Podcast
Questions and Answers
What is a key feature of downloadable concordancers?
What is a key feature of downloadable concordancers?
What is considered the best free downloadable concordancer?
What is considered the best free downloadable concordancer?
What is a benefit of using an online concordancer as opposed to a downloadable one?
What is a benefit of using an online concordancer as opposed to a downloadable one?
How can one measure their vocabulary size for assessing language learning progress?
How can one measure their vocabulary size for assessing language learning progress?
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What kind of data output can a concordancer provide when analyzing a specific word?
What kind of data output can a concordancer provide when analyzing a specific word?
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What should be the major focus for someone learning a language for general interest?
What should be the major focus for someone learning a language for general interest?
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If someone is living in a country where a specific language is spoken, what should they prioritize in their language learning?
If someone is living in a country where a specific language is spoken, what should they prioritize in their language learning?
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What is a recommended strategy for language learners with a partner who is a native speaker?
What is a recommended strategy for language learners with a partner who is a native speaker?
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What should a learner who wants to travel where the language is spoken focus on?
What should a learner who wants to travel where the language is spoken focus on?
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For someone who needs to know a language primarily for reading texts, what should their learning strategy be?
For someone who needs to know a language primarily for reading texts, what should their learning strategy be?
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What proportion of running words in technical texts is typically made up of technical words?
What proportion of running words in technical texts is typically made up of technical words?
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What is an effective method for organizing spoken language needs?
What is an effective method for organizing spoken language needs?
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What is a common strategy for learning unfamiliar vocabulary effectively?
What is a common strategy for learning unfamiliar vocabulary effectively?
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When learning a new language strictly for survival purposes, what should a learner do?
When learning a new language strictly for survival purposes, what should a learner do?
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Which factor is cited as likely to influence the effort a learner puts into language acquisition?
Which factor is cited as likely to influence the effort a learner puts into language acquisition?
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What is the initial focus for someone who is interested in learning a new language?
What is the initial focus for someone who is interested in learning a new language?
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How many of the most frequent English words cover approximately 50% of the words in most texts?
How many of the most frequent English words cover approximately 50% of the words in most texts?
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What does the frequency count of words reveal about the nature of vocabulary in texts?
What does the frequency count of words reveal about the nature of vocabulary in texts?
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What covers about 80% of the words in most texts based on vocabulary counts?
What covers about 80% of the words in most texts based on vocabulary counts?
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Which of the following motivations is considered the weakest according to the content?
Which of the following motivations is considered the weakest according to the content?
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What is the role of the word 'the' in English texts according to frequency analysis?
What is the role of the word 'the' in English texts according to frequency analysis?
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What is the recommended number of high frequency words to learn in English?
What is the recommended number of high frequency words to learn in English?
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What type of words are most commonly found among high frequency words?
What type of words are most commonly found among high frequency words?
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What should you do to group the words you are learning effectively?
What should you do to group the words you are learning effectively?
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How many different words might you encounter in a 100,000 word novel?
How many different words might you encounter in a 100,000 word novel?
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How many of the different words encountered in a text generally occur only once?
How many of the different words encountered in a text generally occur only once?
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Why is it beneficial to read material with a controlled vocabulary?
Why is it beneficial to read material with a controlled vocabulary?
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What is the minimum number of words and phrases needed to handle basic requirements as a foreign tourist?
What is the minimum number of words and phrases needed to handle basic requirements as a foreign tourist?
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What is the primary challenge posed by low-frequency words in language learning?
What is the primary challenge posed by low-frequency words in language learning?
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Which vocabulary size is appropriate for choosing books from the middle levels of published graded readers?
Which vocabulary size is appropriate for choosing books from the middle levels of published graded readers?
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What is the first step to get a frequency ranked list of words in a language you are learning?
What is the first step to get a frequency ranked list of words in a language you are learning?
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If you know 1,500 words in a language, how should you proceed to assess your vocabulary according to the outlined method?
If you know 1,500 words in a language, how should you proceed to assess your vocabulary according to the outlined method?
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For a vocabulary size of 4,000 words or more, which type of reading material is recommended?
For a vocabulary size of 4,000 words or more, which type of reading material is recommended?
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What should you do after visiting www.sketchengine.co.uk and selecting a corpus?
What should you do after visiting www.sketchengine.co.uk and selecting a corpus?
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Why is using a frequency-ranked list helpful for beginners learning a language?
