Natural order of vocabulary acquisition
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Date
2013-08
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EUROPEAN ACADEMIC RESEARCH
Abstract
Past investigations conclude that L1 (first language) English learners acquire frequent, concrete, typical and basic level words faster and earlier than infrequent, abstract, atypical and super-ordinate level words. This study examines: (a) the natural order of vocabulary acquisition among 5 to 7 years old English as a Second Language (ESL) learners, and (b) whether the order of vocabulary presentation in the Grade-I English textbook, published by Punjab Textbook Board (PTB), Pakistan, coincides with the vocabulary acquisition habits of the learners. A vocabulary test was executed to gather data from one hundred and twenty ESL learners. A corpus analysis of the Grade-I English textbook was also carried out to compare the order of vocabulary presentation with the learners’ acquisition habits. The study revealed that Grade-I ESL learners acquire and memorize frequent, concrete, basic level and typical vocabulary of a category faster and earlier than infrequent, abstract, super-ordinate and atypical ones. Moreover, the order of vocabulary presentation in English textbooks does not match with the acquisition habits of the learners, which has implications for textbook writers.
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Keywords
ESL, Learner, Vocabulary, Acquisition,, Textbook
Citation
EUROPEAN ACADEMIC RESEARCH, VOL. I, ISSUE 5/ AUGUST 2013 ISSN 2286-4822, www.euacademic.org IMPACT FACTOR: 0.485 (GIF)