Harsh Words: English Words for Chinese Learners

189 Pages·2005·7.342 MB·English

by  Monica Hill

Harsh Word s
Hong Kong University Press thanks Xu Bing for writing the Press's name in his Square
Word Calligraphy for the covers of its books. For further information, see p. iv.

H a r sh W o r d s
English Words (or Chinese Learners
Monica Hil l
* if c * * £ IB L *fc
HONG KON G UNIVERSITY PRES S
Hong Kong University Press
14/FHingWai Centr e
7 Tin Wan Praya Roa d
Aberdeen
Hong Kon g
© Hong Kong University Press 2005
ISBN 96 2 209 717 0
All right s reserved. N o portio n o f this publication ma y be reproduce d o r
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, includin g
photocopy, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without
permission i n writing from th e publisher .
Secure On-lin e Orderin g
http:// www.hkupress.or g
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Dat a
A catalogue record for this book is available from th e British Library.
Printed and bound by Green Production (Overseas) Group in Hong Kong, China
Hong Kong University Press is honoured that Xu Bing, whose art explores
the complex themes of language across cultures, has written the Press's
name in his Square Word Calligraphy. This signals our commitment to
cross-cultural thinking and the distinctive nature of our English-language
books published in China.
"At first glance, Square Word Calligraphy appears to be nothing mor e
unusual than Chinese characters, but in fact it is a new way of rendering
English word s in the format o f a square so they resemble Chines e
characters. Chines e viewers expect to be able to read Square wor d
Calligraphy but cannot. Western viewers, however are surprised to find
they can read it. Delight erupts when meaning is unexpectedly revealed."
— Britta Erickson, The Art ofXu Bing
Contents
Acknowledgements vi i
Chapter 1 Introductio n 1
Chapter 2 Wor d Collecting 7
Chapter 3 Wor d Processing 2 1
Chapter 4 Trainin g Independent Vocabulary Learners 3 3
Chapter 5 Direc t Vocabulary Learning 5 1
Chapter 6 Indirec t Vocabulary Learning 7 5
Chapter 7 Vocabular y Size and Tests 9 3
Chapter 8 Computer-aide d Vocabulary Learning 11 3
Chapter 9 Englis h Words and Chinese Errors 12 7
Chapter 10 Fu n Activities for Presenting Vocabulary 13 7
Answer Key 14 7
References 16 3
Appendix 1 16 9
Appendix 2 17 3
Index

Acknowledgements
When I first started to look more closely at English vocabulary learning, I found
Paul Nation's work a godsend — written clearly and concisely in a way that
even simple minds like mine could follow. I have made many references t o
his work here as he was, unknowingly, my first mentor and I appreciate his
gentle wisdom and sound advice.
I also had the good fortune t o be introduced t o Batia Laufer and he r
research which took me further along the line. I greatly value the guidance I
received from her together with the fun times we have enjoyed at conferences
and elsewhere.
Many other researchers and teacher s have inspired m e with a better
understanding o f vocabulary teachin g an d learning , including Michae l
McCarthy, Paul Meara, Norbert Schmitt and Peter Gu Yongqi.
I am truly grateful to my friends, colleagues and students at the English
Centre a t the University of Hong Kong who have encouraged m e in my
vocabulary research and given me assistance and feedback o n my projects,
materials, tests and websites. I would particularly like to thank the MA Applied
Linguistics and Diploma in English Language Teaching students who have
suggested their favourite ways of presenting vocabulary and opened my eyes
to the challenges of teaching in the Chinese classroom.
The constructiv e comment s from th e anonymous reviewers have als o
helped shape this into a better organized and clearer structure that should
be easier for readers to follow.
I am grateful to Pearson Education for permission to use the extract from
the Longman Essential Activator and to Orion Publishing Group for permission
to use Everyman s Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases revised from Pete r
Roget's Thesaurus by D. C. Browning, originally published by J. M. Dent.
VIM ACKNOWLEDGEMENT S
Lastly I'd like to thank Tessa for her drawings, Nikki for her words of
wisdom and Frank for his tireless proofreading an d helpful suggestion s o n
earlier version s o f gobbledygook . Al l thre e hav e provide d endles s
encouragement. There would be many more glitches in this had it not been
for their feedback and support.
PF
Introduction
The Importance of Vocabulary Teaching and Learning
One o f the most difficult challenge s for language learners is to learn th e
meanings and use of the words they need to master if they are to be able to
understand and communicate in a second or foreign language. While grammar
is also important, words are the building blocks to communication.
Beginners can often make themselves understood with basic content words
(such as nouns and verbs) and gestures, even though the grammatical rules
are lacking. A two-year-old can look jealously at her new-born baby sister in
her mother's arms, point to the baby's bed and shout 'Baby — cot!' and clearly
make her point, without using any grammatical niceties such as 'Please Mum,
put the new baby down and give me a cuddle.'
In a similar vein, are visitors to a foreign country more likely to carry a
dictionary/phrase book or a grammar book? Which is more likely to provide
a quick solution when struggling to convey a basic meaning?
This does not mean, however, that grammar is an insignificant part of
language learning. Knowing the meanings of words in a text allows the reader
to hav e a general idea of what a passage is about, but knowledge o f th e
grammatical structure could be the key to understanding the nuances an d
subtleties, following an argument and appreciating the style.
Who Should Read This Book?
This book is intended for all those who would like to know more about English
vocabulary teaching, whether they are trainee teachers, taking postgraduate
courses in teaching English as a second or foreign language, or simply looking
for new ideas.