This document discusses semantics and vocabulary teaching. It presents a three-stage model of adult second language vocabulary acquisition: 1) a word association stage where learners recognize words through their native language translation, 2) a native language mediation stage where words are integrated with some native language influence, and 3) a full integration stage where words are autonomous from the native language. The document reports on a study that investigated the effect of semantic mapping as an instructional strategy and found that reaction times in semantic judgments were affected by the degree of semantic overlap between words. It concludes that vocabulary acquisition requires active participation from students and teaching words in context rather than in isolation.

1. NAME: Lorena Pruna
CARRIER: Lingüística in English
THEME:
Semantics and teaching vocabulary

2. Vocabulary teaching is an important and difficult part of
language acquisition and teaching, The appearance of
different semantic theories has helped people to know the
words better than ever before and thus are put forward to
the words acquisition and learning.
It can be suggested that semantic mapping can
be used as an efficient methodology for teaching
vocabulary, a technique which is effective for
learners.
INTRODUCTION

3. A LARGE BODY OF LITERATURE ON VOCABULARY
Lexical knowledge is represented
in the learner's mind, what is
involved in the form-meaning
mapping process, and what
stages a word goes through before
it becomes an integrated part of the
learner's lexicon.
Today that vocabulary acquisition is at
least as important as syntax
acquisition

4. A MODEL OF ADULT L2 VOCABULARY ACQUISITION
three-stage model of adult vocabulary acquisition
lexical association stage,
adult learners recognize an
orthographic or phonological
form, or both, as a word.
They understand the word's
meaning within an existing
semantic structure.
Stage One Word Association Stage

5. from a processing perspective, this stage may be called L1
lemma mediation stage. From a representational
perspective, this stage may be called the hybrid-entry stage
because a L2 entry at this stage contains a combination of
L2 form information and L1 meaning and syntax
information.
STAGE TWO L1 LEMMA MEDIATION STAGE

6. When lexical knowledge specific to a
L2 word is integrated in its entry and L1
information is discarded. As a result, a
L2 word can be used with not only
more automaticity, but also more
idiomaticity, with little influence from its
L1 translation.
Stage Three Full Integration Stage

7. One of the issues that has
received the most attention is
how the two languages of a
bilingual speaker are connected
to each other and to conceptual
representations.
The linguistic usage of
advanced second-language
learners is influenced by their
mother tongue in a much more
subtle fashion than the
frequency of erroneous usages
clearly traceable to their native
language.

8. THE SEMANTIC TRANSFER
HYPOTHESIS
According to the semantic transfer
hypothesis, the semantic content
residing in L2 words is transferred
from their LI translations.
It is easier to identify a shared
semantic element in a same-
translation pair than in a
different-translation pair due to
their greater semantic overlap.

9. STUDY PURPOSES
* it was intended to extend the author's findings (Jiang, 2002)
* provide confirmation for the same-translation effect by using a
design
* to explore the pedagogical implications of the findings.
If semantic transfer is a
steady state of semantic
representation in L2
learners, it has clear
implications for teaching
vocabulary
in a L2.
To investigate the effect of
semantic mapping as an
instructional strategy for
teaching vocabulary.

10. * Thus, the participants' reaction time in semantic judgment
offers a reliable and objective indication of
the degree of semantic overlap between two words.
* A person's reaction time in making a semantic judgment is
affected by the degree of semantic overlap between two
words.
METHOD

11. Participants: The participants
in the study included 15
Korean- English bilinguals, 5
females and 10 males, and
15 English native speakers.
Materials: A randomized list of
these 260 English words was
then given to three Korean-
English bilingual speakers who
were asked to provide the first
Korean translation that came to
mind for each English word.

12. LEXICAL COMPETENCAEN D SEMANTIC AUTONOMY
Lexical competence has hence
become a multidimensional
construct rather than a
monolithic concept.
Autonomy is important because
idiomatic, accurate, and fluent
expression of one's ideas in another
language cannot be achieved until
one has developed a semantic
system.
Thus, semantic autonomy should be
considered in defining and
measuring lexical competence.

13. LI AS A MEANS OF SEMANTIZATION
Is related to the use of the
L1 as a means of helping
learners understand the
meaning of new words,
or semantization.
A wide range of semantization strategies:
Strategies intralingual: involve the use of
linguistic means of the target language
such as synonyms, definitions, or linguistic
Contexts
Estrategies interlingüística: Utilize
the LI in the form of a bilingual dictionary,
cognates, or L1 translation equivalents,
often associated with word lists.
Estrategies extralingüística: Make use
of pictures, objects, physical contexts, and
other multimedia aids.

14. OVERCOMING SEMANTIC FOSSILIZATION
L2 learners can benefit tremendously
from a variety of vocabulary instruction
techniques that help draw their attention
to the semantic differences between a L2
word and its LI translation and between
two L2 words.
The issue of how to help learners
overcome the continued L1 semantic
involvement and facilitate the
transition from the second to the third
stage of vocabulary acquisition.

15. CONCLUSION
* Vocabulary is a complicated process which
requires careful planning by teachers and active participation by
students. Learners need tasks
and strategies to help them organize their mental lexicon
* Vocabulary should be given a high priority in
teaching English as a foreign language since it is the corner stone
of communication.
* Vocabulary should be taught in contexts and integrated with the
other language skills. Teaching vocabulary in isolation or via
wordlists is fruitless.