MAKALAH BAHASA INGGRIS VOCABULARY
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. Background
According to Manser (1995: 461), Vocabulary
is the total number of words in a language. While Morales (2004-2005) stated
that vocabulary is a listing of the words used in some enterprise. Furthermore,
Ur in Hidayati
(2007: 7) stated that vocabularies are the words that are taught in the foreign
language. From the opinions above, we can conclude that vocabulary is a listing
of all words that are taught in the foreign language. Vocabulary refers to the
words we must understand to communicate effectively.
Many compelling reasons for providing
students with instruction to build vocabulary, none is more important than the
contribution of vocabulary knowledge to reading comprehension. Indeed, one of
the most enduring findings in reading research is the extent to which students’
vocabulary knowledge relates to their reading comprehension. Most recently, the
National Reading Panel (2000) concluded that comprehension development cannot
be understood without a critical examination of the role played by vocabulary
knowledge. Given that students’ success in school and beyond depends in great
measure upon their ability to read with comprehension, there is urgency to
providing instruction that equips students with the skills and strategies
necessary for lifelong vocabulary development.
One of the most persistent findings in
reading research is that the extent of students’ vocabulary knowledge relates
strongly to their reading comprehension and overall academic success. This
relationship seems logical; to get meaning from what they read, students need
both a great many words in their vocabularies and the ability to use various
strategies to establish the meanings of new words when they encounter them.
Young students who don’t have large vocabularies or effective word-learning
strategies often struggle to achieve comprehension. Their bad experiences with
reading set in motion a cycle of frustration and failure that continues
throughout their schooling. Because these students don’t have sufficient word
knowledge to understand what they read, they typically avoid reading. Because
they don’t read very much, they don’t have the opportunity to see and learn
very many new words. This sets in motion the well known “Matthew Effects,”
Stanovich’s (1986) application of Matthew, 25:29–“the rich get richer and the
poor get poorer.” In terms of vocabulary development, good readers read more,
become better readers, and learn more words; poor readers read less, become
poorer readers, and learn fewer words.
This particular relationship between
vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension seems clear. But vocabulary
knowledge contributes to reading success in other important ways that are
perhaps less obvious. For beginning readers, evidence indicates a link between
word knowledge and phonological awareness. Young children who have a large
number of words in their oral vocabularies may more easily analyze the
representation of the individual sounds of those words. In addition, vocabulary
knowledge helps beginning readers decode, or map spoken sounds to words in
print. If children have the printed words in their oral vocabulary, they can
more easily and quickly sound out, read, and understand them, as well as
comprehend what they are reading. If the words are not in children’s oral
vocabulary, they have trouble reading the words and their comprehension is
hindered (National Reading Panel, 2000). Thus, an extensive vocabulary is the
bridge between the word-level processes of phonics and the cognitive processes
of comprehension. The issue to address next, then, is just how many words do
students need to know so as to read with comprehension. This is exactly what
constitutes an “extensive” vocabulary.
B.
Formulation of the Problem
1) What
is it definition of vocabulary?
2) How
the influence of Vocabulary mastery to reading comprehension?
C.
Purpose
of
Writing
1) Want
to know what is it definition of vocabulary?
2) Want
to know how the influence of Vocabulary mastery to reading comprehension?
3) Want
to know why it is important to understand the vocabulary?
CHAPTER
II
DISCUSSION
Vocabulary is the basic that
must be learnt first by learners. It will help the learner in learning English
language well. As Harmand and Stork (1976:250) stated that vocabulary is a
stock of words which are at the disposal of speaker or writer. As in Brainy
Media.com that vocabulary is a list or collection of words arranged in
alphabetical order and explained ; a dictionary or lexicon either of whole
language, a single work or author, a branch of science or wordbook. Besides,
Hindmarsh R (1980) stated that vocabulary is a core component of language
proficiency and provides much of basis for how well learners speak, listen,
read and write.
Vocabulary refers to the words
we must understand to communicate effectively. Educators often consider four
types of vocabulary there are :
1.
Reading vocabulary
A person’s reading vocabulary
is all the words he or she can recognize when reading. This is the largest type
of vocabulary simply because it includes the other there.
2.
Listening vocabulary
A person’s listening vocabulary
is all the words he or she can recognize when listening to speech. This
vocabulary is aided in size by context and tone of voice.
3.
Writing vocabulary
A person’s writing vocabulary
is all the words he or she can employ in writing. Contrary to the previous two
vocabulary types, the writing vocabulary is stimulated by its user.
4.
Speaking vocabulary
A person’s speaking vocabulary
is all the words he or she can use in speech. Due to the spontaneous nature of
the speaking vocabulary, words are often misuse – though slight and
unintentional, may be compensated by facial expressions, tone of voice, or hand
gestures.
Vocabulary plays a fundamental
role in the riding process, and contributes greatly to a reader’s
comprehension. A reader cannot understand a text whitout knowing what most of
the words mean. Students learn the meaning of most words indirectly, through
everyday experiences with oral and written language. Other words are learned
through carefully designed instruction.
Vocabulary growth
Initially, in the infancy
phase, vocabulary growth requires no effort. Infants hear
words and mimic them, eventually associating them with objects and actions.
This is the listening vocabulary. The speaking vocabulary follows, as a child's thoughts become more
reliant on its ability to express itself without gestures and mere sounds. Once
the reading and writing vocabularies are attained – through questions and education
– the anomalies and irregularities of language can be discovered.
In first grade,
an advantaged student (i.e. a literate student) knows about twice as many words
as a disadvantaged student. Generally, this gap does not tighten. This
translates into a wide range of vocabulary size by age five or six, at which
time an English-speaking child will know about 2,500–5,000 words. An average
student learns some 3,000 words per year, or approximately eight words per day.
After leaving school, vocabulary growth reaches a plateau. People may then
expand their vocabularies by engaging in activities such as reading, playing word games,
and participating in vocabulary programs. The importance of a vocabulary are :
- An extensive vocabulary aids expressions and communication
- Vocabulary size has been directly linked to reading comprehension.
- Linguistic vocabulary is synonymous with thinking vocabulary
- A person may be judged by others based on his or her vocabulary
B.
The Influence of Vocabulary Mastery to Reading
Comprehension
The Kinds of Reading Necessary to Produce
Vocabulary Growth. Some researchers suggest that almost any
reading will produce vocabulary growth (Krashen, 1993). Others contend that, if
students consistently select texts below their current reading levels, even
wide reading won’t result in measurable vocabulary growth (Carver, 1994). Nor
is reading text that is full of unfamiliar words likely to produce large gains
in word knowledge (Shefelbine, 1990). For students to get the most out of wide
reading, the conclusion of most researchers is that they should read for
various purposes and read texts at various levels of difficulty. Students
should read some text simply for enjoyment and some text that challenges them.
Researchers who have observed students
reading independently in classrooms also suggest that teacher guidance to
students in selecting books can make independent reading periods productive.
Teachers can direct students to books at appropriate reading levels and point
out books that might be of interest to individual students (Anderson, 1996). In addition, setting aside
time for students to talk with each other about what they read can contribute
to the effectiveness of independent reading time (Anderson, 1996).
As is true for any method of promoting
vocabulary growth, wide reading has some limitations. One limitation is that,
although wide reading may be effective in producing general vocabulary growth,
it may not be an effective method for teaching the specific words that students
need to comprehend a particular literature selection or a particular content
area textbook. Another limitation is that wide reading alone cannot ensure that
students develop the kind of word-learning strategies they need to become
independent word learners. For these kinds of word learning, many students
require intentional, explicit instruction.
Research indicates that the intentional,
explicit teaching of specific words and word-learning strategies can both add
words to students’ vocabularies (see Tomeson & Aarnoutse, 1998; White et
al., 1990) and improve reading comprehension of texts containing those words.
Whereas intentional instruction can benefit all students, it is especially
important for students who have not developed the decoding and comprehension
skills necessary for wide reading. For these students in particular,
intentional, explicit teaching of specific word meanings and of word-learning
strategies is especially important (National Reading Panel, 2000).
Specific word instruction refers to
vocabulary instruction that enables students to develop in-depth knowledge of
important words – that is, to know words well enough to access information
about them from memory as they read. The question often posed by teachers is which
specific words should be taught.
Principles
of Vocabulary Development
Because words are the writer's most important tools,
vocabulary development must be an important and ongoing part of classroom
learning. Laflamme (1997) offers several key principles that should guide the
creation and implementation of a comprehensive vocabulary development program.
1.
Teachers must offer direct instruction of
techniques or procedures for developing a broad and varied vocabulary. This
instruction can be provided both formally through the language arts program,
and informally through various classroom interactions-such as story time-with
students.
2.
New vocabulary terms must be connected to
students' previous knowledge and experiences. If students are unable to
contextualize new words by attaching them to words and concepts they already
understand, the words will likely have little meaning to them. And as Ediger
(1999) points out, "if meaning is lacking, the chances are pupils will
memorize terms and concepts for testing purposes only or largely"
3.
Students should be able to contextualize the
vocabulary terms they have learned and use them in society (Ediger, 1999, p.
7). In order for students to do this successfully, they must first learn to
become comfortable using these words in the classroom. Students should be
required or encouraged to incorporate new vocabulary terms into their oral and
written reports and presentations.
4.
Practice and repetition are important methods by
which students can become familiar with new words and under- stand how they may
be used correctly (Laflamme, 1997). Students should be frequently exposed to
the same words through practice exercises, classroom use, and testing.
5.
Teachers should model and enthusiasm for and
curiosity about new words through their own behaviors and attitudes. Teachers
who are enthusiastic about vocabulary development will automatically look for
"teachable moments" throughout the day, pointing out interesting
words as they crop up in texts, stories, or conversation; asking students to
explore alternative ways of expressing concepts; and helping identify colorful,
descriptive ways of speaking and writing.
6.
Schools, teachers, and students must be
committed to vocabulary development over the long term. The teaching of
vocabulary must be an interdisciplinary project, integrated into the curriculum
at every level.
C. The Importance of Vocabulary Learning
Vocabulary learning is the
important aspect in learning a foreign language. Students will improve much if
they learn more words and expressions. As a linguist David Wilkins (in
Thornbury 2002:13) says that vocabulary learning is very important. ‘Without
grammar very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary nothing can be
conveyed.’ Thus, vocabularies are the flesh of a language while grammar is the
skeleton. In order to be able to use the language productively, students must
know certain amount of vocabularies, not only for communicating orally, but
also written. It is in line with the concept of communicative approach in which
learners have a big chance to use the language directly in classroom
activities. This approach is useful in improving students’ vocabularies. Through
the approach students are forced to use the language directly in either spoken
or written communication.
The questions relate with
vocabularies acquisition are what kinds of words one needs to know and how many
words he must know. The vocabularies that should a student know first are the
high frequency words. These are words that he uses most often in communication
either in classroom activities or outside classroom. The high frequency words
are called the general service vocabulary. Next, he also should know the
academic or sub technical words which are not in general service vocabulary but
occur frequently over a range of academic texts.
How many words a student must
know is varied. Kweldju (1997) found that the average vocabulary sizes of
students from fifteen English Departments ranged from 2041 to 3352 word
families. A study conducted to 1776 students in 21 state graduate schools in
Indonesia showed that the graduate students’ vocabulary size averaged 2861
words, while S2 students’ vocabulary size 2671 words and S3 students’ was 3211
words.
Learning the vocabulary of a
foreign language presents the learner with firstly making the correct
connections when understanding the language between the form and the meaning of
words including discriminating the meanings of closely related words. Secondly,
when producing the language, using the correct form of a word for the meaning
intended.
CHAPTER
III
CLOSING
A. Conclusion
After the author described in the
previous chapter, then I as
a writer can draw
conclusions in this paper that The Kinds of
Reading Necessary to Produce Vocabulary Growth. Some
researchers suggest that almost any reading will produce vocabulary growth
(Krashen, 1993). Others contend that, if students consistently select texts
below their current reading levels, even wide reading won’t result in
measurable vocabulary growth (Carver, 1994). Nor is reading text that is full
of unfamiliar words likely to produce large gains in word knowledge
(Shefelbine, 1990). because Vocabulary learning is the important aspect in
learning a foreign language. Students will improve much if they learn more
words and expressions. As a linguist David Wilkins (in Thornbury 2002:13) says
that vocabulary learning is very important. ‘Without grammar very little can be
conveyed, without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed.’ Thus, vocabularies are
the flesh of a language while grammar is the skeleton. In order to be able to
use the language productively, students must know certain amount of
vocabularies, not only for communicating orally, but also written. It is in
line with the concept of communicative approach in which learners have a big
chance to use the language directly in classroom activities. This approach is
useful in improving students’ vocabularies. Through the approach students are
forced to use the language directly in either spoken or written communication.
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