This paper aims to provide an overview of prefixation in particular and affixation in

general and to examine the ways in which learners use it, willingly or upon teachers demand,
consciously or unconsciously, in order to enrich their vocabulary in English.
De facto, it is designed to show the importance of enriching vocabulary in a foreign
language, developing communicative competence and enabling learners of English as a second
language to develop fluency and self- confidence.
Language cannot exist in isolation.
cott Thornbury !uotes courseboo" authors of late #$s- early %$s claiming that the
purpose of second language teaching was enabling learners to ac!uire a set of high- fre!uency
patterns. The re-thin"ing of the role of lexis resulted from the awareness that language is a social
act, with extraordinary meaning- ma"ing potential. . &n '()*, wan and +alter, in the
Introduction to the ,ambridge English ,ourse stated-
.ffixation is the lexical process by which an affix is/ several affixes are added to a base
morpheme or stem, ma"ing it polymorphic
.lthough anybody would have to ac"nowledge that suffixation may be the 0better half1 of
affixation. prefixation is 2ust as complex in its evolution, with remar"able opportunity to discuss
English language from several perspectives- etymology, pragmatics, semantics. .lso- a less
beaten trac".
,hapter '- Language, system and manifestation-
Language and thin"ing are in close interdependence
the study of word formation or word building in general and affixation in particular is the
concern of- several branches of linguistics-
lexicology3
sociolingusitics3 the study of the effect of any/ all aspects of society , among which
cultural norms, mores, expectations, context, the way language is used and its effect on
society4
semantics the study of meaning at the word, phrase and sentence level, which includes
the discussion of figures of speech and stylistic devices, in general4
cognitive semantics sees language as 0part of our cognitive ability through which we
organise and classify all aspects of our experience1
'
4
pragmatics3 the way in which contexts, as well ashuman comprehension of contexts,
contributes to the occurence or development of meaning and the mental spaces it will
occupy in the individual or collective consciousness4
morphology the study of the 0anatomy of words1, that is, of the identification, analysis,
description, structure of morphemes and other units of meaning and of the ways the
forms of words are created and changed. To sum up, word building is a complex
language phenomenon which encompasses more than the mere technicalities of obtaining
certain words or structures. 5nce generated, these will perform as symbols, whose
representation, meaning, spelling, grammatical value, interpretation and evolution will all
add up to their significance and further "neading of linguistic and social contexts.
Lg. is about the infinite combinations or possibilities based on finite structures and patterns.
6eople are believed to have been since time immemorial in pursuit of finding a satisfactory
answer to the !uestions 1what is language71and 8ow does the process of communication occur7
+hat is the function of language7 9is it used to communicate, inform, posit, !uestion,
imply, hinder, epitomi:e, bind up communities. &t is laid out, observed, imitated, defined,
assigned to represent us as species, as ultimate lin" of the trophic chain.
.ccording to linguist ;oam ,homs"y, a substantial part of our "nowledge of language is
genetically determined, or innate. <urthermore,1 the faculty of language enters crucially into
every aspect of human life, thought, and interaction. &t is largely responsible for the fact that
alone in the biological world, humans have a history, cultural evolution and diversity of any
'
complexity and richness, even biological success in the technical sense that their numbers are
huge.
<rom the earliest stages, the child is "nown to be able to understand and memorate vastly
more than experience has provided. That is true even of simple words.
,lassical conditioning suggests that words are learned when an association is formed
between arbitrary verbal words and internal stimuli such as the word1 hot1 when an
infant touches a hot plate.
.ppropriacy of language structures and patterns children are exposed to- the more correct
the 1technicalities1 in contexts, the more li"ely the child will spea" correctly and will identify
correct and incorrect patters more easily.
ome language learning components may be innate, but this innate ability must be
facilitated through learning experiences li"e behavioral reinforcements and social interaction.
intonation, an important semantic device in some cases- and a 1big indicator of involvement
communicative competence, which 8armer refered to as1 the subconscious "nowledge of
language use and of language as discourse1
tephen =rashen points out that 0language ac!uisition, first or second, occurs when
comprehension of real messages> real input and affective filter? occurs1.
