, the field of applied linguistics is also in need
of a book addressing similar topics on second language vocabulary size and development. Maybe, this is within the
authors’ future plan, or maybe, such a manuscript is in preparation or even under review. We cannot be sure about any
of those, but we are certain to stay tuned for the second edition of the tome, with great excitement.

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT

Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analyzed in this study.

ORCID
Hung Tan Ha https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5901-7718
Nguyen Huynh Trang https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6683-7028
BOOK REVIEW 3

PEER REVIEW
The peer review history for this article is available at https://publons.com/publon/10.1111/ijal.12451.

Hung Tan Ha
Linh Thi Thao Le
Nam Thi Phuong Ho
Nguyen Huynh Trang

School of Foreign Languages, University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH), Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Correspondence
Hung Tan Ha, School of Foreign Languages, University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH), 279 Nguyen Tri Phuong,
District 10 Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam.
Email: hatanhung1991@gmail.com

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Acquisition, 43(5), 962–964. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263121000693
Laufer, B. (2021). Lemmas, flemmas, word families, and common sense. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 43(5), 965–968.
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