An Experimental Research Of English Vocabulary Teaching On The Basis Of Iconic Theory

It goes without saying that vocabulary is widely considered as one of three key elements of language which occupies an extremely significant place during English learning. Hence, vocabulary directly determines English level. There is no better way to communicate, if one does not have a good command of vocabulary. Therefore, it has become the crux of language teaching by applying a high effective expanding vocabulary method. The thesis brings the iconicity of cognitive linguistics into the vocabulary teaching. Firstly, the theories of iconicity and vocabulary teaching are elaborated specifically; then, the shortcomings of vocabulary teaching in recent years are deeply discussed. Secondly, the classification of vocabulary teaching on iconicity is overall analyzed in the following part. It starts from the transparent iconicity, mainly illustrating iconicity on phonology, word-form, etymology, root and affix, word-order and grammar. After that, opaque iconicity is also as a major part demonstrated delicately in the same Chapter, which consists of metaphorical iconicity, metonymic iconicity, synecdochic iconicity and iconicity of portmanteau words. All of the above classifications and instruments are as through lectures taught to the subjects. Basically, the experiment can be divided into five steps, which include series of lectures, investigations, many quizzes, several times of homework, and students' attitude assessment. Eventually, the subjects have given their objective, fair and good feedbacks. The statistics which have been obtained make a big progress and hold a large of distinctions than before, which proved that the iconic theory can optimize the vocabulary teaching. Besides, subjects generally think that they can understand words more reasonable after got iconicity and it is more effective and scientific than before. Meanwhile, it demonstrates that students can remember more words within the same time through iconicity, and furthermore, they can remember words more firmly and lastingly as well. It also objectively evidences that the acceptance degree of subjects for iconicity through their attitude assessment. The research indicates that the value of iconicity does not only rest with directing the vocabulary teaching, but also push the development of language competence on the aspects of listening, speaking, reading, writing and translating. The experiment and data will definitely bring some new enlightenment for the future research.