Mastering Vocabulary for Effective Communication

Understanding and Mastering Vocabulary

Learning and knowing vocabulary is critical for communication because it multiplies the possibilities of understanding and expression, both in oral and written language.

The cognitive processes involved in learning are complex. The acquisition and use of vocabulary are optimized not only through formal learning but also through different experiences and educational materials. Vocabulary becomes fixed in our memory when it is needed and used – the more we hear and read it. A general objective of education is to expand the lexicon, focusing on the characteristics and functioning of words as units in all their dimensions, and establishing criteria for use and acquisition in relation to the communicative situation.

Regarding lexical competence, language teaching aims to increase the lexicon in parallel with the acquisition of knowledge about reality and other educational materials. Therefore, its function is to extend the lexical background of students and their knowledge of the characteristics and functioning of words as units in all their dimensions.

Long before acquiring theoretical grammatical knowledge, children can change the order of words, combine them, form lists, and write them separately.

What is a Word?

A word is a unit of communication and can be described from different perspectives:

• Linguistics: Described from phonological, morphological, semantic, and syntactic levels.
• Pragmatics: Viewed within the communicative act, often accompanied by nonverbal elements, used to express thought and develop speech acts.
• Language Discourse: The basis of communication. Words are basic constituents of sentences and texts.
• Reference: An expression associated with the real world used to refer to images, processes, qualities, actions, etc.

Lexical Competence Explained

Lexical competence is the mastery of the features and functions of vocabulary. However, it cannot be described solely as a language skill; it is also a demonstration and condition of communicative competence. It has ideological, social, and cultural components. It is constantly renewed because language is a living entity where words are born and die.

What Knowing a Word Implies:

1. Pronunciation and Spelling: Knowing the sounds and phonemes that form it. Recognizing it orally and being able to pronounce it. Knowing its letters, learning to write it, and deciphering it.
2. Morphology: Knowing and correctly using all its forms (e.g., gender, number, person). Understanding its composition and related words.
3. Syntax: Knowing its use in context, its grammatical category, rules, etc.
4. Semantics: Knowing its semantic value according to the historical context. Understanding its denotative meaning (literal) and connotative value (associated concepts). Relating it to a real element.
5. Pragmatics: Using it as part of a text in relation to a context to achieve a specific purpose.
6. Sociolinguistics: Knowing its value, register, and dialect, and using it appropriately for the communicative situation.

Active vs. Passive Vocabulary

A qualitative approach to assessing lexical mastery distinguishes between two types of vocabulary: passive vocabulary (phrases and words we can understand) and active vocabulary (those words we use when speaking and writing). Therefore, passive vocabulary is much wider than active vocabulary, including all the words and expressions we understand but may not actively use. Vocabulary can also be categorized as specific vocabulary (related to a particular field) and general vocabulary.