Language Acquisition Chapter 7 Flashcards

Lexical Quality Hypothesis

• More knowledge about a word enhances its retention in memory.
• Key attributes are meaning, pronunciation, spelling, morphology, and syntax.

Word Learning

• Words are acquired gradually and within context.
• Learning is hindered when material exceeds the learner's level.

Morphme

• Defined as the smallest unit of meaning in language.

Principles of Developing Vocabulary

• Seven principles include: Building Experiential Vocabulary, Relating Vocabulary to Background, Building Relationships, Developing Depth of Meaning, Presenting Several Exposures, Creating Interest in Words, and Teaching Word Learning Strategies.

Building Experiential Vocabulary

• Engaging students through varied experiences with the word enhances understanding (e.g., projects).

Relating Vocabulary to Background

• Connect new vocabulary to students' pre-existing experiences to aid comprehension.

Building Relationships

• Use analogies to demonstrate connections between words, improving retention.

Developing Depth of Meaning

• Contextualize words by exploring their meanings beyond simple definitions.

Presenting Several Exposures

• Introduce vocabulary multiple times (2-10 occasions) to reinforce learning.

Creating an Interest in Words

• Foster student engagement and curiosity to promote a desire to learn.

Teaching Strategies for Vocabulary

• Employ metacognitive strategies such as context clues to help students learn new words.

Three Tiers of Vocabulary

• Tier One: Everyday, basic words (e.g., look, see).
• Tier Two: High-utility words found more in text than conversation (e.g., gaze, glance).
• Tier Three: Technical vocabulary specific to certain fields (e.g., refraction, astigmatism).

Learning Tasks

• Six tasks include: learning to read known words, acquiring new meanings for known words, introducing new words for familiar concepts, learning new concepts, enriching meanings of known words, and transitioning words from receptive to expressive vocabularies.

Importance of Vocabulary Instruction

• Vocabulary instruction is crucial because comprehension hinges on understanding word meanings within sentences.

Pictorial Maps

• Graphic organizers that integrate pictures with words to enhance understanding.

Semantic Feature Analysis

• A graphic organizer using a grid to compare and contrast words within the same category.

Morphemic Analysis

• Analyzing words to identify and understand their morphemes (smallest units of meaning). Important for teaching vocabulary and assisting English learners.

Semantic Maps

• Tools for visually organizing information by categorizing related concepts.

Predict-O-Gram

• An organization technique for vocabulary related to narrative elements such as plot and characters.

Discovering Sesquipedalian Words

• Refers to identifying multisyllabic and complex words, exemplified by "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious."

Wide Reading

• Involves reading diverse texts to encounter various vocabulary in multiple contexts.

Robust Instruction

• An enriched vocabulary teaching approach that incorporates discussion, application, and interactive activities beyond definitions.

Cognates

• Words that share similar forms and origins across different languages, aiding language learning.