Language is simultaneously concerned with the understanding of structures,
comprehension assimilation3 which results in how confidently spea"ers learn/ ac!uire, use
structures and and develop language patterns3, behaviour3 since we act upon received messages
and produce others in response to linguistic stimuli3, evolution, all of which engross, all
throughout these processes, manifestation.
,hapter @- word formation
+hereas many people, despite using language everyday, have difficulty in actually defining
words, they resort to word formation or word building fre!uently and rather correctly, as a reflex
that enables them to enrich vocabulary and practise linguistic patterns regularly occurring in
speech acts.
1 open- endedness of the lexicon1> 6aul Areiner?
Dictionaries refer to the word as being an element of human speech, consisting of a
phoneme or a complex of phonemes to which meaning is attached, prone to be understood by
groups of individuals> structured in communities?. This element undergoes grammatical changes
which ma"e it fit the context>s? it is operative in.
&n his wor" yntheses in English Lexicology and emantics
@
, 8. 8ulban gives a more
insightful definition, tac"ling several aspects the word entails4 hence, it-
1represents the basic linguistic unit of speech1
1 consists of an integral number of morphemes1
1 is made of a speech sound or a series of speech sounds which have the function of
phonemes1
1 is made of a single base with various inflectional elements1
1 cannot be divided into smaller units which can be used independently1
1 is used to communicate a meaning which is understood by a human collectivity
The vigor of a language is proved by its capacity to form new words and meaning on the base of
internal resources and patterns, and to turn into account the oldest and the newest traditions in
that language1 >8. 8ulban?
+ord- building and phonology-
@
+ord- building and morphology- Borphology deals in meaningful units of language and their
arrangement.
8owever, the ability to create new words does have its limits. ome lexical classes are
more prone to accept new members and are therefore refered to as 1 open classes1 or 1lexical
classes1. ;ouns> friend? , ad2ectives> friendly? , verbs> befriend? and adverbs> undoubtedly? are
to be found here. ,onversely, 1closed classes1 do not adopt new members- determiners,
prepositions, con2unctions> the, for, through, but?.
.ffixation does more often than not influence the resulting morphologic category. &t is especially
the case with suffixes
English language is not replete with prefixes altering the morphological category. 5n the
one hand, we mention- en-, as-, in-, be->enable, encompass, ensure, assure, induce, beware,
bewitch? whose ommision leads to impeding errors. 5n the other hand, should we consider in-,
again, by merely attaching it to the stem or base morpheme, the grammatical value does not
necessarily modify> for instance, CinDcoherent ad2ective plus negation, but insure-verb which by
clipping leads to the formation of the ad2ective sure?.
Word- building and syntax
8uman memory can account for surprising storage and combinations of data, yet it is limited.
That is why we recall words, phrases, idioms, collocations, observe correct word order. +e
combine these according to functional patterns, most of which are ac!uired by practice, with the
purpose of constructing sentences and fulfilling communicative competence. ;on- native
spea"ers may sometimes associate sentence structures with mother tongue patterns and ommit to
express the sub2ect or adopt reasoning and translation techni!ues which result in incorrect
communication, despite element- by- element exactity. this results from the need to thin" of the
language in context.
Word- building and semantics
emantic relations being established between or among lexical elements represent an
intricate part in understanding what vocabulary> of a second language? is li"e- are there many
borrowings, what origin are the derived/ compound lexemes, what meaning and morphological
information is being conveyed in communication. &n other words, it is necessary that language be
understood by means of conceptualised categories.
&n the evolution of any language, there is a complementary process involving degeneration and
elevation of meaning.
Given item What it used to mean What it means now
.mateur 5ne who loves ;ot a professional
8ussy 8ousewife +oman of low moral character
en enat enile
Eerbose <ull of words howing tiresome excess of language
Eillain <arm laborer Fad guy, evil character, wrong- doer
Beaning patterns can be-
hierarchical> for example, in comparing elements G and H, G can be a part of H-
heel I shoe4 windscreenI car4 the association functions less with abstract
notions, but it is nevertheless possible- uncertainI self- conscious; G can be a
"ind of H- Ford/ Audi/ BM ! car;cripple I disabled ?
non- hierarchical- this category is ampler and re!uires closer loo"ing into.
