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A person's vocabulary is the set of words within a language that are familiar to that person. A vocabulary usually grows and evolves with age and serves as a useful and fundamental tool for communication and acquiring knowledge. Acquiring an extensive vocabulary is one of the largest challenges in learning a second language. Contents 1 Knowing and using a word 1.1 Productive and receptive 1.2 Degree of knowledge 1.3 Depth of knowledge 2 Types of vocabulary 2.1 Reading vocabulary 2.2 Listening vocabulary 2.3 Writing vocabulary 2.4 Speaking vocabulary 3 Focal vocabulary 4 Vocabulary growth 5 The importance of a vocabulary 6 Native- and foreign-language vocabulary 6.1 Native-language vocabulary 6.2 Foreign-language vocabulary 6.2.1 The effects of vocabulary size on language comprehension 6.2.1.1 Second Language Vocabulary Acquisition 6.2.1.2 Memorization 6.2.1.3 The Keyword Method 6.3 Basic English vocabulary 6.4 Vocabulary differences between social classes in the U.S.A. 7 See also 8 Footnotes 9 References 10 External links Knowing and using a word

Vocabulary is commonly defined as "all the words known and used by a particular person".1 Unfortunately this definition does not take into account a range of issues involved in knowing a word. Productive and receptive

The first major distinction that must be made when evaluating word knowledge is whether the knowledge is productive (also called active) or receptive (also called passive) and even within those opposing categories there is oftentimes no clear distinction. Words that are generally understood when heard or read or seen constitute a person's receptive vocabulary. These words may range from well-known to barely known (see degree of knowledge below). In most cases a person's receptive vocabulary is the larger of the two. For example although a young child may not yet be able to speak write or sign he or she may be able to follow simple commands and appear to understand a good portion of the language to which he or she is exposed. In this case the child's receptive vocabulary is likely tens if not hundreds of words but his or her active vocabulary is zero. When that child learns to speak or sign however the child's active vocabulary begins to increase. It is possible for the productive vocabulary to be larger than the receptive vocabulary for example in a second-language learner who has learned words through study rather than exposure and can produce them but has difficulty recognizing them in conversation.

Productive vocabulary therefore generally refers to words which can be produced within an appropriate context and match the intended meaning of the speaker or signer. As with receptive vocabulary however there are many degrees at which a particular word may be considered part of an active vocabulary. Knowing how to pronounce sign or write a word does not necessarily mean that the word has been used correctly or accurately reflect the intended message of the utterance but it does reflect a minimal amount of productive knowledge. Degree of knowledge

Within the receptive / productive distinction lies a range of abilities which are often referred to as degree of knowledge. This simply indicates that a word gradually enters a person's vocabulary over a period of time as more aspects of word knowledge are learnt. Roughly these stages could be described as: Never encountered the word. Heard the word but cannot define it. Recognize the word due to context or tone of voice. Able to use the word but cannot clearly explain it. Fluent with the word  its use and definition. Depth of knowledge

The differing degrees of word knowledge imply a greater depth of knowledge but the process is more complex than that. There are many facets to knowing a word some of which are not hierarchical so their acquisition does not necessarily follow a linear progression suggested by degree of knowledge. Several frameworks of work knowledge have been proposed to better operationalise this concept. One such framework includes nine facets: orthography - written form phonology - spoken form reference - meaning semantics - concept and reference register - appropriacy of use collocation - lexical neighbours word associations syntax - grammatical function morphology - word parts Types of vocabulary

Listed in order of most ample to most limited:23 Reading vocabulary

A literate person's reading vocabulary is all the words he or she can recognize when reading. This is generally the largest type of vocabulary simply because it includes the other three though in some cases notably Chinese characters as in Chinese and Japanese where the pronunciation is not transparent some words may be part of the oral vocabulary but not the written. For example a Japanese speaker may not recognize that is pronounced kirin. Listening vocabulary

