Engagement Strategies for Unknown Vocabulary in L2 texts: Idioms

Yıl 2018, Cilt: 14 Sayı: 4, 259 - 271, 15.12.2018

Nuray Alagözlü

Öz

Please fill up the following information accurately. (Please use Times New Roman, 12 pt.
Engagement Strategies for Unknown Vocabulary in L2 texts: Idioms
Vocabulary researchers generally point out three strategies that learners apply in order to find out the meanings of unknown words on their own (Graves, 2006; 2007).  The use of context, word parts, reference materials ((e.g. dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses, both print and online) in-text definition/explanations, synonyms, examples, antonyms/contrasts, analogy have been added to these three ways (Gu and Johnson, 1996). The meaning of an idiom can be predicted by cashing in on world knowledge of the reader as it is not randomly constructed or an arbitrary assignment.  In the depth of many idioms may lie a metaphor or an assumption, for example, to predict the meaning of an idiom like “the ball is in your court” may prerequisite the assumption that we play a game or the metaphor that life is a game.  In the same way, one may find the meaning quite transparent if s/he has some encyclopedic assumptions about the type of activity, sport or game which the expression alludes to, and the ability to derive implications using these assumptions.  Taking the predictability of the meaning of an idiom as idiom transparency, readers may also infer the meaning of an idiom by establishing relevance with their background experience and knowledge (Moreno, 2017). Taking all above into account, the present paper has a two-fold aim: It first aims to unveil vocabulary engagement strategies of L2 students in decoding word meaning in general at tertiary level in a state university in Turkey. Secondly, the way how the meanings of idioms are determined in the text is explored as the conflict between literal meaning and idiomatic expressions emerges as one of the challenges before the learners of foreign languages.  With this aim, an already-prepared literature-based list of strategies were presented to the participants who are all college students after they were delivered the texts with unfamiliar vocabulary. Unfamiliar vocabulary also contained idioms that are transparent and opaque in meaning. The list contained strategies such as surrounding language cues, word parts, contextual cues, compositional meaning of the words, idiom-inherent features, and relevance to background knowledge and experience. The participants were also asked to describe their own way of deciphering unfamiliar word. It is expected that such an exploration of vocabulary engagement strategies will contribute to teaching vocabulary in foreign/second language teaching.
Information about Author(s)*
Author 1
Author (Last name, First name)	Alagözlü, Nuray
Affiliated institution (University)	Hacettepe University
Country	Turkey
Email address	[e-mail]
Department & Rank	English Language Teaching
Corresponding author (Yes/No) Write only one corresponding author.	Yes
Author 2
Author (Last name, First name)
Affiliated institution (University)
Country
Email address
Department & Rank
Corresponding author (Yes/No)
Author 3
Author (Last name, First name)
Affiliated institution (University)
Country
Email address
Department & Rank
Corresponding author (Yes/No)
Author 4
Author (Last name, First name)
Affiliated institution (University)
Country
Email address
Department & Rank
Corresponding author (Yes/No)

