Vocabulary Study Guide

📖 Core Concepts Vocabulary / Lexicon – the set of words (oral, written, signed) known by a language or an individual. Active vs. Passive Vocabulary – Active: words you regularly use; Passive: words you recognize but seldom use. Receptive vs. Productive Knowledge – Receptive: words you understand when heard/seen; Productive: words you can produce in speech, writing, or signing. Depth of Knowledge Facets – orthography, phonology, reference, semantics, register, collocation, word‑association, syntax, morphology. Word vs. Lemma – a lemma is the base/dictionary form; all inflected forms belong to the same lemma. Word Families – all words derived from a common root (e.g., effort, effortless, effortful). Reading Vocabulary – words recognized while reading (largest subset). Listening / Speaking Vocabulary – words recognized when hearing speech; speaking vocabulary is a subset of listening. 📌 Must Remember Receptive vocabulary > productive vocabulary > active vocabulary. Rough size ranges: Native speakers: 10 000–17 000 word families (≈ 17 000–42 000 dictionary words). Minimal comprehension in L2: ≈ 3 000 word families (≈ 5 000 lexical items). Pleasure reading in L2: ≈ 5 000 word families (≈ 8 000 items). “Optimal” coverage (≈ 98 % of discourse): ≈ 8 000 word families. Children who can read in 1st grade learn 2× as many words as non‑readers. Spaced repetition and keyword method are evidence‑based L2 memorization techniques. False friends → identical form, different meaning → must be memorized deliberately. 🔄 Key Processes Vocabulary Acquisition (general) Input (reading, listening) → recognition → contextual inference → partial meaning → full definition → productive use. Spaced Repetition Workflow Create flashcard → review after short interval → if recalled, increase interval; if missed, reset to short interval. Keyword Method Identify familiar “keyword” → create vivid image linking keyword to new word → rehearse image when recalling the target word. 🔍 Key Comparisons Active vs. Passive Vocabulary → Active = used regularly; Passive = recognized but rarely used. Receptive vs. Productive Knowledge → Receptive = understands; Productive = can produce. Reading vs. Listening Vocabulary → Reading vocabulary is largest; listening vocabulary includes tone/gesture cues; speaking vocabulary ⊂ listening. Word Families vs. Individual Words → Families group all morphological variants; counting families yields lower size estimates than counting every lexical item. ⚠️ Common Misunderstandings “Knowing a word” = being able to use it. → Recognition does not guarantee productive use. All words are counted equally. → Size estimates differ dramatically depending on whether you count lemmas, word families, or every inflected form. Keyword method works for abstract nouns. → It is most effective for concrete nouns; abstract concepts need different strategies. 🧠 Mental Models / Intuition “Vocabulary iceberg” – the visible tip is active/productive words; the massive submerged part is passive/receptive words you recognize but rarely use. “Layered depth” – think of each word as having layers (orthography → phonology → semantics → collocation → register). Mastery requires moving down the layers. 🚩 Exceptions & Edge Cases False friends can look identical to native words yet have opposite meanings; standard memorization rules don’t protect against them. Proper nouns are often excluded from size estimates but become part of the “optimal” 8 000‑family threshold. 📍 When to Use Which Spaced repetition → when you need long‑term retention of many isolated word‑form pairs (e.g., flashcard decks). Keyword method → when learning concrete nouns or visually‑amenable concepts. Word‑list approach (GSL, AWL, etc.) → for rapid functional proficiency or academic vocabulary building. Focus on collocations → when aiming to improve naturalness of speaking/writing. 👀 Patterns to Recognize Receptive > productive gap – test items that ask for definition will be easier than those requiring production. Word‑family clusters – spotting a familiar root often reveals multiple related words you may already know. Frequency‑coverage curve – 3 000 families ≈ 95 % of spoken discourse; 5 000 families ≈ 95 % of written discourse; 8 000 families ≈ 98 % overall. 🗂️ Exam Traps Distractor: “All words are equally difficult to learn.” – false; concrete nouns are easier (keyword method) than abstract terms. Choice suggesting “5 000 word families guarantee full comprehension.” – inaccurate; full comprehension still needs > 8 000 families for 98 % coverage. Option that “active vocabulary equals total vocabulary.” – wrong; active is only a subset of passive/receptive. Answer implying “once a word is recognized it is productive.” – misconception; productive use lags behind receptive knowledge.