Dr. Batia Laufer (University of Haifa, Israel)
Selection, Acquisition and Testing of L2 Vocabulary: the Old and the New
The seminar will focus on three central themes in L2 vocabulary research: selection, acquisition and testing of words learnt by L2 learners. This lecturer will look at these themes from different perspectives: theory, empirical research and practical implications.
Since non-native speakers operate with a limited vocabulary by comparison with native speakers, teachers should make sure that this vocabulary will be as useful as possible and as accurate as possible when functioning in the language. Participants will discuss several criteria for deciding which vocabulary (single words and multi-word units) should be selected for teaching: frequency, usefulness and learnability.
In the 'acquisition' part of the seminar, participants will address a major issue in L2 vocabulary research - the sources of learning new words: language input, attending to words in communicative activities, and decontextualized word practice. They will be related to intentional and incidental learning, the number of exposures to a word and the nature of activities that lead to effective learning.
Defining lexical proficiency and measuring it in a valid and reliable manner is crucial for conducting research and for setting the goals of lexical instruction. The lecturer will suggest a model of lexical proficiency, which extends beyond word knowledge, and will discuss several well-known and less-known vocabulary tests and the research they have generated. Throughout the lectures, the lecturer will try to demonstrate the importance of L1 and contrastive analysis in vocabulary selection, acquisition and testing.
In the public lecture, the lecturer will examine the issue of achieving a high lexical proficiency and life-long lexical learning.