Channels, Fall 2017

Channels • 2017 • Volume 3 • Number 1 Page 33 The L1 Context Embedding Method in Foreign Language Vocabulary Instruction: A Comparative Study with the Keyword Method Jordan Nanda English, Literature, and Modern Languages — Cedarville University Introduction wo important subjects of language instruction are grammar (syntax) and vocabulary (incorporating morphology, semantics, and phonology). Vocabulary may be defined as “the words of a language, including single items and phrases or chunks of several words which convey a particular meaning, the way individual words do” (Lessard- Clouston, 2013, p. 9). In many second language classrooms, which are descended from the Grammar-Translation method, explicit grammar instruction dominates class time and practice drills, while vocabulary instruction tends to hold an inferior position. Utilizing this approach, language instructors naturally put more work into grammar instruction, abandoning students to learn vocabulary primarily by rote memorization or by drawing on any strategies they may have severally (Brown, 2001; Fazal, Majoka, & Ahmad, 2016). However, many linguists and educators believe that vocabulary instruction is actually more urgent than grammar, for, as one author states, “While without grammar very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed” (Wilkins, 1972, p. 111). From the latter perspective, it is clear that research into the most effective methods of vocabulary instruction is of great value. Literature Review Importance of Vocabulary Instruction Two authors, Norbert Schmitt (2000) and Michael Lessard-Clouston (2013), both explain the importance of vocabulary in language acquisition. Schmitt (2000) notes initially that both explicit and incidental learning are necessary and should be regarded as complementary. He writes, “Reliable intuitions of collocation can only come from numerous exposures to a word in varied contexts, which suggests incidental learning as an acquisition vehicle” (Schmitt, 2000, p. 122). Incidental acquisition can only occur with exposure by one of two avenues: spoken language and written language. If we reduce the T