Joughly, such relations are attributed to synonyms and opposites. 5f course, one
possibility is that they be replaced by e!uivalents and paraphrases, procedure
helping students tremendously to develop fluency and enrich their vocabulary. <or
example, to explain what 1impossible1is, students can use 1something that is not
possible14 1strange1 is 1unusual1,1unfriendly1will be described by elementary
students as 1not friendly1 and by intermediate and advanced ones as 1hostile1or
1aloof1.
&n their turn, opposites result in other subclasses of lexical relations, between two or
several lexical elements. 5pposites between two elements are-
binary or complementary opposites>epitomise the present- absent relation4 binarity is
based on1lexical twoness1
K
- dead/ali"e , open/ shut are default construals4 they feature
intrinsic binarity, sheer oppostition, symmetry4 lexical opposites can be inherently
binary- monocotyledon/ dicotyledon- or merely binary- Friday meeting/ #unday
meeting?4
antonyms>gradable ad2ectives and stative verbs, they denote roperties construed as
varying in degree- cold- hot; old- new; updated- outdated?4
reversives or directional opposites> mar" a change in opposite directions between two
states- up- down, push- pull, forward- backward?.
K

Discussing meaning relations entails word meaning and sentence meaning, stylistic associations
being made up. imply "nowing the language may not enable the users to carry out perfectly
relevant and conse!uential communication, that is why, being receptive of significant and
meaningful language input is necessary.
Chapter 3- Lexical patterns
Lexicology is the branch of linguistics concerned with the structure, patterns of evolution and
meaning of words. Etymologically, the term reflects the content of this linguistic branch-
0lexicos1>L 0 word1, in Aree"? and 0 logos1>L 0 science1, in Aree"?.
ome affixes have a certified productivity and most learners will use them fondly even before
being actually taught in school- and that almost irrespective of level> e.g. , -able in dependable,
capable, -ist in terrorist, acti"ist, - ity in probability, infinity?, as a reflex of what we might call1
a sense of the language14 others are semiproductive or unproductive-
.s 6aul Areiner noticed, there is a direct connection between productivity and creativity in
language.
6refixation is a mechanism, whereas prefixes are the elements or morphological units of meaning
that lead to occurences of prefixation in context, thus ac!uiring a dynamic role in the process.
.lthough complex in their morpho- semantic value, affixes in general and prefixes in particular
hardly ever elicit reluctance or shunning on behalf of EL learners> unli"e modals, for instance?.
The reasons can be numerous and !uite diverse- on the one hand, there is the analogy with the
native language, Jomanian being clad with affixes and prone to enrichment
3. 4 Classiication o preixes
'. 5J&A&;
.? Latin-
bi- ! bia$ial, bifocal, bilingual, bistranded, bimonthly, bise$uality;
de- - decide, decline, decaffeinated, decompose;
dis- - disli%e, disagree, disappro"e, disconnect, disad"antage
em- - empower, embar%4
en- - enable, encourage, enforce, enrich, ensure;
e>f?- - elapse, effeminate, effort;
in- /il- /im- - incon"enient, inaccuracy, induce, incumbent, inedible, illogical, illegal, illisible,
illiterate; impossible, impre"alent, impuniti"e, improbable, impercepti"e&
irr- - irrational, irresponsible, irrespecti"e, irradiate, irredeemable, irrele"ant;
inter- - interchangeable, interdependent, interdisciplinary, international, interracial,
intercultural;
neo- - neoclassical, neologism, neo- 'arwinism4
non- - non- nati"e, nonconformist; nonfinancial, nonhereditary, nonprofit, nonsense,
nonin"asi"e;
pre- - precede, predecessor, predict, prehistoric, preoccupation, prenuptial, prepare, pre"iew,
pre"ail;
pro- - proabortion, proacti"e, procession, procrastinate, procreation, procurator,
pronational;
self- - self- absorbed, self- conscious, self- indulgence
(
, self- made, self- pity;
sub- - subse)uent, substitute, suburban, subway, subordinate, subspecies, sub- segment,
subse)uent;
super- - superability, superabundent, superacti"e, supercell, , supercrunchy, supergirl4
trans- - transatlantic, transcontinental, transform, transparent, transportation.
