Feb

17

The task of vocabulary learning

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The task of vocabulary learning is to see the distinction between knowing a word and using it. Learning vocabulary should focus on remembering words and using them automatically in the right contexts (McCarthy, 1984). Evidence suggests that the knowledge aspect requires employment of conscious mechanisms of learning while the skill aspect involves implicit learning (Ellis, 1994). This is essential in selecting strategies for both using words as well as knowing them. One can also view vocabulary learning strategies as a series of related sub-tasks. Learners are free to guess the meaning of a word heard for the first time and then use it in a context from available clues. The learner can resort to taking notes or using a dictionary, or repeating the word a number of times, or trying to commit the word to memory. Some learners may even us the word actively. The use of each of these strategies will determine to what extend the learner will learn a new word.


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