On Contextual Input Contributing To Vocabulary Acquisition

The important role of vocabulary proficiency in second language acquisition can rarely be exaggerated. Such factors as the size of one's vocabulary, the extent to which the word has been mastered, and the way in which the words are dealt with, will influence the language users in listening, speaking, reading, writing, translation or the general proficiency of his or her English. Based on the Input Hypothesis put forward by Krashen, the paper here intends to explore the way to improve students'mastery of vocabulary through contextual input, especially to make full use of extensive reading and dictionary consultation. After clarifying some key concepts in the paper, the author moves to give a review of what has been done concerning the role of context in the second language vocabulary acquisition, revealing that the previous studies attached too much importance to the static aspect of the input by only stressing the quality of the input. The author then moves to discuss the importance of vocabulary for the language and the mastery of it for the language users before underscoring the role of context in improving vocabulary input quality. Two types of input processes for non-English majors are stressed in their roles of preparing conditions for deep-level processing and the role of providing opportunities for valuable incidental learning under different contexts: extensive reading and dictionary consultation, in both of which deeper –level processing, compared with rote list learning, and incidental learning will result. In this paper these two forms of input are taken to be feasible for non-English majors, with the students'special difficulty in mind. Also mentioned in the paper are other forms of input such as class input. With the introduction of all this, the author is expecting to relieve the non-English majors of their boredom in learning English, mostly resulting from their rote learning.