A person's listening vocabulary is all the words he or she can recognize when listening to speech. This vocabulary is aided in size by context and tone of voice. Writing vocabulary A person's writing vocabulary is all the words he or she can employ in writing. Contrary to the previous two vocabulary types the writing vocabulary is stimulated by its user. Speaking vocabulary A person's speaking vocabulary is all the words he or she can use in speech. Due to the spontaneous nature of the speaking vocabulary words are often misused. This misuse  though slight and unintentional  may be compensated by facial expressions tone of voice or hand gestures. Focal vocabulary "Focal vocabulary" is a specialized set of terms and distinctions that is particularly important to a certain group; those with a particular focus of experience or activity. A lexicon or vocabulary is a language's dictionary its set of names for things events and ideas. Some linguists believe that lexicon influences people's perception on things the SapirWhorf hypothesis. For example the Nuer of Sudan have an elaborate vocabulary to describe cattle. The Nuer have dozens of names for cattle because of the cattle's particular histories economies and environments. This kind of comparison has elicited some linguistic controversy as with the number of "Eskimo words for snow". English speakers can also elaborate their snow and cattle vocabularies when the need arises.45 Vocabulary growth During his/her infancy a child builds a vocabulary by instinct with zero effort. Infants imitate words that they hear and then associate those words with objects and actions. This is the listening vocabulary. The speaking vocabulary follows as a child's thoughts become more reliant on his/her ability to self-express in a gesture-free and babble-free manner. Once the reading and writing vocabularies are attained  through questions and education  the anomalies and irregularities of language can be discovered. In first grade an advantaged student (i.e. a literate student) learns about twice as many words as a disadvantaged student. Generally this gap does not tighten. This translates into a wide range of vocabulary size by age five or six at which time an English-speaking child will have learned about 25005000 words. An average student learns some 3000 words per year or approximately eight words per day.6 After leaving school vocabulary growth reaches a plateau. People usually then expand their vocabularies by engaging in activities such as reading playing word games and by participating in vocabulary-related programs. The importance of a vocabulary An extensive vocabulary aids expressions and communication. Vocabulary size has been directly linked to reading comprehension.7 Linguistic vocabulary is synonymous with thinking vocabulary.7 A person may be judged by others based on his or her vocabulary. Native- and foreign-language vocabulary Native-language vocabulary Native speakers' vocabularies vary widely within a language and are especially dependent on the level of the speaker's education. A 1995 study estimated the vocabulary size of college-educated speakers at about 17000 word familiesclarification needed and that of first-year college students (high-school educated) at about 12000.8 Foreign-language vocabulary The effects of vocabulary size on language comprehension Francis and Kucera9 studied English texts totaling one million words and found that the learning of the most frequent words in an English text provides a comprehension of most of the words in that text: Vocabulary Size Written Text Coverage 1000 words 72.0% 2000 79.7 3000 84.0 4000 86.8 5000 88.7 6000 89.9 15851 97.8 The knowledge of the 2000 most frequent English words provides a comprehension of 80% of English words. The figures look even better than this if we want to cover the words we come across in an informally spoken context. Then the 2000 most common words would cover 96% of the vocabulary.10 These numbers should be encouraging to beginning language learners especially because the numbers in the table are for word lemmas and knowing that many word families would give even higher coverage. However the number of words needed may differ substantially between different languages. Second Language Vocabulary Acquisition Learning vocabulary is one of the first steps of learning a second language yet a learner never finishes vocabulary acquisition. Whether in ones native language or a second language the acquisition of new vocabulary is a continual process. Many methods can help one acquire new vocabulary. Memorization Although memorization can be seen as tedious or boring associating one word in the native language with the corresponding word in the second language until memorized is considered one of the best methods of vocabulary acquisition. By the time students reach adulthood they generally have gathered a number of personalized memorization methods. Although many argue that memorization does not typically require the complex cognitive processing that increases retention (Sagarra & Alba 2006)11 it does typically require a large amount of repetition and spaced repetition with flashcards is an established method for memorization particularly used for vocabulary acquisition in computer-assisted language learning. Other methods typically require more time and longer to recall. Some words cannot be easily linked through association or other methods. When a word in the second language is phonologically or visually similar to a word in the native language one often assumes they also share similar meanings. Though this is frequently the case it is not always true. When faced with a false cognate memorization and repetition are the keys to mastery. If a second language learner relies solely on word associations to learn new vocabulary that person will have a very difficult time mastering false cognates. When large amounts of vocabulary must be acquired in a limited amount of time when the learner needs to recall information quickly when words represent abstract concepts or are difficult to picture in a mental image or when discriminating between false cognates rote memorization is the method to use. A neural network model of novel word learning across orthographies accounting for L1-specific memorization abilities of L2-learners has recently been introduced (Hadzibeganovic & Cannas 2009).12 The Keyword Method One useful method to build vocabulary in a second language is the keyword method. When additional time is available or one wants to emphasize a few key words one can create mnemonic devices or word associations. Although these strategies tend to take longer to implement and may take longer in recollection they create new or unusual connections that can increase retention. The keyword method requires deeper cognitive processing thus increasing the likelihood of retention (Sagarra & Alba 2006).11 This method uses fits within Paivios (1986)13 dual coding theory because it uses both two verbal and image memory systems. However this method should be used only with words that represent concrete and imageable things. Abstract concepts or words that do not bring a distinct image to mind are difficult to associate. In addition studies have shown that associative vocabulary learning is more successful with younger aged students (Sagarra & Alba 2006).11 As students advance and age they tend to rely less on creating word associations to remember vocabulary. Basic English vocabulary Several word lists have been developed to provide people with a limited vocabulary either quick language proficiency or an effective means of communication. In 1930 Charles Kay Ogden created Basic English (850 words). Other lists include Simplified English (1000 words) and Special English (1500 words). The General Service List14 2000 high frequency words compiled by Michael West from a 5000000 word corpus has been used to create a number of adapted reading texts for English language learners. The knowledge of 2000 English words provides a comprehension of most of the English language enough to render one literate. Vocabulary differences between social classes in the U.S.A. James Flynn reports the remarkable differences in vocabulary exposure of pre-schoolers between different classes in the U.S.A. Apparently pre-schoolers of professional families are typically exposed to 2150 different words pre-schoolers from working class families to 1250 words while those from households on welfare just 620.15 See also Differences between American and British English (vocabulary) Language proficiency (Linguistic proficiency) The ability of an individual to speak or perform in an acquired language). Footnotes Cambridge Advanced Learners Dictionary Barnhart Clarence L. (1968). The World Book Dictionary. Clarence L. Barnhart. 1968 Edition. Published by Thorndike-Barnhart Chicago Illinois. Miller (1989) Lenkeit "Vocabulary". Sebastian Wren Ph.D. BalancedReading.com http://www.balancedreading.com/vocabulary.html a b Stahl Steven A. Vocabulary Development. Cambridge: Brookline Books 1999. p. 3. "The Cognitive Foundations of Learning to Read: A Framework" Southwest Educational Development Laboratory 1 p. 14. E.B. Zechmeister A.M. Chronis W.L. Cull C.A. D'Anna and N.A. Healy Growth of a functionally important lexicon Journal of Reading Behavior 1995 27(2) 201-212 W.N. Francis and H. Kucera. Frequency Analysis of English Usage Houghton Mifflin Boston 1982 Schonell et al. 1956 a b c Sagarra Nuria & Alba Matthew. (2006). The Key Is in the Keyword: L2 Vocabulary Learning Methods With Beginning Learners of Spanish. The Modern Language Journal 90 ii. p. 228-243. Hadzibeganovic Tarik & Cannas Sergio A. (2009). A Tsallis' statistics based neural network model for novel word learning. Physica A 388 pp. 732-746. Paivio A. (1986). Mental Representations: A Dual Coding Approach. New York: Oxford University Press. West (1953) Flynn (2008) p. 102. References Barnhart Clarence Lewis (ed.) (1968). The World Book Dictionary. Chicago: Thorndike-Barnhart OCLC 437494 Flynn James Robert (2008). Where have all the liberals gone : race class and ideals in America. Cambridge University Press; 1st edition. ISBN 978-0-521-49431-1 OCLC 231580885 Lenkeit Roberta Edwards (2007) Introducing cultural anthropology Boston: McGraw-Hill (3rd. ed.) OCLC 64230435 Liu Na and I.S.P. Nation. "Factors affecting guessing vocabulary in context" RELC Journal 198516 1 pp. 3342. doi:10.1177/003368828501600103 Miller Barbara D. (1999). Cultural Anthropology(4th ed.) Boston: Allyn and Bacon p.315 OCLC 39101950 Schonell Sir Fred Joyce Ivor G. Meddleton and B. A. Shaw A study of the oral vocabulary of adults : an investigation into the spoken vocabulary of the Australian worker University of Queensland Press Brisbane 1956. OCLC 606593777 West Michael (1953). A general service list of English words with semantic frequencies and a supplementary word-list for the writing of popular science and technology London New York: Longman Green OCLC 318957 External links Look up vocabulary in Wiktionary the free dictionary. Bibliography on vocabulary I.S.P. Nation's extensive collection of research on vocabulary. Vocabulary Acquisition Research Group Archive An extensive bibliographic database on vocabulary acquisition maintained by Paul Meara and the Vocabulary Acquisition Research Group at Swansea University. VocabularySize.com - a free web-based service which implements the I.S.P. Nation's English Vocabulary Size Test in an online format. LearnThatWord.org - a free online vocabulary building tool managed by nonprofit where you only pay for measured learning results. English.wordinn.com - Online free vocabulary building tool powered by wordnet. v d eLexicography Types of reference works Dictionary  Glossary  Lexicon  Thesaurus Types of dictionaries Bilingual  Biographical  Conceptual  Defining  Electronic  Encyclopedic  Language for specific purposes dictionary  Machine-readable  Maximizing  Medical  Minimizing  Monolingual learner's  Multi-field  Phonetic  Picture  Reverse  Rhyming  Rime  Single-field  Specialized  Sub-field  Visual Lexicographic projects Lexigraf  WordNet Other List of lexicographers  List of online dictionaries v d eLexicology Major terms Lexicon  Idiolect  Word  Lexis  Lexical unit Elements Morpheme  Grapheme  Glyphs  Phoneme  Sememe  Seme  Lexeme  Lemma  Meronymy  Chereme Semantic relations Holonymy  Hyponymy  Troponymy  Idiom  Synonym  Antonymy  Lexical semantics  Semantic net Fonctions Function word  Headword Fields Morphology  Controlled vocabulary  English lexicology and lexicography  Lexicographic error  Lexicographic information cost  Linguistic prescription  Specialised lexicography  International scientific vocabulary