Vocabulary Acquisition in L2 Learning

Study Notes

L2 learners in a formal school context require deliberate teaching procedures for vocabulary acquisition.
Focused vocabulary teaching procedures involve selecting useful and frequent items, presenting them in written and spoken forms, and making students write them down to aid memory.
Mnemonic devices, such as linking target words with similar words in their own language, can be an effective strategy.
Reviewing vocabulary involves the "expanding rehearsal" principle, where items are reviewed soon after learning, with increasing delays until they become part of permanent vocabulary.
Research shows it takes 8-10 exposures to develop an initial form-meaning link, making it essential to provide sufficient repetition.

Easier words to say and spell are more quickly remembered.
Learning words in pairs or small groups, and in a context of use, can aid memory.
Connecting new words to personal experiences, involving emotions and noticing, can enhance retention.

Explicit teaching involves explaining grammar rules and providing focused practice, using a deductive approach.
Implicit teaching involves providing opportunities to hear, read, and use correct grammatical forms without explanation, using an inductive approach.
Theoretical principles suggest that grammar is best acquired implicitly through comprehensible input, but explicit instruction can also be effective.
Mixing both implicit and explicit approaches can be ideal.

The Input Hypothesis suggests that grammar is acquired through extensive exposure to the L2.
The teachability hypothesis proposes that L2 learners acquire grammatical structures in a fixed order, regardless of the order taught.
Practice improves performance, but teaching a grammatical item before the learner is developmentally ready may not result in learning.

Moving from form-focused practice to meaning-focused practice can help students use grammar in context.
Including both form-focused and meaning-focused tasks can aid in accuracy and fluency.