Includes bibliographical references (p. 201-221) and index.

"This text offers a comprehensive introduction to vocabulary for language teachers who would like to know more about the way vocabulary works. It provides the background knowledge necessary for practitioners to make informed choices about vocabulary teaching and testing. The overall theme is making research and theory accessible, and then drawing on it to suggest effective classroom applications. Chapters 1 and 2 provide linguistic and historical background. Chapters 3-7 describe the various kinds of knowledge a person can have about a word, how vocabulary behaves in context, and how it is acquired. Chapters 8 and 9 focus on issues in teaching and testing vocabulary. The chapters include teaching applications, exercises, and suggestions for further reading. The appendices include a word list of academic vocabulary and a vocabulary test " (Book Cover).

CONTENTS:

1. Introduction Size of the English vocabulary
How many words do native speakers know?
The complex nature of vocabulary
Summary
Exercices for expansion
Further reading

2. History of vocabulary in language learning
Language teaching methodologies trough the ages
The vocabulary Control Movement
Research into vocabulary acquisition and organization
Historical overview of vocabulary testing
Summary
Exercices for expansion
Further reading

3. Aspects of knowing a word: Meaning and organization Word meaning
Register
Word associations
Summary
Exercices for expansion
Further reading

4. Aspects of knowing a word: Word from and grammatical knowledge The written form of a word
The spoken form of a word
Grammatical knowledge
Summary
Exercices for expansion
Further reading

6. Vocabulary in discourse
Multiword units in English
Lexical patterning in discourse
Cohesive and stylistic effects of vocabulary in discourse
Summary
Exercices for expansion
Further reading

7. Vocabulary acquisition The incremental nature of vocabulary acquisition
Incidental and explicit learning of vocabulary
Acquisition of word meaning and grammatical knowledge
MWUs in vocabulary acquisition
Role of memory in vocabulary acquisition
Vocabulary learning strategies
Summary
Exercices for expansion
Further reading

8. Teaching and learning vocabulary
How many and which words to teach
Teaching vocabulary
Vocabulary and reading
Vocabulary and writing, listening, and speaking
Summary
Exercices for expansion
Further reading

9. Assessing vocabulary knowledge
What do you want to test?
What words do you want to test?
What aspects of these words do you want to test?
How will you elicit students' knowledge of these words?
Examples pf current vocabulary test development

Summary

Exercices for expansion

Further reading

Appendices

Reference

Index