Depth of Vocabulary in Intermediate German Textbook

Vivian Kleeblatt, Purdue University

Abstract

While learning a word is commonly understood to be learning the connection between its form and its meaning (Schmitt, 2008; 2014), there are many other aspects that learners need to know about each vocabulary item for successful, appropriate, and fluent use (Nation, 2001). For example, in addition to knowing the dictionary definition of a word, learners also need to understand the contexts in which a word should or should not be used, or which other words are associated with a given word. In order to assess the variety of word knowledge aspects taught by intermediate-level German curricula, the present study analyzes vocabulary activities from five textbooks. The books were selected both to represent commonly used second-year college textbooks, and to allow for tentative comparisons between older and newer materials and between books targeted at different audiences. Then, following Nation (2001), the vocabulary activities from these five books are classified into nine categories of word knowledge (spoken form, written form, word parts, form-meaning, associations, concept, grammatical function, constraints on use, collocations). The research found a strong emphasis in the selected textbooks on only two of the nine aspects of word knowledge: The connection between a word’s spoken or written form and its meaning (47%), and the grammatically appropriate use of a word (39%). These results suggest that classroom instructors should supplement textbook material on meaning and grammar with activities that teach additional word knowledge aspects. In addition, developers of future textbooks should incorporate a more holistic understanding of vocabulary learning into language curricula.

Degree

M.A.

Advisors

Sundquist, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Linguistics

COinS