Anahtar Kelimeler

Vocabulary Learning strategies, Idioms

Kaynakça

• Alhaysony, M.H. (2017). Strategies and Difficulties of Understanding English Idioms: A Case Study
• of Saudi University EFL Students International Journal of English Linguistics; Vol. 7, No. 3
• Bensoussan, M. and Laufer, B. (1984). ‘Lexical guessing in context in EFL reading
• comprehension’, Journal of Research in Reading, Vol. 7, pp. 15–32.
• Bialystok, E. (1983). ‘Inferencing: testing the “Hypothesis-Testing” hypothesis’, in Seliger,
• H.W.and Long, M.H. (eds), Classroom-Oriented Research in Second-Language Acquisition. Rowley, Mass.: Newbury House, pp. 104–23. Harmon , J.M., E.Buckelew-Martin, and K.D. Wood
• (2010).The Cognitive Vocabulary approach to word learning. 100 English Journal 100.1
• –107.
• Bambini V, Resta D, Grimaldi M (2014) A Dataset of Metaphors from the Italian Literature:
• Exploring Psycholinguistic Variables and the Role of Context. PLoS ONE 9(9): e105634.
• https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0105634
• Carrell, P.L. (1983) Three Components Of Background Knowledge In Reading Comprehension
• Language Learning pp. 183-203.
• Cserep,A. (2008). Idioms and Metaphors in When Grammar Minds Language and Literature pp. 85-94 Institute of English and American Studies, University of Debrecen
• Cserép,A. (2014) Conceptual Metaphor Theory: in defense or on the fence. Argumentum 10 (10), 261-
• Caillies, S. & K. Butcher (2007) Processing of Idiomatic Expressions: Evidence for a New Hybrid
• View, Metaphor and Symbol, 22:1, 79-108, DOI: 10.1080/10926480709336754
• Holsinger, E. (2013) Representing Idioms: Syntactic and Contextual Effects on Idiom Processing
• Volume: 56 issue: 3, page(s): 373-394
• Hulstijn J.H. (1992) Retention of Inferred and Given Word Meanings: Experiments in Incidental Vocabulary Learning. In: Arnaud P.J.L., Béjoint H. (eds) Vocabulary and Applied Linguistics. Palgrave Macmillan, London
• Hulstijn, J.H. (2001). Intentional and incidental second-language vocabulary learning: A reappraisal of elaboration, rehearsal and automaticity. In P. Robinson (ed.), Cognition and Second Language Instruction (pp. 258-286). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Irujo,S. (1986). Don't put your leg in your mouth: Transfer in the acquisition of idioms in a second language. TESOL Quarterly 20 (2), 287-304.
• Pettigrew,J. (1995). Teaching Vocabulary: Two Dozen Tips & Techniques Handout from a presentation at TESOL 1995 (Chicago) Center for English Language & Orientation Programs Boston University http://people.bu.edu/jpettigr/Artilces_and_Presentations/Teaching+Vocabulary.pdf
• Paribakht ,S and M. Wesche (1999). Readıng And “Incıdental” L2 Vocabulary Acquısıtıon: An
• Introspective Study of Lexical Inferencing. Studies in Second Language Acquisition. Volume 21, Issue 2 pp. 195-224
• Schmitt N. (2007) Current Perspectives on Vocabulary Teaching and Learning. In: Cummins J., Davison C. (eds) International Handbook of English Language Teaching. Springer International Handbooks of Education, vol 15. Springer, Boston, MA
• Qualls, C. D. and J.L.Harris (1999) Effects of Familiarity on Idiom Comprehension in African
• American and European American Fifth Graders Language, Speech, and Hearing Services
• in Schools, April 1999, Vol. 30, 141-151. doi:10.1044/0161-1461.3002.141
• Mauranen, A. & T. Puurtinen 1997. Translation - Acquisition - Use. AFinLA Yearbook 1997.
• Publications de l’Association Finlandaise de Linguistique Appliquée 55. pp. 175-190.
• Nassaji, H. (2003) L2 Vocabulary Learning From Context: Strategies, Knowledge Sources, and Their Relationship With Success in L2 Lexical Inferencing. Tesol Quarterly. Volume 37, Issue 4 pages: 585-784
• Nation, P. (1982). ‘Beginning to learn foreign vocabulary: a review of the research’, RELC Journal, Vol. 13, pp. 14–36.
• Nation, P. and Coady, J. (1988). ‘Vocabulary and reading’, in Carter, R. and McCarthy, M.J. (eds), Vocabulary and Language Teaching. London: Longman, pp. 97–110
• Nation, I.S.P. (1990). Teaching and Learning Vocabulary. New York: Newbury House.
• Nation, P. (1993). Vocabulary Size, Growth, and Use In The Bilingual Lexicon Eds. Editors R. Schreuder and B. Weltens) pp115-135. John Benjamins Publishing
• Victoria J. Marsick, V.J and K.E. Watkins (2001) Informal and Incidental Learning Volume2001, Issue 89Special Issue: The New Update on Adult Learning Theory Spring 2001 Pages 25-34 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ace.5
• Wilkins, D. (1972). Linguistics in Language Teaching. London: Edward Arnold.
• Yasuda, S. (2010). Learning Phrasal Verbs Through Conceptual Metaphors: A Case of Japanese EFL Learners Tesol Quarterly Vol. 44, No. 2, June 2010
• Websites
• Nation, P. Vocabulary size test (retrieved on May 2018 at https://www.lextutor.ca/tests/levels/recognition/1_14k/