Corpus-based Vocabulary Planning In English Teaching

Case studies show that much less is known about the nature and the methods of teaching vocabulary to foreign language learners. Even though vocabulary acquisition is considered of vital importance, teachers are often confused on how to design proper vocabulary learning tasks and how to input vocabulary. These two aspects have a great impact on the result of the learners'vocabulary output, as well as on their interests in learning.Based on the background above, this thesis will be an attempt to find some appropriate methods for teaching vocabulary through analyzing the features of vocabulary learning and the distribution of the vocabulary in the textbooks. The author aims to make careful plans in the vocabulary teaching and learning process. Effectiveness of learning words can be enhanced by repeated encounters until the words become permanently stored in the memory. Such encounters are more effective in comprehensible contexts. Through the research, the author will attempt to answer the following questions: In what way(s) should the teacher present words to the students to make the input effective? How can the teacher make sure that the students can use them correctly in the output?To address this topic, the corpus-based method is employed for the research.Chapter One presents an introduction of the research background, the current situation and methods in common practice for vocabulary teaching. The necessity for improvement of vocabulary teaching is also explained.Chapter Two illustrates vocabulary acquisition theories: the vocabulary description, vocabulary acquisition based on the analyses of the formation of internal lexicon, the relation between input and storage, the influence of word frequency on lexicon access, and the features and process of learning vocabulary.Chapter Three introduces Corpus Linguistics and its application in vocabulary teaching. With the aid of automatic concordance of corpus, words frequency, key words in context (KWIC) and phraseology and collocation are analyzed and described. It makes the clearness of the advantage of the corpus-based method during the practice.Chapter Four illustrates College English Course Corpus, complied both by Mr. Zhang Yang, the author's supervisor, and the author, with the instruction of the College English Curriculum Requirements The Course Corpus consists of three parts: syllabus database, textbook database (Reading and Writing Course in 21st Century College English), and software package. With the help of the materials and data generated from the corpus, the author analyzes and evaluates the distribution and reoccurrence of vocabulary in the textbooks for further concrete evidence of the advantage of the corpus-based teaching method during the practice.Chapter Five proposes appropriate vocabulary planning with the aid of information and statistics generated from the corpus. Throughout various angles of analyses of distribution and reoccurrence, all kinds of wordlists and supplementary wordlists (which are the words uncovered in the textbooks, but required in the syllabus), will be helpful for students. The circulation in different ways of the vocabulary reoccurrence will be planned carefully for students'effective memory of the words by giving different wordlists. It can compensate the weakness of compiling the textbooks by increasing the reoccurrence of vocabulary. It is noted that students'autonomous input and exercises can be encouraged out class through in-class input with examples step by step in a planned way, and clear guidance can be provided for both teachers and students as well. Chapter Six summarizes the implications and limitations of the research and gives some suggestions for further study.This research has some practical significance in vocabulary teaching. Although the study on vocabulary teaching and learning is more active than ever before, the systematical vocabulary planning has been less discussed. It is beneficial for both teachers and students to make full use of the special function of computer and corpora in generating all kinds of wordlists, automatic concordance, and providing the collocations of words and phrases. While taking advantage of the teachers'lectures and assistance, students can be assisted by computer and corpus in choosing the appropriate content of learning according to their specific needs, proficiency and schedule under the guidance of teachers. Then the best effects of vocabulary teaching and learning can be achieved.