Why is using a frequency-ranked list helpful for beginners learning a language?
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What is advised for learning the first 2,000 words of French?
What is advised for learning the first 2,000 words of French?
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In learning vocabulary through contexts, what is considered essential according to the outlined method?
In learning vocabulary through contexts, what is considered essential according to the outlined method?
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To effectively learn a language, it is crucial to first identify your learning needs.
To effectively learn a language, it is crucial to first identify your learning needs.
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Focusing on spoken language is less important for someone who is only interested in reading texts.
Focusing on spoken language is less important for someone who is only interested in reading texts.
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Learning survival vocabulary is sufficient for effective communication while traveling.
Learning survival vocabulary is sufficient for effective communication while traveling.
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It is best to prioritize written language skills if you are living in a country where the language is spoken.
It is best to prioritize written language skills if you are living in a country where the language is spoken.
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If you are learning a language to communicate with a native family member, spoken language should remain your main focus.
If you are learning a language to communicate with a native family member, spoken language should remain your main focus.
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When learning a language for personal interest, reading and writing skills are more essential than spoken language.
When learning a language for personal interest, reading and writing skills are more essential than spoken language.
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Making a list of speaking needs is beneficial when learning a new language.
Making a list of speaking needs is beneficial when learning a new language.
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The text suggests that spoken fluency is not necessary when traveling where the language is spoken.
The text suggests that spoken fluency is not necessary when traveling where the language is spoken.
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Learning high frequency words first is generally seen as advantageous in acquiring vocabulary.
Learning high frequency words first is generally seen as advantageous in acquiring vocabulary.
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Function words make up the majority of high frequency words in English.
Function words make up the majority of high frequency words in English.
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It is recommended to learn words in the exact order they appear in a frequency list.
It is recommended to learn words in the exact order they appear in a frequency list.
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Half of the words in any text typically occur only once.
Half of the words in any text typically occur only once.
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A learner needs at least 500 words to manage basic communication as a tourist.
A learner needs at least 500 words to manage basic communication as a tourist.
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Reading materials with controlled vocabulary is unnecessary for language learners.
Reading materials with controlled vocabulary is unnecessary for language learners.
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A vocabulary size of 2,000 to 3,000 words is generally considered sufficient to meet high frequency language needs.
A vocabulary size of 2,000 to 3,000 words is generally considered sufficient to meet high frequency language needs.
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Sketch Engine is a tool that can help users create a frequency-ranked list for language learning.
Sketch Engine is a tool that can help users create a frequency-ranked list for language learning.
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Technical words in subject area texts make up a small proportion of the running words, typically 5% or less.
Technical words in subject area texts make up a small proportion of the running words, typically 5% or less.
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The most frequent 1,000 words in English cover about 50% of the words in most texts.
The most frequent 1,000 words in English cover about 50% of the words in most texts.
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The word 'the' plays an important role in English texts, covering about 7% of any written English text.
The word 'the' plays an important role in English texts, covering about 7% of any written English text.
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A strong feeling of personal interest is usually considered the weakest motivation to learn a language.
A strong feeling of personal interest is usually considered the weakest motivation to learn a language.
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The frequency count of words in a text shows that a small number of words are very frequent while a large number are very infrequent.
The frequency count of words in a text shows that a small number of words are very frequent while a large number are very infrequent.
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Reading outside of your subject area is recommended as it helps you avoid learning unnecessary vocabulary.
Reading outside of your subject area is recommended as it helps you avoid learning unnecessary vocabulary.
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A downloadable concordancer requires the user to provide their own corpus to search for examples.
A downloadable concordancer requires the user to provide their own corpus to search for examples.
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The ten most frequent words in English cover about 25% of the words in any text.
The ten most frequent words in English cover about 25% of the words in any text.
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Motivation does not significantly affect how hard someone works at learning a language.
Motivation does not significantly affect how hard someone works at learning a language.
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AntConc is a paid software that provides advanced concordancing features.
AntConc is a paid software that provides advanced concordancing features.
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It is easier to start learning about concordancers using a downloadable concordancer than an online one.
It is easier to start learning about concordancers using a downloadable concordancer than an online one.
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Vocab size measurement can help learners identify suitable reading materials.
Vocab size measurement can help learners identify suitable reading materials.
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The output from a concordancer cannot be sorted to show patterns.
The output from a concordancer cannot be sorted to show patterns.
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Survival vocabulary is only available in a single language.
