32.1680, Review: Applied Linguistics: Schmitt, Schmitt (2020)

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LINGUIST List: Vol-32-1680. Thu May 13 2021. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 32.1680, Review: Applied Linguistics: Schmitt, Schmitt (2020)

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Date: Thu, 13 May 2021 15:36:57
From: Jean Danic [calkinsjean at gmail.com]
Subject: Vocabulary in Language Teaching

 
Discuss this message:
http://linguistlist.org/pubs/reviews/get-review.cfm?subid=36656017


Book announced at http://linguistlist.org/issues/31/31-2533.html

AUTHOR: Norbert  Schmitt
AUTHOR: Diane  Schmitt
TITLE: Vocabulary in Language Teaching
PUBLISHER: Cambridge University Press
YEAR: 2020

REVIEWER: Jean Danic

SUMMARY

This text is composed of nine chapters, each contributing to a deeper
understanding of vocabulary, vocabulary instruction, and assessment.  All nine
sections include comprehensive information on the given topic, followed by
three additional components: a summary, exercises for expansion, and further
reading. The summary portion condenses the information and conclusions into an
approximately half-page overview, and the exercises and reading
recommendations provide the reader with additional ideas and resources.

The first chapter, “The Nature and Size of Vocabulary,” is meant to serve as a
general explanation of what is meant by the term ‘vocabulary.’  It describes
the challenge posed by attempting to fully define ‘vocabulary’ and the
different options available to count ‘words’ in a language. The authors also
present research findings aimed at determining the number of words or lexical
items that an English language learner would need in order to be successful or
proficient in learning English.  This overview is meant to serve as background
knowledge for the reader as he or she reads further about the nature and
issues involved in vocabulary instruction.

The second chapter, “History of Vocabulary in Language Teaching,” briefly
describes the history of Second Language (L2) and vocabulary instruction
ranging from the Romans to the current era.  Various methods and their
popularity over time are detailed, providing context for the strategies upon
which many instructors agree today. The authors use methods that have now
fallen out of favor as examples that illustrate the need for more
vocabulary-based instruction in second-language acquisition.  The chapter then
segues into a discussion of modern word lists, current research studies, and
the evolution of testing methods.  This overview situates modern vocabulary
instruction as it stands by detailing what has led it to current practices.

Chapter 3 is titled, “What Does It Mean to ‘Know’ a Word?” and it strives to
answer that question while acknowledging the herculean feat that would
require.  The authors describe knowledge of a word as a continuum and
summarize attempts to express this continuum as a series of levels or stages
of learning.  They also pose the question of how receptive and productive
knowledge are related and measured, and they explore the relationship between
phonology, orthography, morphology, and social usage in word knowledge.  They
then apply this information to teaching with a wide variety of implication,
including those related to slang and formulaic language.

The fourth chapter, “Corpus Insights: Frequency and Formulaic Language,”
begins with an explanation of corpus linguistics in general, the usefulness of
corpora, and the various existing collections.  The chapter categorizes
vocabulary words based on low, mid, and high-frequency, while also
distinguishing between content and function words. The ‘Applications to
Teaching’ portion of this chapter is vast and addresses the nature of
vocabulary instruction as it pertains not to words, per se, but to formulaic
language, idioms, and colloquialisms.  The authors suggest that an educator
may choose to select which material to teach based on frequency and usefulness
to an L2 learner.  These include idiomatic expressions and phrases that
students learning English would not grasp if simply searching for meaning in
the sum of their parts rather than the whole phrase (e.g. ‘over the hill’ does
not mean that one is actually over a physical hill).

Chapter 5, “Categories of Vocabulary and Word Lists,” describes ways of
categorizing vocabulary and how those methods can inform instructional
strategies.  The overview of word lists begs the question of how one groups
words, be it by frequency, academic usage, word family, or even as packages of
commonly used idiomatic phrases.  Further, once categorized, educators must
choose which lists or types or words to focus their instruction on, and the
chapter argues for the prioritization of high-frequency vocabulary above
technical or academic vocabulary. The authors also provide several examples of
compiled word lists along with how to access them online.

In the sixth chapter, “Incidental Vocabulary Learning from Language Exposure,”
the authors explore the question of how, and how much, L2 learners can absorb
via exposure to the second language rather than explicit instruction. 
Exposure in the forms of child L1 acquisition, reading, listening,
television/movies, and extramural exposure are all discussed in some depth. 
Special focus is given to the role of extensive reading in vocabulary
acquisition.  Helpful strategies for teachers, such as glossing and the use of
subtitles or captions, are also promoted.  The authors conclude that while all
exposure appears to be useful, repetition and extensive exposure seem to be
key in incidental learning, no matter the type of input.  

The seventh chapter, “Intentional Vocabulary Learning,” contrasts with the
previous one by moving from incidental to explicit language learning.  This
chapter demonstrates the efficacy of explicit vocabulary instruction while
also addressing the many issues that plague it.  These include L1
interference, word form, processing depth, study habits, formulaic language,
and dictionary usage.  In discussing each factor, the authors not only
describe their pitfalls but also ways that teachers can address them to
maximize instructional impact.  The chapter concludes with the notion that
both the incidental learning reviewed in the previous chapter and an explicit
approach are necessary for vocabulary learning.

