English Lexical Semantics: Vocabulary for Socializing and Teaching

Posted on Jan 11, 2025 in Other civil servant exams

English Lexical and Semantic Structure

Unit 11: The English lexical and semantic structure. Necessary vocabulary for socializing, information, and expressing attitudes. Typology of activities linked to the teaching and learning of vocabulary in the foreign language class.

This essay studies the concept of semantics. First, I will develop the concept of semantics. The second part will deal with the lexical items used when socializing, dealing with information, and expressing attitudes. The last part will concentrate on the different principles when focusing on vocabulary development and techniques used in teaching and learning vocabulary. Finally, I will compile the main conclusions and the bibliography used to develop this topic.

As far as foreign language learning is concerned, the legal framework is the Organic Law 2/2006 of Education, 3^rd May, modified by the Organic Law for the Improvement in Educational Quality, 8/2013, 9^th December. One of the most relevant aspects of the Organic Law for the Improvement in Educational Quality is related to the Order ECD/65/2015, 21^st of January, which establishes the relation among the key competences, contents, and evaluation criteria in Primary Education. On the other hand, the Royal Decree 126/2014, 28^th of February, establishes the Minimum Teaching Requirement for Primary Education and it states in article 7 “to acquire basic communicative competence, in at least, one foreign language to enable expression and comprehension of simple messages and survive in everyday situations”. In addition, the Order EDU/519/2014 17th of June, modified by the Order EDU 278/2016 8^th of April, establishes the minimum contents for Primary Education in the Autonomous Community of Castilla y Leon.

Bearing in mind all these legal references, I will start mentioning:

1. The English Lexical and Semantic Structure

Semantics is the study of meaning in a language, whereas meaning is studied by making a detailed analysis of the way words and sentences are used in a specific context. There have been many attempts to classify the concepts in a language. The most influential work has been by Doctor Roget with his book “Thesaurus”. His idea was to collect together words and phrases from the formal to the colloquial, from poetic to modern slang. Semantic investigation operates at two grammatical levels: at word level and at sentence level.

1.1. Word Level

Traditionally, words were the main semantic units. However, linguistics prefers to talk about lexemes, which may consist of more than one word. In modern linguistics, the meaning of words is studied by analyzing the way words and sentences are used in context. When words have meanings in relation to other words they can be:

Synonyms: Words that have a similar meaning or sense. For example, youth/youngster.
Hyponyms: Two terms in which the sense of one is included in the other. For example, car is a hyponym of vehicle.
Antonyms: Opposites, such as small or big.
Incompatibles: Lexemes that are mutually exclusive members of the same superordinate category. For example, we cannot say this fruit is an apple and a banana.
Polysemy: When there are more than one meaning. For example, a chip can be a piece of wood, food, or an electronic circuit.
Homonymy: When we have the same form but different meanings. For example, the word write (verb) and right (direction) are homonyms.

The semantic field is an area of meaning containing words with related senses. For example, the parts of the body: arms, legs, and the face. The semantic components are words whose meanings are assumed to be made up of basic features. In the associative meaning, the meaning of the word becomes “attached” to it because of its use. For example, the connotation has to do with social attitudes, the collocations are particular words that occur together, like in headache. The stylistic meaning has to do with the concept of register, the degree of formality within the language; and the metaphor refers to a process in which one semantic field is transferred to another.

On the other hand, the way a sentence is used can vary the meaning of the sentence.

In the prosodic meaning, the way a sentence is said can alter its meaning. The prosody of a language, that is to say, the stress, intonation, and rhythm, can give the same sentence different meanings.
In the pragmatic meaning, the function performed by the sentence within a discourse needs to be considered.
In the social meaning, the choice of a sentence may affect the social relationship between the participants. A sentence may convey politeness, rudeness, or distance.
The propositional meaning is the unit of meaning that identifies the subject matter of a statement.

