1、1Words Your Way（School of Applied English,Dalian University of Foreign Languages,Dalian, Liaoning 116044） Abstract. This paper will briefly talk about how to achieve successful vocabulary learning by focusing on problems in vocabulary learning and the solutions to them by discussing several critical
2、 issues such as what is involved in knowing a word through talking about the classification of active words and passive words; how many words a learner needs to know through discussing basic English words and common English words; what career-specific words are through proposing a new idea in word l
3、earning and vocabulary learning strategies. Key words: Knowing a word, basic words, vocabulary learning strategies, career-specific words 1 Introduction We all know that vocabulary learning is very important in learning English. Some people even believe that learning a foreign language is actually t
4、he learning of the words. A famous linguist once said that a person can communicate without knowing much grammar, but without knowing words nobody can 2communicate. Surveys show that most English learners spend most of their time on memorizing words. However, it is inevitable that almost every learn
5、er confronts the problem: keep learning, keep forgetting. Whats worse, most students feel frustrated because they know a great number of words, but they still have problems in communicating in English. In order to solve these problems what should students do? Actually, to achieve successful vocabula
6、ry learning students should attach great importance not only to increasing the number of words, but also to learning a word effectively by understanding what is involved in knowing a word and how to use vocabulary learning strategies. 2 What is involved in knowing a word? For most Chinese students w
7、ho have had several years of English learning experiences, the number of words theyve learned is around several thousand. English majors are supposed to know 8,00010,000 words when they graduate. It seems that it is not difficult for students to reach that number, but they still cannot do well in li
8、stening, speaking and writing with that number of words. The reason is that some students havent realized that it is never enough to know just the words and 3their meanings. They make mistakes because they only know the spelling of the words without learning how to put these words together into a se
9、ntence properly. Knowing a Word: Receptive knowledge and productive knowledge: knowing how to pronounce the word, how to write and spell it, and how to use it in correct grammatical patterns along with the words it usually collocates with, we can conclude that we have learned a word. The distance be
10、tween Reception and Production What is the relation between productive (active) and receptive (passive) vocabulary? Linguist Corson (1983, pp.5-6) 4calls the active vocabulary a motivated vocabulary. He believes that it consists of all the words we need to use and feel no reluctance in using in our
11、everyday life. A passive vocabulary includes the active vocabulary and it also includes the learners unmotivated vocabulary. The unmotivated vocabulary can be divided into two groups (1) words which are only partly understood and are not well known enough to be used actively and (2) words which are
12、not needed in daily communication. (1) and (2) may overlap each other. Many Chinese students have memorized several thousand words, but for the most part they belong to the receptive, that is, unmotivated vocabulary. What students need to do is to increase the number of active words. 3 How many word
13、s does a learner need to know? Studies (Dupuy, 1974;Goulden, Nation and Read, 1990) have found that Websters Third International Dictionary (1963), the largest non-historical dictionary of English when it was published, has a vocabulary of around 54,000 word families, which is far beyond the reach o
14、f foreign language learners. Basic English words the least helpful strategies are: Imagine words meaning, Use cognates in study, Keyword method, and Image word form (Schmitt, 1993). Do those methods work? Apart from the strategies mentioned above, there are also some famous strategies made by some C
15、hinese teachers, among which are the most well-known ones: enlarging vocabulary through oral practice proposed by Li Yang, the founder of Crazy English; building a large vocabulary via intensive courses preferred by the teachers from the Oriental Training School in Beijing. There are also many books
16、 on how to memorize words. Learners have benefited to some extent. Repetition is the most commonly used strategy. Rote repetition can be effective if students are accustomed to using it (OMalley and Chamot, 1990). However, this simple method has stopped Chinese students from developing into intermed
17、iate or advanced levels. Since each student is unique, therefore, it is really hard to say which strategy is the best. Many people have become aware that aptitude is not the governing factor in language learning 8success, but the individual learners endeavors (Schmidt, 1990). Actually, there is no b
18、est method for learning vocabulary. Any strategy is a good one if it is suitable for a particular student. 5 What should teachers and students do in the future learning? English learning and English teaching in China have been called failures since both teachers and students have made great efforts
19、but have made unsatisfactory progress. It is time to think about this matter from a different angle. Vocabulary learning and teaching is important, but it is more important to learn and teach effectively. Need for Word In vocabulary teaching and learning, both teachers and students need to learn how
20、 to create a sense of need for a word (Allen, 1995), which means that a student feels that he must learn certain words in order to communicate. However, many students in China learn words in order to please the teacher or to pass an examination, from which they gain little of permanent value. Among
21、those who still cannot speak, write, or even read English after years of instruction, there are many with fine school records. They studied vocabulary in 9preparation for each examination during those years, and they answered the exam questions well; but their efforts did not produce the ability to
22、communicate. There is more practical command of vocabulary among those who have needed English words for their own purposes (for communication in business or travel, or in friendships with speakers of English). Therefore, for most Chinese students, what really helps is not the number of the words th
23、ey know, but knowing there is a reason to learn words and the way to use them. Exposure to the words It is not rare to find that many students learn words from word lists or word cards. However, learning from word lists doesnt mean that the words are learned forever, nor does it mean that all knowle
24、dge of a word has been learned (Schmitt and Schmitt, 1995). Learning from lists is only an initial stage of learning a particular word. Students still need to have extra exposure to the words theyve learned through reading, listening, and speaking as well as extra formal study of the words, their co
25、llocates, associations, different meanings, grammar and so on. Unfortunately, most Chinese students spend a great amount of time looking up their dictionary to know the meaning of the words but neglect the key stage of giving the 10words certain exposure, so that is why they always feel frustrated a
26、nd lack the sense of achievement. 6 Conclusion There is no need to say how important vocabulary learning is. The number of words and the ability to use them reflect a persons English level. It is very necessary for English learners to have effective vocabulary learning. It is important for students
27、to know clearly how many they can put to use, at which level they are, and what purpose of learning English before they start to learn. References 1. Allen, V.F. Techniques in Teaching Vocabulary.M 1983.Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2. Corson, D. The Corson measure of passive vocabulary 1983. Lan
28、guage and Speech 26, 1 3-20 3. Dupuy, H. J. The rationale, development and standardization of a basic word vocabulary test. M1974.Washington, D. C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. 4. Nation, P. and J. Coady. Vocabulary and Language Teaching. M1988. London: Longman. 5. Nation, P. Teaching and Learning Vocabulary. Occasional Publication No. 7 6. OMalley, J and A.U. Chamot. Learning Strategies in
