A Study On English Vocabulary Memorization From The Category Perspective

Language is an important tool of communication. Vocabulary, as one of the most important components that constitute language knowledge, is the basis of all linguistic abilities. It is the fundamental element of listening, speaking, reading, writing and translation, etc. It conveys information and plays an important role in human's communication. To some extent, a learner's vocabulary size determines his or her language level. But for a long time, the important role of vocabulary has been undervalued in the field of second language teaching and learning, and much attention have been paid on phonology and grammar. Nowadays, more and more scholars have recognized that vocabulary is the center of second language learning. Moreover, vocabulary knowledge has been considered to play a key role in both first and second language acquisition. However, the most significant handicap for second language learners is just the memorization of vocabulary. Though there are many teachers who have recognized the importance of vocabulary, and even giving much time and attention to focus on vocabulary teaching, the results have been disappointing. In reality, most of students recite the words taught in class mechanically but remember little. They can not bring the corresponding words into their minds in time and use them effectively to communicate with other English speakers.As time goes on, numerous researches have been done on vocabulary learning in order to explore a scientific strategy to memorize vocabulary more quickly and efficiently. At the same time, a large amount of literatures have also been published. Cognitive linguistics is a newly emerging science which is based on our psychological cognition and gives some new explanations to linguistic problems. It is an approach to language that is based on our experience to the world and the way we perceive and conceptualize it. Therefore, as one of the most important component of cognitive linguistics, category theory is considered can help language learners to broaden vision on memory from a different perspective and enables people to comprehend the cognitive process of language learning and applying more deeply.So the thesis here is intended to apply the category theory, especially prototype category theory and basic-level category theory to English vocabulary learning, thus to find a scientific and systematical strategy to help learners memorize vocabulary more quickly and efficiently. Moreover, it is also expected to provide some valuable reference data for the further research of the improvement of English vocabulary teaching and learning.