F? Aree"- acro-- Acropoles, acrobat;
a-, an -- anarchy, apathy, atheist, aphaesia, anemia, anaphrodisiac4
an-
M
, ana-- analysis, anatomy, anode4
amphi- - amphitheater, amphibious4
ant-
#
, anti-- anticlima$, anti- war, antibiotics, antibody, antithesis4
apo- - apology, apostle4
*
M
#
arch- - archbishop, archdu%e4
bio- - biodegradable, bio- energy, biology, biogenesis, bioha*ard;
cata- - catalogue, catastrophe, catholic4
chiro- - chiropractic
dia- - diachronic, diagonal, diagram, dialisis4
epi- - epicenter, epigram4
geo- - geology, geomorphy, geopolitics4
hydro- - hydrolisis4
hyper- - hyperacti"e, hyperbole, hyperte$t4
hypo- - hypodermic, hypothesis, hyphen;
macro- - macro-le"el, macrosociology, macrostylistics, macrometer, macrocosmology4
micro- - microchip, microspace, microprocessor, microwa"e4
psych-
%
, psycho -- psychedelic, psychocology, psychoanalitic4
tele- - telespace, telecommute, telescope.
,? Aermanic- a-- arise, asleep, awa%ening4
be- - befriend, beware, beset, bewitch4
by- - by-pass, by- stander4
for- - forbid, forbear4
fore- - foreman, forepleasure, foreclosure, foreword4
in- - indoors, income, infiltrate, intubate4 mis-- miscalculated, misuse, misunderstand,
misinterprete, misdemeanour4
out- - outgoing, outrageous, outline, outdated, outnumbered4
over- - o"erdose, o"eruse, o"erprotection, o"erabundance, o"ercharged, o"erwhelmingly,
o"erwor%ed;
under- - underta%e, underco"er, undermine, underpaid, underground4
up- - upgrade, upbringing, uplift, uproot4
with- - withdrawal, withhold.
%
+ote- The prefixes of Jomance origin in English were, in their turn, borrowed from these
three main sources. Jomance origin affixation is significantly more productive when it
comes to suffixes- their count suggests a number of thirty such items.
<rom a methodological point of view, the teaching of prefixes according to the criterion of
their origin is not included in the syllabus. This observation is true and evident irrespective of
learners grade or level.
@. BE.;&;A- T8E B5T 6J5DN,T&EE ,J&TEJ&5; , most widely used in methodology
and actual teaching and assessing. &t is incumbent on each individual who learns a language to
want to gain a genuine understanding of the concepts they come across
and> mentally?deconstructing each into constituent meaningful segments contributes a great deal
to their successful consuetude.
PREFIX MEANING EXAMPLES
A-/AN-
8
lac%ing in, lac% of atheist, apathy, aphasia, anaemia,
asexual, asocial
AB-
contrary to, opposite of abnormal
ACRO-
high acrobat, acrophobia
AMBI-
dual, double ambivalence, ambidextrous
AMPHI-
two, both, on both sides amphitheater, amphibian
ANA-
up, against anacardiaceous, anode
ANTE-
before antebellum, antediluvian, antecedent,
antepenultimate
ANTI-
against anti- war antidepressive, anticlimax,
antifreeze, antibiotics
9
ARCH-
supreme, highest in ran% archangel, archbishop, archduke
AUTO-
in"ol"ing the self; mobile or
automatic
autobiography, auto- mutilation;
automobile
BE-
e)uipped with, beset
with ,pe-orati"e or facetious.
