A Discussion on the Methods of Vocabulary Teaching in Middle School 英语词汇教学方法的探讨.doc

A Discussion on the Methods of Vocabulary Teaching in Middle School Introduction In China, English teachers have sometimes tended to overlook the importance of the lexical system. This is especially obvious in the middle school. This phenomenon might have resulted from the fact that linguists have worked out a perfect equivalent Chinese vocabulary system to English vocabulary system, so that teachers and students can more easily deal with the vocabulary than with the grammar and sound of English which are quite different from the Chinese grammar and sound system. Lexical items may also have appeared to be of secondary importance because they have sometimes been seen as that which is used to “flesh out” the structure or to exemplify parts of the sound system. However, without lexicon the major meaning-caring element in language is missing. Therefore, the acquisition of vocabulary is an integral part of English teaching. On the other hand, there are teachers who have tended to overemphasize the learning of words in the lengthy vocabulary lists. The old English textbook (JUNIOR ENGLISH FOR CHINA, People’s Publisher of China, 1990) bears silent witness to such an approach. The solution here is to seek scientific methods of vocabulary teaching. Students should be exposed to the vocabulary needed to express the ideas they want to communicate. The vocabulary items should not be strictly limited, nor should vocabulary acquisition be stressed to the exclusion of other parts of the language system. In the following part, the author will discuss four topics to address the problem so as to offer a feasible solution to it. The four topics are: I. The importance of vocabulary teaching in middle school. II. The shortcomings of traditional vocabulary teaching methods. III. The three distinctive features of English words. IV. The five scientific methods for vocabulary teaching in middle school. I. The importance of vocabulary teaching in middle school Word is one of the