Developing learners' lexical competence: Suggesting some modern techniques
Authors/Creators
Description
Vocabulary forms a fundamental pillar of language, serving as a central resource for meaning construction, communication, and cognitive mediation. As the basis of listening, speaking, reading, and writing, lexical knowledge supports both the interpretive and productive dimensions of language use. For this reason, vocabulary instruction holds a strategic role in developing learners’ linguistic proficiency, enabling them to expand their lexical repertoire and communicate effectively across contexts.
However, vocabulary instruction remains one of the most challenging areas of language education due to the complex nature of lexical acquisition. Learning vocabulary involves more than recognizing word forms; it requires semantic depth, contextual understanding, and functional flexibility. Insufficient lexical competence significantly restricts language development, as communicative performance depends on a structured and dynamically accessible mental lexicon.
Within this framework, vocabulary teaching is seen not as simple word accumulation but as the development of lexical competence—a functional, procedural, and context-sensitive capacity. This competence includes constructing and interpreting meaning in diverse communicative situations and mobilizing lexical resources in spoken and written discourse. Thus, lexical competence is demonstrated through appropriate language use rather than isolated knowledge of definitions.
Because of its decisive role in communication, contemporary language teaching approaches view vocabulary as a core dimension of language acquisition. Linguistic proficiency is defined not only by possessing lexical knowledge but by the learner’s ability to activate and adapt this knowledge in authentic contexts. Communicative functionality therefore becomes the primary criterion of proficiency.
Despite these advances, vocabulary instruction in many settings still relies heavily on traditional methods such as rote memorization and mechanical repetition. Without a coherent and methodologically sound framework informed by modern pedagogical and technological innovations, such practices hinder lexical growth and weaken learners’ reading, speaking, and writing abilities.
Files
4-4.pdf
Files
(1.1 MB)
| Name | Size | Download all |
|---|---|---|
|
md5:5c8e2d74b998bb6a84e521795b810d58
|
1.1 MB | Preview Download |
Additional details
References
- Canale, M., & Swain, M. (1980). Theoretical bases of communicative approaches to second language teaching and testing. Applied Linguistics, 1(1), 1–47. Council of Europe. (2020). Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, teaching, assessment – Companion volume (pp. 32–45). Council of Europe Publishing. Dakhalan, M. A., & Tanucan, J. C. M. (2024). The Direct Method in language teaching: A literature review of its effectiveness. Lingeduca: Journal of Language and Education Studies. Retrieved from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/c2cc/de858d26a095ed9998520b97d67b01592b04.pdf Dörnyei, Z., & Ryan, S. (2015). The psychology of the language learner revisited (pp. 143–168). Routledge. Ellis, N. C. (2015). Implicit and explicit language learning: Their dynamic interface and complexity. In P. Rebuschat (Ed.), Implicit and explicit learning of languages (pp. 3–23). John Benjamins Publishing Company. Godwin-Jones, R. (2018). Using mobile technology to develop language skills and cultural understanding. Language Learning & Technology, 22(3), 2–11. Henriksen, B. (1999). Three dimensions of vocabulary development. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 21(2), 303–317. Hunt, A., & Beglar, D. (1998). Current research and practice in teaching vocabulary: A systematic framework for vocabulary instruction (pp. 10–27). The Language Teacher. Retrieved from https://jalt-publications.org/tlt/articles/1914-current-research-and-practice-teaching-vocabulary Hymes, D. (1972). On communicative competence. In J. B. Pride & J. Holmes (Eds.), Sociolinguistics: Selected readings (pp. 269–293). Penguin Books. Laufer, B., & Nation, I. S. P. (2012). Vocabulary learning through meaning-focused instruction. In Second Language Vocabulary Acquisition (pp. 163–176). Cambridge University Press. Lewis, M. (1993). The lexical approach: The state of ELT and a way forward. Language Teaching Publications. Lewis, M. (1997). Implementing the lexical approach: Putting theory into practice. Language Teaching Publications. Littlewood, W. (1981). Communicative language teaching: An introduction (pp. 17–34). Cambridge University Press. Milton, J. (2009). Measuring second language vocabulary acquisition (pp. 21–39). Multilingual Matters. Meara, P. (1996). The dimensions of lexical competence. In G. Brown, K. Malmkjaer, & J. Williams (Eds.), Performance and competence in second language acquisition (pp. 35–53). Cambridge University Press. Micheline, C. (2011). Lexical competence and language learning (p. 76). Educational Linguistics Press. Nation, I. S. P. (2001). Learning vocabulary in another language (pp. 67–82). Cambridge University Press. Nation, I. S. P. (2013). Learning vocabulary in another language (2nd ed., pp. 49–78). Cambridge University Press. Nation, I. S. P., & Webb, S. (2017). Vocabulary learning and teaching (pp. 33–56). Routledge. Oxford, R. (2016). Overview of direct and indirect methods in vocabulary learning (p. 257). Islamic University of Gaza Journal of Educational and Psychological Sciences. Retrieved from https://journals.iugaza.edu.ps/index.php/IUGJEPS/article/download/11593/4420 Piccardo, E. (2014). From communicative to action-oriented: A research pathway. Canadian Modern Language Review, 70(1), 7–24. Razali, K., & Razali, I. (2025). Strategies in improving reading comprehension through vocabulary acquisition (pp. 5–18). Englisia: Journal of Language, Education, and Humanities. Retrieved from https://jurnal.ar-raniry.ac.id/index.php/englisia/article/view/136 Read, J. (2000). Assessing vocabulary (p. 44). Cambridge University Press. Schmitt, N. (2000). Vocabulary in language teaching (p. 22). Cambridge University Press. Schmitt, N. (2010). Researching vocabulary: A vocabulary research manual (pp. 28–54). Palgrave Macmillan. Southgate, V., & Roberts, G. R. (1970). Reading – which approach? (pp. 15–28). University of London Press. Ullman, M. T. (2016). The declarative/procedural model: A neurobiologically motivated theory of first and second language. In G. Hickok & S. L. Small (Eds.), Neurobiology of language (pp. 135–158). Academic Press. Webb, S., & Nation, I. S. P. (2017). How vocabulary is learned (pp. 63–89). Oxford University Press. Widdowson, H. G. (1978). Teaching language as communication (pp. 67–92). Oxford University Press.