Academic Vocabulary

Academic Vocabulary If your goal is to read academic writing (college textbooks, etc) and write academic papers (essays, etc), you can save yourself a lot of time and effort by focusing on academic vocabulary

What is Academic Vocabulary? Academic Vocabulary is a specialized vocabulary of 570 word families that commonly appear in all academic textbooks, regardless of major field of study

Academic Vocabulary Learning In general vocabulary learning, to go from 80% understanding to 86% understanding would require you to learn 2,000 more word families In academic vocabulary learning, to go from 80% understanding to 86% understanding would require you to learn 570 more word families

Do you think studying academic vocabulary will be helpful?

This semester, we will focus on learning academic vocabulary

Academic Vocabulary In each unit this semester, approximately 100 word families from the academic word list will appear.

Keeping 4 principles in mind will help you develop your vocabulary as much as possible this semester

Vocabulary Learning Strategies

In order to develop your vocabulary, you should keep 4 main principles in mind

4 Main Principles Number 1 You should be active in developing your understanding of words and ways to learn them

Active Learning Strategies Semantic Mapping: Making a graphic representation of the relationship between words

Semantic Mapping erosion desertification deforestation climate change global warming erosion extinction of species air pollution water pollution

Active Learning Strategies Definition Mapping: Working with grammar, meaning, and sample sentences

Active Learning Strategies Grouping: Recognizing the relatedness of a word to other words

Grouping Words that Describe Large Scale huge enormous immense massive huge enormous immense extensive vast

You should personalize your vocabulary learning 4 Main Principles Number 2 You should personalize your vocabulary learning

Personalized Learning Strategies Choosing words: Identify key concepts and the words required to understand these concepts

Personalized Learning Strategies Choosing words: Identify important terms you need to learn

Personalized Learning Strategies Choosing words: Identify meaningful similarities and differences among the concepts / words being studied

Personalizing words Node Acquisition and Integration Technique (NAIT): Students identify key concepts or important terms they need to learn within a text. Students construct a semantic network around each of the selected key concepts. Students think of examples or potential applications of the key concepts and record these examples on the definition worksheet. Students identify meaningful similarities and differences among the different concepts being studied.

You should be immersed in words 4 Main Principles Number 3 You should be immersed in words

and language-rich environment Immersion in Words Opportunities: Put yourself in a word- and language-rich environment

Become aware of words and how they are used in the input you receive Immersion in Words Opportunities: Become aware of words and how they are used in the input you receive

Immersion in Words Opportunities: Try to use new / interesting words in your speaking and writing

4 Main Principles Number 4 You should use multiple sources of information to learn words through repeated exposures

Repeated Exposure Opportunities: Watch television news / programs that are related to the topic of environment

Repeated Exposure Opportunities: Read newspaper / magazine articles related to the topic on environment

Repeated Exposure Opportunities: Discuss environment-related topics with friends, family, classmates, etc

Summary 4 Principles of Vocabulary Learning You should be active in developing your understanding of words and ways to learn them You should personalize your word learning You should be immersed in words You should use multiple sources of information to learn words through repeated exposures

Keeping these 4 principles in mind will help you develop your vocabulary as much as possible this semester

Two important elements of vocabulary learning Quality: How well do you know each word?

To improve how much you know about each word Quality Goal: To improve how much you know about each word

What does the word sound like? Quality Spoken Form: What does the word sound like? How is it pronounced?

What does the word look like? Quality Written Form: What does the word look like? How is it written?

Quality Meaning: What meaning does this form of the word have? for example: consider vs. considerably individual vs. individualism

What things can the concept refer to? Quality Concepts: What things can the concept refer to? for example: fertile soil fertile mind

Quality Associations: What other words does this word make you think of? for example: fundamentally - basically vast - massive - huge - extensive

In what patterns does the word occur? Quality Grammatical Patterns: In what patterns does the word occur? transitive vs. intransitive verbs two-word verbs: opt out of prepositions: interest in, responsible for relative clauses: suggest that, conclude that

What words or type of words occur with this word? Quality Collocations: What words or type of words occur with this word? for example: complex problem complex issue complex person complex idea

Quality Restrictions on use (register differences): Where, when, and how often would you expect to meet this word? for example: ethos, kin, institutionalize = formal academic words

To increase the number of words you know Quantity Goal: To increase the number of words you know

Quantity Educated adult native speakers of English know approximately 20,000 word families

Quantity College freshman ESL students know approximately 2,000 - 3,000 word families

Quantity If you know the most frequent 1,000 words of English, you should be able to understand 72% of the words on the page of a book, newspaper, or magazine

Quantity If you know the most frequent 2,000 words of English, you should be able to understand 80% of the words on the page of a book, newspaper, or magazine

Quantity If you know the most frequent 3,000 words of English, you should be able to understand 84% of the words on the page of a book, newspaper, or magazine

Quantity If you know the most frequent 4,000 words of English, you should be able to understand 86% of the words on the page of a book, newspaper, or magazine

Quantity In order to understand 95% of the words on a page of a book, newspaper, or magazine, you need to know approximately 12,500 words In order to understand 99% of the words on a page of a book, newspaper, or magazine, you need to know approximately 44,000 words