beset, befriend, behold, bewitch
BI-
double biweekly, bisexual, bilingual
)
(
BIO-
life biography, biodiversity, biodegradable,
biology, biosphere, biohazard,
biorhythm
CHIRO-
done by hand chiropractitioner
CIRCUM-
around circumnavigate, circumvolution
CO-
-oint with, accompanying co- worker, co-producer, collateral,
cooperation, coordinator
COUNTER-
against, in opposition with counterbalance, countercriticism,
counterfactual, counterproductivity,
counteract, counterpart
DE-
opposite, re"erse action, get
rid of
defrost, deduce, deconstruct, deviate
DEMI-
half demigod, demisole
DIS-
10
not, opposite of , re"erse
action, get rid of
disagree, disapprove, dispatch,
disconnect
EN-/EM-
cause, ma%e into, put into embetter, encourage, enable,
encompass
EX-
former ex- wife, ex- president
FORE-
before forecast, foreclosure
HETERO-
other, opposite, different heterodox,heterogeneous
HEXA-
si$ hexadecimal,hexameter
HYPER-
"ery or e$cessi"ely;abo"e or
beyond;
arranged non- se)uentially
hypercritical, hyperspace;hypertext
HYPO-
less than normal; below a
normal "alue
hypotermia
IN-
in infield, indoors
'$
,onsidering 1discussion1, 1discrete1, one can easily ac"nowledge that the particle is not to be considered a prefix
in every linguistic instance.
IN
11
-/IL-
12
/
IM-/IR-
contrary to, opposite of inaccuracy, innofensive, illiteracy,
illegal, illogical, impolite, impervious,
impunitive, implacable, impatience,
irregular, irreplaceable, irresponsible,
irrational
INTER-
between ; in"ol"ing se"eral
factors
interaction, interchangeable
INTRA-
Inside, within intramural, intravenous
INFRA-
beneath; through Infrasonic, infra-red
MAL-
in an e"il or not well- meant
manner
malabsorbtion, malevolent, malware
MID-
between interact, intercultural, interracial
MID-
half midday, midway
MINI-
smaller minivan; minimarket
MIS-
incorrectly, astray misuse, misinterpret, mislead,
misunderstand
MULTI-
multiple multi- tasking
NEO-
newer neoclassicism, neonatology
NON-
not; opposed to nonsensical, nonferrous,
nonabsorbent, nonacceptance, non-
gradable
OMNI-
manifesting in all possible
respects
omnipresent, omniscient, omnivorous
OUT-
better, faster, beyond outcome, outgrow, outnumber,
outreach
OVER-
e$cessi"ely overprotection, overreact, overrate,
oversleep, overwork
OVER-
on top of, e$tend overboard, overlap, over
PAN-
in"ol"ing all of or the union of
a specified group
an- !frican, an- !merican
PARA-
beside, beyond;
"ery similar to something;
relating to a profession
paragliding, paradox, paradigm,
paranormal, paraphrase, paraplegia;
paramilitary
paramedic, paralegal
''
'@
PED- /
POD-
foot pedestrian, pedestal, podium
PER-
through, completely, wrongly,
e$ceedingly
permeate, permute
PERI-
around, about; near periphrasis, periscope; perinatal
PHOTO-
light photographic, photoelectric,
photosynthesis
POLY-
more than one; more than
usual
polygon; polydipsia
POST-
after, later; behind, posterior
to
post- graduation, postmodernist,
postpone; postaxial
PRE-
ealier, before, prior to;
preparatory; in ad"ance;
anterior, in front of
prefix, prehistoric, prenuptial,
predecessor; presume, preliminary;
prepare, prepay; preaxial
PRO-
acting in the place of,
substituting for; ealier;
supporting; on the side of;
rudimentary; anterior, in front
of; for
proform; procambium;
proactive, pro- revolutionary;
pronucleus; procephalic;
pro bono"
PROS-
toward, instead of prosthesis
PROTO-
first, original prototype
PSEUDO-
false, decepti"e pseudonym# pseudo name$,
pseudoscience
PYRO-
, related to. fire pyrotechnician, pyrogen
QUASI-
almost, appearing to be but
not really; to some e$tent
%uasi- governmental, %uasi-religious,
%uasi- scientific
QUINT-
fi"e;
/he formal for0 perfect0
%uintuplets, %uintet;
%uintessence, %uintessential
RE-
re"erse; again, bac% redo, rewrite, rerun;
reconsider,redundant; rephrase,
refresh
RETRO-
bac%ward, bac%; situated
behind; contrary to a usual or
natural course or direction
retrospective, retrorocket, retrograde
SELF-
relying on or in"ol"ing the
sole participation of the self
self- absorbed, self- centred, , self-
control, self- inflicted, self- pity, sel-
esteem
SEMI-
partly, half semi-automatic, semicircle, semi-
detached, semiformal
SUB-
under, inferior, substitute subcutaneous, subedit, subhuman,
sub- group
SUPER-/
SUPRA-
abo"e in )uality or ran%, o"er supervisor, supersonic, supersede;
