Short description:

The book aims to equip language teachers and professionals with a framework for dealing with the vocabulary needs of English language learners in a variety of contexts, for a range of learners.

Long description:

Routledge Introductions to Applied Linguistics is a series of introductory level textbooks covering the core topics in Applied Linguistics, primarily designed for those beginning postgraduate studies, or taking an introductory MA course as well as advanced undergraduates. Titles in the series are also ideal for language professionals returning to academic study.

The books take an innovative 'practice to theory' approach, with a 'back-to-front' structure. This leads the reader from real-world problems and issues, through a discussion of intervention and how to engage with these concerns, before finally relating these practical issues to theoretical foundations. Additional features include tasks with commentaries, a glossary of key terms, and an annotated further reading section.

Vocabulary is the foundation of language and language learning and as such, knowledge of how to facilitate learners? vocabulary growth is an indispensable teaching skill and curricular component. Exploring Vocabulary is designed to raise teachers? and students? awareness of the interplay between the linguistic, psychological, and instructional aspects of vocabulary acquisition. It focuses on meeting the specific vocabulary needs of English language learners in whatever instructional contexts they may be in, with a special emphasis on addressing the high-stakes needs of learners in academic settings and the workplace.

Dee Gardner also introduces a new Common Core Vocabulary, constructed from two of the most well-known and contemporary corpora of English?the British National Corpus and the Corpus of Contemporary American English.

Exploring Vocabulary is an essential book for undergraduate and postgraduate students studying vocabulary within Applied Linguistics, TESOL, or Teacher Education, as well as any teacher working with English language learners.

?The practice-to-theory approach, as presented here, should be greatly appreciated by both experienced vocabulary teachers and teachers in training. Practitioners will find this very readable text to contain not only insightfully selected topics and suggestions, but very accessible theoretical explanations.? - Cheryl Zimmerman, California State University, Fullerton, USA

?Taking a multiple-perspective approach, Gardner shows the linguistic, psychological and pedagogical complexity of learning and retaining many thousands of words. This book offers obligatory, challenging, but at the same time highly accessible and practical information for L2 teachers and curriculum designers (and for teacher-researchers!), native and nonnative speakers of English. I wish I had had this book at my disposal when I began my career as L2 instructor and researcher of L2 acquisition.? - Jan Hulstijn, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands

'Tasks provide practical experience and analysis of the concepts introduced in the book. Through the examples, corpus-based data, and software, Tasks help with processing and understanding vocabulary issues more deeply.' - Is?haaq Akbarian, University of Qom, Iran

'By implementing frequency lists that include a range of registers (academic, children?s books, etc.) and span a considerable length of time (e.g. the Dolch list was compiled in 1936), the author brings into focus the need for updating frequency data while, simultaneously, highlighting the stability of certain words through time. From a pedagogical perspective, the potential implementations of frequency list data such as that of the CCL are limitless, and the ample online resources included in various parts of this book greatly contribute to this end (e.g. Quizlet, Compleat Lexical Tutor).' - Filio Chasioti, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, The LINGUIST List

Table of Contents:

1. Introduction 2. The vocabulary of vocabulary 3. Core vocabulary 4. Register-specific vocabulary 5. The tasks of vocabulary learning 6. Building vocabulary knowledge 7. Conclusions