Survival vocabulary is only available in a single language.
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A concordancer is a tool that helps find examples of a word or phrase in a collection of texts.
A concordancer is a tool that helps find examples of a word or phrase in a collection of texts.
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Using a concordancer does not provide insights into the frequency of a word's usage.
Using a concordancer does not provide insights into the frequency of a word's usage.
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The primary benefit of learning survival vocabulary is for advanced language study.
The primary benefit of learning survival vocabulary is for advanced language study.
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Online concordancers are not user-friendly compared to downloadable ones.
Online concordancers are not user-friendly compared to downloadable ones.
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Learning high-frequency words is less important than learning low-frequency words.
Learning high-frequency words is less important than learning low-frequency words.
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Engaging with survival vocabulary early in language study can be beneficial.
Engaging with survival vocabulary early in language study can be beneficial.
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Concordancers like www.sketchengine.co.uk are limited in the variety of languages they support.
Concordancers like www.sketchengine.co.uk are limited in the variety of languages they support.
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The technical words in my subject area make up a very ______ proportion of the running words in texts.
The technical words in my subject area make up a very ______ proportion of the running words in texts.
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A strong feeling of personal interest is associated with the ______ motivation to learn a language.
A strong feeling of personal interest is associated with the ______ motivation to learn a language.
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The strongest motivations often arise from personal ______ rather than external pressures.
The strongest motivations often arise from personal ______ rather than external pressures.
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The most frequent words in English can cover around ______% of the words in texts.
The most frequent words in English can cover around ______% of the words in texts.
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The final exam preparation should include getting examples of the ______ exam questions.
The final exam preparation should include getting examples of the ______ exam questions.
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When learning a language for business, start with ______ spoken language before progressing.
When learning a language for business, start with ______ spoken language before progressing.
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Technical vocabulary often constitutes around ______% to ______% of the running words in specialized texts.
Technical vocabulary often constitutes around ______% to ______% of the running words in specialized texts.
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The most frequent 1,000 words in English cover about ______% of the words in most texts.
The most frequent 1,000 words in English cover about ______% of the words in most texts.
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High frequency words consist of around ______ to 3,000 words.
High frequency words consist of around ______ to 3,000 words.
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A significant number of words in any text are ______ words.
A significant number of words in any text are ______ words.
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Ideally, one should learn words in groupings of around ______ words.
Ideally, one should learn words in groupings of around ______ words.
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It is helpful to read material that uses a controlled ______.
It is helpful to read material that uses a controlled ______.
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To meet basic requirements as a foreign tourist, you need around ______ words and phrases.
To meet basic requirements as a foreign tourist, you need around ______ words and phrases.
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Half of the different words encountered in a text generally occur only ______.
Half of the different words encountered in a text generally occur only ______.
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Most high frequency words in English are ______, verbs, adjectives and adverbs.
Most high frequency words in English are ______, verbs, adjectives and adverbs.
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A frequency ranked list of words can be created by using ______ Engine.
A frequency ranked list of words can be created by using ______ Engine.
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The best free downloadable concordancer is ______.
The best free downloadable concordancer is ______.
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You need to provide your own ______ to search for examples when using a downloadable concordancer.
You need to provide your own ______ to search for examples when using a downloadable concordancer.
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The output from a concordancer can be sorted to better see ______.
The output from a concordancer can be sorted to better see ______.
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To measure your vocabulary size, you can visit ______.
To measure your vocabulary size, you can visit ______.
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An example of a search word used in a concordancer output is ______.
An example of a search word used in a concordancer output is ______.
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A vocabulary size of 1,000 words or less is best suited for books from the ______ levels of published graded readers.
A vocabulary size of 1,000 words or less is best suited for books from the ______ levels of published graded readers.
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To measure vocabulary size, you should start with the ______ frequent word on the ranked list.
To measure vocabulary size, you should start with the ______ frequent word on the ranked list.
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The recommended reading material for a vocabulary size of 2,000-4,000 words comes from the later ______ of published graded readers.
The recommended reading material for a vocabulary size of 2,000-4,000 words comes from the later ______ of published graded readers.
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For vocabulary of 4,000 words or more, it is suggested to choose books from the ______ readers.
For vocabulary of 4,000 words or more, it is suggested to choose books from the ______ readers.
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To create a frequency ranked word list, the first step is to visit ______.
To create a frequency ranked word list, the first step is to visit ______.
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If you know a lot of words in a language, look at every ______ word to assess your vocabulary.
If you know a lot of words in a language, look at every ______ word to assess your vocabulary.
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After choosing the language corpus, you should click the ______ list on the far left to generate a word list.
After choosing the language corpus, you should click the ______ list on the far left to generate a word list.
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The frequency-ranked list can be a useful ______ for learning if you know very little of the language.
The frequency-ranked list can be a useful ______ for learning if you know very little of the language.
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Survival vocabulary is available in over ______ different languages.
Survival vocabulary is available in over ______ different languages.
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A ______ helps you see the range of senses of a word.
A ______ helps you see the range of senses of a word.
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Using a ______ can show you how frequent a word or phrase is.
Using a ______ can show you how frequent a word or phrase is.
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To ensure strong foundations in language learning, it is a good idea to cover all the ______ vocabulary early on.
To ensure strong foundations in language learning, it is a good idea to cover all the ______ vocabulary early on.
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One benefit of using a concordancer is that it can show you what words a particular word ______ with.
One benefit of using a concordancer is that it can show you what words a particular word ______ with.
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There are two kinds of ______: online and downloadable.
There are two kinds of ______: online and downloadable.
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Examples from a concordancer help you learn a word by enriching the information you have about that ______.
Examples from a concordancer help you learn a word by enriching the information you have about that ______.
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The website ______ allows free searching for a limited time in a wide variety of languages.
The website ______ allows free searching for a limited time in a wide variety of languages.
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Study Notes
Language Learning Needs
- Purposeful Learning: Focus on specific language needs based on the reason for learning.
- Survival Vocabulary: Important for basic communication in a new environment.
- Subject-Specific Vocabulary: Essential for reading and understanding texts related to your field.
- Frequency Ranked Word Lists: Learning high-frequency words first is beneficial.
- Understanding Word Frequency: A small percentage of words make up a large portion of text, while a vast number of words are infrequent.
- Vocabulary Size Test: Assess your vocabulary knowledge to choose appropriate learning materials.
- Using Frequency Lists: Identify words you know to gauge your vocabulary size.
- Motivation's Influence: Strong motivation, like personal interest, can significantly impact learning effort.
Finding and Using a Concordancer
- Concordancer: A tool to find examples of how words are used in context.
- Online Concordancers: Accessible through websites, allowing you to search for examples.
- Downloadable Concordancers: Used offline with your own corpus.
- AntConc: A free, downloadable concordancer for finding word usage patterns.
Vocabulary Size and Choosing Materials
- Vocabulary Size and Reading Materials: Match your current vocabulary size to appropriate reading levels.
- Graded Readers: Books with controlled vocabulary levels, suitable for different proficiency levels.
- Frequency Ranked Word Lists for Different Languages: Can help assess vocabulary knowledge in languages without specific tests.
- Sketch Engine: A tool for creating frequency-ranked word lists in various languages.
- Lextutor: A website hosting a vocabulary test for the first 2000 words of French.
Defining language learning needs
- Language learning requires a clear focus on personal needs and goals.
- The purpose for learning a language is crucial.
- Different purposes require different learning approaches.
Reasons for learning and learning focuses
- Interest in the language: Focus on spoken language.
- Living in a country where the language is spoken: Focus on spoken language, create a list of speaking needs, and consider Survival vocabulary.
- Partner or family member is a native speaker: Focus on spoken language, start with greetings, daily routines, and repeated activities.
- Traveling in countries where the language is spoken: Learn Survival vocabulary, prioritize spoken fluency.
- Reading books related to work or subject area: Focus on technical vocabulary within the specific subject area.
- Studying for a degree using the language: Work with texts used in the study, create word cards for unknown words and phrases.
- Doing business with people who speak the language: Start with conversational spoken language, then focus on business-focused conversation.
- University or school requirement: Get examples of the final exam and prepare for the specific content and question types.
Motivation and language learning
- Motivation significantly influences the effort invested in language learning.
- Strong personal interest provides the strongest motivation.
- External pressures and other people's requirements result in weaker motivation.
Word frequency and importance
- Word frequency follows a consistent pattern across texts.
- A small number of words are very frequent, while a large number are infrequent.
- The top 10 words in English cover 25% of words in any text, while the top 100 words cover around 50%.
- The most frequent 1,000 words cover approximately 80% of words in texts.
- High-frequency words are crucial to learn first, providing the most opportunities to use and encounter them.