suprarenal, supremacy
SUR-
abo"e, o"er surname, surveillance, surrealism
SYN-, SYR-
, SYM-
together synthesis, syllable, symmetry
SUR-
across, from one place to
another; change, transfer
transtlantic; transcribe
SUR-
beyond, e$tremely ultraviolet, ultraconservative
TELE-
at a distance, o"er a long
distance
television, teleshopping, telesales
TRANS-
across, through transatlantic, transformation,
transparent
TRI-
in"ol"ing three factors trilingual, trimester,triangle,
transsexual
ULTRA-
beyond, e$tremely ultrasonic, ultra- exclusive
UN-
opposite of; lac%ing or de"oid
of; re"erse the effect; beyond
unnecessary, unimportant;
undo, uncover;
unbreakable, unspeakable
UNI-
UNDER-
in smaller si*e, inferior in
ran%; beneath or below in
position; co"ered or protected
underage, undersized, underpaid,
underground, underneath, undergo,
undertake
UP-
upper; upward; optimi*e upgrade, uphold, uphill, upheaval
Y-
13
with yclad
ubclasses- time and se!uence> post-, neo-, re-?,
number and !uantity> uni-, bi-, multi-, octo-, !uasi-?,
degree and !uality> hypo-, hyper-, !uasi-?,
space> over-, sub-?
'K
.
. very productive subclassification dwells on the negative or restrictive meaning conveyed with
the help of- in-, >ill-, im-, ir-?, non-, un-, dis-.
K. <&ELD/ D5B.&; favored by upper- intermediate to advanced and proficient learners
or generally, adult learners. It shows the use of English for specific purposes: Business
English, technical, medical language.
The point of the above classification is to demonstrate that motivation is a key- factor in
knowing and applying linguistic processes and ultimately acuiring a foreign language.
This is largely dealt with in
Chapter 4- Language and building communicative competence in secondary education
4. " Learner motivation
Every instructor starts with an initial theory of learning, based on personal experiences as a
language learner.
<unctions that the lg fulfills-
an inormal or reerential unction- language used to transmit information
a directive or conative unction- oriented towards the addressee is about using the
language to control the behavioral response of others, i.e to give orders and commands, to
in!uire and re!uest4
an expressive unction- also "nown as1emotive1 or1affective1- language used to express
feelings, attitudes4
an aesthetic or poetic unction- consisting of utterances constructed for the sa"e of the
linguistic artifact, for gratifying the addressee etc. rather than for the sa"e of transmitting
relevant information4 this funcion is operative especially in slogans> politics, advertising?
and literary texts4
a phatic unction- the language of social interaction.
Joman Oa"obson mention a sixth function, the metalingual> alternatively refered to as
1metalinguistic1,1reflexive1or1glossing1?, the use of language> 1code1? to describe itself.
5ne can hardly teach only vocabulary or only grammar. +hat textboo", exercise boo"s even
teachers provide is contexts, chun"s of language and many students comprehend this aspect.
The extent to which pupils are willing to learn anything- including a foreign language-
depends on the "ind of motivation they gradually build. &n the !uoted wor", Oeremy 8armer
mentions extrinsic motivation and intrinsic motivation The former is widely generated by
students bac"ground, the teacher, teaching and assessing methods being applied3 or, roughly,
their way of enforcing students, the way in which "nowledge is conveyed and made interesting
and accessible in class. This type of motivation is especially met with younger learners or early
teens. The latter is longer- standing, the genuine 1internal drive1
'*
that leads to progress and
competence in a domain. Teachers worldwide will only hope for as many students with intrinsic
motivation as mind can engulf and yet, fiind themselves developing interesting schemes and still
fearing lest they should not be catchy enough with the learners.
4. # Language unctions
Does the ability to use ones native lg bring better response to and use of a second lg7
Loo"ing at language as a complex social phenomenon, Bary <inocchiaro distinguishes
integrative motivation>8armers description of intrinsic motivation? and instrumental
motivation> the desire to learn the language as a tool, to ac!uire a better education/ 2ob etc.?.