Chapter 8, “Vocabulary in the Curriculum,” addresses the four key skills of
reading, writing, listening, and speaking, both as separate entities and as
inseparable pieces of the same puzzle.  The authors provide research backed
methods for integrating vocabulary into each of the four component skills and
the curriculum in general. They close with the argument that effective
vocabulary instruction provides opportunities for intentional and explicit
learning, integration into all four of the dominant skills, and an abundance
of repetition and opportunities for students to use new words.

The final chapter, “Assessing Vocabulary Knowledge,” makes the necessary
transition from teaching to testing.  This chapter encourages the reader to
ask and answer several questions before assessing student vocabulary
knowledge: why do you want to test, what words do you want to test, what
aspects of these words do you want to test, and how will you elicit students’
knowledge of these words.  Each question is posed to the reader, and then the
factors involved in formulating an answer are described in detail.  No direct
answers are provided, but the authors share information that will guide
educators to their own conclusions.

EVALUATION

In the preface to this text, the authors state that their purpose in writing
it is to provide language teachers or others with the background knowledge,
research, and theory necessary for them to make informed choices about their
methods in the classroom. They have largely succeeded in this and have given
enough of an overview to prove helpful to a vocabulary instructor, be they
novice or someone more experienced.  Readers of this text can not only use the
information provided, but they can also find myriad opportunities for further
research should they desire to learn more.

The authors utilize many helpful features to guide the reader, including
boldfaced words and their definitions throughout the entirety of the text. 
This aids the reader both in general comprehension and in identifying words
for further study.  While this is mostly consistent, there are times in which,
oddly, words that are more common appear in boldface with descriptions, and
terms that may prove unknown to less experienced linguists or educators are
used with little ado (e.g. ‘MI statistic).  There is also a helpful index
included to aid anyone searching for some topic in particular.

The summaries included at the end of each chapter are useful in providing the
gestalt and for quick reference.  They are extremely general compared to the
specificity employed throughout the chapter, but this may be useful to those
simply wanting to cement their knowledge at the end of each chapter or to
those reading the summary first to determine a chapter’s potential usefulness.

The additional exercises are another feature included to guide readers in
drawing conclusions from their reading.  Many are socratic in nature,without
strictly correct answers, but others are not and include an answer key for
reference.  These exercises occasionally seem trivial or unnecessary, but they
are for the most part helpful and thought-provoking.  These could easily be
used not only by educators looking to inform their pedagogy, but might also be
assigned as homework in teacher education classes.

The further reading sections included at the end of each chapter are
especially useful.  Not only are the links and texts provided, but their
content and application are provided as well.  An educator looking for more on
a particular topic that the chapter did not delve into very deeply can usually
find more information supplied by the authors in these sections.  If you
include the further reading suggested to the bulk of the text, an ocean of
information has been provided by the authors.

The chapters build from theory to practice as the text proceeds, particularly
in Chapters 8 and 9.  Beginning with Chapter 5, an educator’s interest will be
piqued as the text starts to offer quite applicable information and resources
to language teachers, including lists available online of idioms, academic
vocabulary, etc.  Those who may not have the time or desire to read the entire
text and wade through the detailed background and research may skip directly
to the latter half of the book to inform their classroom choices.  These
readers may occasionally need to consult prior chapters or the index for
further explanation, but each chapter is self-contained enough that it can be
read on its own if needed.

One small shortcoming of the text is that it is so well-referenced that the
copious references can interrupt the flow of the text and disturb readability.
 Footnotes may have better served the reader to avoid constant lengthy sources
listed in parentheses.  There are portions in which the cited works become
distracting, but this may be unavoidable in a text that draws so heavily from
previous works, including much of the authors’ own.

Overall, this comprehensive text describes vocabulary instruction well and
accomplishes the goal of guiding language teachers to make well-informed
choices in instruction and assessment.  Areas which are described in less
detail are supplemented by the further reading sections, so educators have a
plethora of resources to consult in addition to the text alone, no matter the
experience level of the reader.  It is a strength that this book is
well-designed for those who want to read it as a whole, but it can be read in
pieces as well, though readers may find themselves referring back to previous
chapters for underlying research, theories, etc.  Any person who teaches
vocabulary or simply wants to learn more about it will find this text to be a
useful guide.


ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Jean Danic holds degrees in English Education and Linguistics from Wayne State
University in Detroit, MI. While pursuing her Master's degree, she focused her
thesis on White teacher perceptions of African American Vernacular English in
the Metro Detroit area. She currently teaches in the English for Academic
Purposes Department at Hillsborough Community College in Tampa, Florida. Her
interests include all aspects of educational linguistics, and she is
constantly using her linguistics research and knowledge to refine her teaching
pedagogy.





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