- High-frequency words include content words (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs) and function words (articles, prepositions, conjunctions).
Tools for language learning
- A concordancer is a computer-based tool for analyzing language use.
- Online concordancers allow searching for words and phrases in large collections of text (corpora).
- Examples provided by concordancers reveal word and phrase senses, usage, frequency, and collocations, aiding learning.
Measuring language proficiency
- Assessing existing vocabulary knowledge helps determine progress and guide learning.
- Vocabulary size tests provide a quantifiable measurement of vocabulary knowledge.
- Test results can guide the selection of appropriate reading materials.
- The Survival vocabulary includes around 120 words and phrases, sufficient for basic tourist interactions.
Finding and using Survival vocabulary
- The Survival vocabulary is available in over 20 languages.
- It covers basic communication, including greetings, politeness, shopping, ordering food, seeking directions, reading signs, finding accommodation, self-introduction, and language control.
- Resources for finding the Survival vocabulary include websites like Paul Nation's website and tourist guide books.
- Mastering the Survival vocabulary is beneficial early in language learning.
Motivation
- Having personal interest in the language is the strongest motivation.
- External pressures from other people are the weakest motivations.
- Motivation is highly likely to have an effect on how hard you work at learning the language.
Word frequency in texts
- A small number of words are very frequent, and a large number of words are very infrequent
- The ten most frequent words of English typically cover 25% of all words in any text and the 100 most frequent words cover around 50%
- The most frequent 1,000 words cover around 80% of the words in most texts
- Vocabulary specialists typically see the high frequency words of English as consisting of around 2,000 to 3,000 words
- Most high-frequency words are nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs (content words).
Learning high-frequency words first
- Makes learning and using the language easier.
- The effort of learning these words is well repaid by opportunities to meet and use these words.
Finding and learning high-frequency words
- You can make a frequency ranked list of the words in the language you want to learn by going to Sketch Engine www.sketchengine.co.uk
- You should learn high-frequency words in groupings of say 100 words that roughly match the frequency list.
Low-frequency words
- Half of the words in any text will occur only once in that text.
- If you read a novel which is 100,000 words long from beginning to end, you will meet around 5,000 different words
- Half of the different words that you meet will occur only once.
Reading material for language learning
- It is best to read material that uses a controlled vocabulary so that your time is not spent on low frequency words that are not useful for you at your present level of proficiency.
Survival vocabulary
- Around 120 words and phrases can help you deal with the most basic requirements of being a foreign tourist.
- These basic requirements include meeting and greeting people, being polite, going shopping, ordering food, seeking directions, reading signs, finding somewhere to stay, talking about yourself, and controlling language input.
- This survival vocabulary is available in over 20 different languages, and is a good idea to learn early on in your language study.
Concordancers
- These are computer-based tools used to find examples of a particular word or phrase.
- Examples from concordancers can:
- Help you see the range of senses of a word or phrase.
- Show you how a word or phrase is used.
- Help you see how frequent a word or phrase is.
- Show you what words a particular word occurs with.
Some useful concordancer websites:
- Netspeak www.netspeak.org
- Word and phrase www.wordandphrase.info
- Just the word www.just-the-word.com
- Compleat Lexical Tutor www.lextutor.ca
- Wordneighbours www.wordneighbours.ust.hk
Measuring your vocabulary size in English
- Go to www.my.vocabularysize.com and measure your vocabulary size
Matching vocabulary size to reading material in English
- 1,000 words or less: Choose books from the early levels of published graded readers
- 1,000-2,000 words: Choose books from the middle levels of published graded readers
- 2,000-4,000 words: Choose books from the later levels of published graded readers
- 4,000 words or more: Choose books from the Mid-frequency readers
Measuring your vocabulary size in other languages
- Get a frequency ranked list of words in the language you are learning.
- Start with the most frequent word and go through the list deciding if you could give a meaning for each word.
- You can get a frequency ranked word list for any of many different languages at www.sketchengine.co.uk
Using frequency ranked word lists to learn vocabulary
- The frequency-ranked list can be a useful rough guide for learning vocabulary
- Most of the words at the top of the list will have grammatical functions and need to be learned in sentence contexts.
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Description
Test your knowledge on effective language learning strategies focusing on vocabulary acquisition, frequency ranked words, and motivation. This quiz explores essential concepts for mastering a new language based on specific needs and contexts. See how well you understand the tools and techniques for successful language learning!