,ommunication in a language has to be-
functional> conventional and meaning- based?3 to fit the purpose, context and register
re!uired by each communicative instance4
coherent and structured between or among participants who use the same code,
meaningful3 unless the information being exchanged is of any interest to all parts
involved, some participants may switch off4
interactional.
Trends in teaching in our educational system- traditional and modern. Eery few have
experimented with modern elements as learners.
The traditional approach-
it dwells on the textboo" syllabus and specifications, which coincided for learners of
all bac"grounds4
it relies on ac!uisition of rules and theory4
it placed the teacher as the supreme authoratative figure4
it has memorisation as core component4
it has rather standardised procedures, both in teaching and assessing4
'*
written assessment is somehow predictable
learning is viewed as an intellectual performance.
Traditional education- the main benefit- a lot of order and coherence----- sense of security
on behalf of the learner. .lso, they are more li"ely to self- assess themselves correctly and
accurately. Drawbac"s- less learner- centred. Bore TTT> Teacher Tal"ing Time?. Finding
assessment, sometimes to the detriment of creativity. Jegardless of the approach that foreign
language teachers embrace, for most foreign language learners, the most significant linguistic
exposure is still provided by the textboo" or courseboo". materials based on it would include far
more practice, in spite of limitted input. &t allows learners more time to absorb all the data, then
use them in real communicative instances.
,ommunication is spontaneous, therefore relying solely on memorised patterns and rules
cannot cover the wide range of real life situations. ,ompleted by the audio- lingual approach,
the learning process ac!uires a new operational dimension.
Bodern methods- expected togive the T a more marginal role.
Defining creativity ranges from0 the state or !uality of being creative1, 0the act of
ma"ing something new1, to 1a mental and social process involving the generation of new ideas
or concepts1,1new associations of the creative mind between existing ideas or concepts.1 .ll
these definitions can be brought to class after students have wor"ed in groups to brainstorm
acceptable definitions.
4. 4 Lexis and language s$ills
Oim crivener considers that the mere use of the term 1lexis1, instead of1vocabulary1 reflects a
fundamental shift in the understanding of, attitude and approach to teaching vocabulary.
Teachers of English as a second language thin" that grammaticalised vocabulary, otherwise
"nown as 1language chun"s1 is the most suitable structure an educator can encourage students to
discover and loo" into.
4.4. " %se o &nglish
Bore widely used in assessing, rather that teaching prefixation.
&t represents a most complex s"ill in second language ac!uisition. Feing considered 1in
isolation1, however, partly demolishes the casual impression that accuracy of utterances is less
importunate than getting the message across. Jecent exam layout gives weight to this position-
sitters in the ,ambridge exam, for example,have since December @$$) had to be more competent
with actual grammar and vocabulary notions, as they counted as @$P of the exam, being rated
separately and considered as important as other s"ills- reading, writing, listening, spea"ing.
Lexis is a powerful carrier of meaning. ee"ing and interpreting meaning can be in itself
very motivating. +hen they read/ hear a lexical item for the first time, learners should be led to
as" helpful !uestions-
what words are similar/ opposed in meaning7
how can the word be explained or paraphrased7
what other meanings are there, counting the one in the given context7
what parts of speech can it form by derivation7
what words does it collocate with7
any interesting fixed phrases7
> then a suggestion of varied class practice followed, either as tas"s to solve, or as drills and
games, in the case of younger learners- multiple choice, match, infer the correct definition, rain
on my parade, crosswords pu::le, mapping, introducing word families, crossing the line- these
names are in puns or !uotes from sayings and are hence expected to contribute to s motivation
in solving the tas"?.
QThe importance of translating into/ from the native language- unfortunately, shunned by both
course boo"s and curricula. &mportance- such tas"s enable s to-
apply "nowledge of both newly ac!uired and already mastered language> grammar
and vocabulary? in context4
develop a sense of the language which should discourage them to ta"e up false
cognates, as a result of the native tongue influence4
upgrade their lexis and use of intricate lg structures4
get familiar with the culture of the native tongue and that of the foreign language
being ac!uired.
JE.D&;A
Jeading- comprehension- read for gist or for specific info- form the ability of identifying clues
and distracters, hone ss attention