In order to know a word, we need to know about its use. Once I have explained the English lexical and semantic structure, I will carry on with:

2. Necessary Lexis for Socialization, Information, and Expression of Attitudes

2.1. Selecting Vocabulary

Traditionally, there have been two principles for selecting vocabulary: the frequency in which words are commonly used and the coverage, when a word is more useful if it has more than one meaning. Nowadays, the selection of vocabulary in Foreign Language Teaching should focus on the following features: it must be essential, from a communicative point of view, and it must focus on students’ experience and interests.

2.2. Passive vs. Active Vocabulary

In addition, the “status” of the word may suddenly change: a passive word may become active if a situation provokes its use; similarly, an active word may slip back into the passive “store” if it is not used. So, vocabulary revision is necessary to avoid words becoming passive.

2.3. Lexical Content

The lexical content to be taught in the foreign language class will depend on the communicative situation we present. The three main basic communicative functions of human beings are: socialization, information, and expression of attitudes.

Socialization: Greetings such as “Hello! Good morning!”, congratulating, and attracting attention.
Information: Places, prices, time, and weather such as “It is raining cats and dogs!”.
Expression of attitudes: Likes and dislikes, for example, “I like chocolate!”, expressing gratitude, apologizing, requesting, and expressing appreciation.

Now, I will present:

3. Typology of Activities Related to the Teaching and Learning of Lexis in the Foreign Language Class

To add a word to the active vocabulary, students need to know the context as well as details of its connotational meaning. When teaching vocabulary, teachers have to bear in mind the next principles: it is important to teach the oral form first, then present new words in context, and finally check students’ understanding and frequent revisions.

3.1. Presentation Stage

In the presentation stage, it is essential to make the word easier to remember and know about its use. Vocabulary is often presented in semantic groups where the lexical elements are related by belonging to the same semantic field. Teachers should introduce from six to ten words per unit depending on the student’s level. Teachers can use the next techniques: realia, pictures, mime, action and gesture, opposites, guessing from context, or eliciting. And if none of the techniques above work, the teacher can translate the word.

3.2. Practice Stage

In the practice stage, the teacher should practice the oral and written form. Oral activities can be guessing games, picture dictating, and memory games. But in the written activities, first children will do activities in which they read the word and afterwards, they will practice the writing form using techniques as matching words with pictures, labeling pictures, bingo, dominoes, classifying words, spelling games, or dictation of words.

3.3. Consolidating Stage

Finally, in the consolidating stage, students must be encouraged to devise techniques they can use on their own to consolidate and revise vocabulary. Teachers should encourage the students to develop learning strategies by making personal dictionaries, using dictionaries, or researching.

3.4. Communicative Activities

Communicative activities refer to tasks and exercises that the student carries out for real communication. These activities focus on the message. The communicative approach believes that the practice of communicative activities will produce unconscious learning of the structures of the language. A communicative activity must be interactive, unpredictable, authentic, and within a context. Moreover, the use of pair and group work will allow for a genuine information exchange and will provide opportunities for practice for students who are not living in an English-speaking country.

4. Conclusion

In conclusion, knowing words in English means more than simply knowing their meaning. To know a word implies knowing about its use. Teaching vocabulary, therefore, implies the teaching of the context in which words are used, and also how they are related to each other. Learning words in context will also help students remember them easily, as well as help them achieve communicative competence. We should always bear in mind that communicative competence is the ultimate aim of our current educational law, and it is acquired by using language appropriately, accurately, and fluently.

The bibliography used to develop this unit includes:

COUNCIL OF EUROPE. (2003). Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.
EMMER, E.T. & GERWELS, M.C. (2002). Cooperative Learning in elementary classrooms: Teaching practices and lesson characteristics. The Elementary School Journal.
GARDNER, H. (2001): Reformulated Intelligence. Multiple Intelligences in XXI Century. Buenos Aires: Paidós.
HARMER, J. The Practice of English Language Teaching. London: Longman, 2008 (4th ed.)
NUNAN, D. (2010): Language Teaching Methodology. University Press.

Referring to the webpages: