![]() ![]() ![]() Instead of your students individually processing every word in a sentence, what every word means and how each one grammatically relates to the word next to it, they’re dealing with chunks. By grouping commonly co-occurring words and treating them as one larger whole allows the brain to process greater amounts of information.Ĭhunking allows your class to cover plenty of information quickly. “Chunking” is actually a memory improvement technique. Advantages of the Lexical Approach The lexical approach speeds up language acquisition So, language teaching should reflect this reality in the classroom. We build sentences and communicate by using thousands of these phrases. The lexical approach does away with the grammar/vocabulary dichotomy and instead presents linguistic fluency as the ability to readily and rapidly appropriate stock phrases to different situations. To illustrate this idea, think of the phrase “best wishes.” The word “best” in the phrase can be replaced with “good,” “happy” or “fun” and still be grammatically sound, but native speakers will know that something’s off and will use the word “best” anyway. But native speakers know they’re right because they sound right. The lexical approach posits that languages are composed of these “chunks” and that the key to fluency in any language is the nuanced use of these phrases-which native speakers spew in daily conversations-without regard for grammatical soundness or word meaning.įor example, how would you grammatically deconstruct phrases like “by the way” or “make up your mind”? In cases like these, grammar becomes an afterthought. These words often go together and native speakers use them next to each other a lot. His 1993 work, titled “ The Lexical Approach: The State of ELT and a Way Forward,” put together the conceptual foundations for effectively teaching a second language. Linguist Michael Lewis literally wrote the book on the topic. The lexical approach is more interested in word “chunks,” or phrases- words that usually go together and are commonly found next to each other in the language, rather than set grammar structures. Invest in listening and reading activitiesĭownload: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that youĬan take anywhere. ![]() Incorporate earlier chunks in later lessons Translate chunks from the target language to English (and vice versa) Highlight lexical chunks every chance you get How to Use the Lexical Approach in Your Classroom.The lexical approach speeds up language acquisition.In this guide, I’ll explain more about what exactly the lexical approach is, and how you can go about implementing it in your classroom! The lexical approach is a method of teaching that centers around the theory that language is composed of lexical “chunks” as opposed to grammar structures. These two facets of language-vocabulary and grammar-go together like peanut butter and jelly. What if I told you that “neither” is a totally acceptable answer? At least that’s what linguist Michael Lewis of the lexical approach is saying. Which do you think is more important-advancing vocabulary or teaching grammar? By Stevie Tan Last updated: SeptemWhat is the Lexical Approach and How Can You Apply it in Your Classroom? ![]()
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