Learning a native or foreign language requires a good grasp of grammar, phonology (the sounds of a language), and vocabulary.
Historically, vocabulary has often been neglected by foreign language teachers and researchers as less important. Since the 1970s, however, studies have found how critical vocabulary truly is.
Internationally-acclaimed British linguist Professor Widdowson stated in 1978 that native speakers can understand a non-native speaker better when they use accurate vocabulary and incorrect grammar, as opposed to accurate grammar and poor vocabulary.
Words are the "starting point." This is seen with toddlers in any language who first learn words before they are able to speak correct sentences (Clark, 1993).
As such, vocabulary is referred to as the heart of language learning. Likewise, “one thing that all of [the] partners involved in the learning process (students, teachers, material writers, and researchers) can agree upon is that learning vocabulary is an essential part of mastering language” (Schmitt, 2010).
According to research, 2,000 words are a good basis for learning a language. In English, however, 5,000 words is better to comfortably understand written text (Hu and Nation, 2000). Other researchers suggest between 2,000 and 3,000 for productive use in speaking and writing (Nation and Waring, 1997).
In Spanish, a vocabulary of 4,000 most common words will cover 90% of Spanish speech. Knowing 8,000 Spanish words will cover 90% of written text (Davies, 2005).
To contrast, language experts recommend knowing at least 10,000 words when learning Dutch as a second language for university studies (Hazenberg and Hulstun, 1996).
Professor Argüelles, a notable American linguist, suggested on a popular language-learning forum that these are the rounded number of words needed when learning a language:
250 words are the essential core of a language. Without these, you cannot construct any sentence.
750 words are used every day by every person who speaks the language.
2,500 words enable you to express everything you could possibly want to say, albeit often via awkward circumlocutions (using more words than necessary).
5,000 words make up the active vocabulary of native speakers without higher education.
10,000 words make up the active vocabulary of native speakers with higher education.
20,000 words are needed to recognise passively in order to read, understand, and enjoy a work of literature, such as a novel by a notable author.
It is thought that English has the largest vocabulary of all languages (Crystal, 2002), with a total of some 250,000–750,000 words (Lems et al., 2017).
By the age of 6, native English speakers know around 6,000 words (Grabe and Stoller, 2002). Educated adult native speakers of English know around 70,000 words, or 20,000 word families (Nation and Waring, 1997). Typically, educated non-native speakers of English know less than one-quarter of the native speakers’ vocabulary (Laufer and Yano, 2001).
In order to communicate effectively, it's important for language learners to grow their vocabulary. Luckily, 60% of spoken English is made up of only 50 function words (Tschirner and Möhring, 2019).
According to Nagy and Herman (1987), there is a link between the range of vocabulary and reading comprehension. For example, students who read for 20 minutes per day will learn 1,800,000 words per year. This compares significantly with students who only read for 5 minutes per day (282,000 words learned per year) and students who read for 1 minute per day (8,000 words learned per year).
A study of preschool children by Ramsook, Welsh, and Bierman (2019) found that growth in vocabulary led to increased communication skills and academic achievement. As children learn more words, they are able to understand others and speak more fluently with confidence.
The same can be applied to adult students of a foreign language. When vocabulary knowledge is continually built on, it becomes less awkward and confusing when conversing in a foreign language.
It has been found in numerous studies that there is a strong link between vocabulary knowledge and academic grades. Respected educational psychologist Robert Thorndike proved in his research in 1973 that children with better reading comprehension achieve better results in school. A large memorised vocabulary bank is necessary to achieve higher reading comprehension.
Wide reading is the primary engine that drives vocabulary learning in older and more able readers. Younger and less able readers benefit from experiences with rich oral language. For example, classroom activities such as reading aloud, pretend play, storytelling, and classroom conversations (Hiebert and Kamil, 2005).
It's recommended to read as many of the following:
Fiction novels
Non-fiction books
Academic papers
Online news articles
Explicit vocabulary teaching helps students reach higher language ability levels. Some countries, such as those in Scandinavia, rely heavily on exposure to a foreign language in school with the opportunity to practise it. For example, teachers only speak in English as soon as children start school at age 4.
This is known as communicative language teaching (CLT). However, research has shown that this is not enough, as gaining new vocabulary this way is small and cumulative. Vocabulary exercises are needed for fast word expansion (Nation, 1982; Longhurst, 2013).
Recommended exercises include:
Flash cards
Memory games
Keyword mnemonics
Mnemonics is the interesting technique of associating words in a foreign language with a similar-sounding word in the native language. Making the creative visual connection in the imagination has been found to be more effective than translating and memorising words (Kroll and De Groot, 2009).
Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) improves vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension while reducing reaction time to recall vocabulary. CALL is a highly efficient learning technique compared to those that only read books and complete printed reading comprehension exercises (Tozcu and Coady, 2010).
Online language learning platforms are accessed with a computer and WiFi. They usually require a monthly or yearly subscription to access resources that include interactive writing, reading, listening, and speaking vocabulary training.
Short message service (SMS), also known as text messages, are useful for students who don't own a smartphone to learn vocabulary. A small study by Lu (2008) discovered that students learned more vocabulary when reading SMS messages that taught them new words in a foreign language. Students who used more-detailed print material to expand their vocabulary learned fewer words.
Mobile learning, also known as m-learning, has become a valuable tool when learning a language. According to Kuimova et al. (2018), "m-learning enhances cognitive activity, encourages the learner’s independence, helps individualise learning, and increases the learner’s motivation."
Hundreds of free and paid language apps are accessible from app stores, such as those from Apple, Google Play, and Samsung Galaxy. Downloading these onto a smartphone or tablet makes language learning fun and engaging and improves vocabulary instruction (Çelik and Yavuz, 2017).
Research has also found that social media messaging apps (e.g. WhatsApp, Line, Telegram, and WeChat) enhance students' writing skills better than traditional instruction (Awada, 2016; Andujar, 2016; Aghajani and Adloo, 2018).
For learning English vocabulary, VocaBot is a useful and motivational tool for students. It uses Telegram for students to easily practise English word knowledge.
Movies and TV series have become a popular way to help with language learning. All levels of students benefit from watching films in a foreign language with subtitles (either in the foreign language or the students' native language).
This method is effective as it brings together the excitement of cinema with learning. Reading the subtitles requires little effort, but the benefits are huge. Research has found that reading subtitles, especially in the native language, enriches vocabulary knowledge and word recognition in the foreign language more than without subtitles (Sadiku, 2018).
The way it works is that "when pictures are associated with the meaning, the number of signals connected to the message increases" (Gorijan, 2014).
Students also agree that they enjoy watching movies and that the meaning of foreign words in the film is easy to understand or work out from how it is conveyed in context" (Nurfauziah et al., 2023). Clues for problem-solving the meaning of new vocabulary include watching how the actors move, the situation in the movie scene, or else using an online translation tool.
To summarise, vocabulary is crucial for young learners of their native language and learners of any age learning a foreign language. The best approach for enriching vocabulary is well-rounded. Using a variety of methods to challenge the brain in different ways has the most effective results for remembering words.
It is highly recommended to use a mix of wide reading, focused vocabulary recall exercises, movies with subtitles, and apps for social networking, such as VocaBot.
