The importance of vocabulary

Vocabulary is a principle contributor to comprehension , fluency and achievement. Vocabulary development is an outcome of comprehension and a precursor to it. Therefore, teaching vocabulary well is a key aspect in developing engaged and successful readers. Content area teachers must note that a knowledge of words and vocabulary is critical for the successful understanding of the particular subject area. In order to be effective teachers of vocabulary in their content area, teachers must bear in mind the following:

i English is a huge and unique collection of words. It is three times larger than any other language and english grows and changes daily with "neologisms" (new words) from science, technology and culture.

ii. The rules of English are simple and consistent compared with other languages.

iii. Language proficiency grows from oral competence to written competence.Vaca and Vaca (2006), suggest that "words are tools for analysing, inferring, evaluating and reasoning." Students with a large vocabulary base are more articulate, possess confidence as compared to students who lack vocabulary and conceptual knowledge.

iv. Words are learned because of associations that connect the new with the known. Information about words is "Dual- Coded" that is , they are processed in linguistic and non-linguistic forms.

v. Approximately 75% of the most frequently used words have multiple meanings. It is important to show students how to use context to figure out new words.

vi. The meanings of 60% of multisyllabic words can be inferred by analysing word parts. A knowledge of the meaning of Roots, Prefixes, and Suffixes often give clues to what a word means.

vii. Direct instruction in vocabulary influences comprehension more than any other factor. As such, there is the need for thoughtful and systematic instruction in key vocabulary. Instruction in the meanings of new words, and sounds promotes more effective word learning than just analysing context (Juel and Deffes,2004).

viii.Teaching fewer words is more effective than teaching several words in a cursory way. In fact, some content area material may contain conceptually dense terms and most students need instruction in technical vocabulary. As Robb (2000) suggests, " it is more effective to teach few words well than all".

ix.Effective teachers display an attitude of excitement and interest in words and language. Teachers are excited about words, language, they model, encourage, engage students in wordplay , diction and independent investigation into words to build word consciousness.
Karen Bromley (2007) suggests that these are factors which teachers should know about words and vocabulary instruction if they are to immerse their students in language and provide direct instruction that is thoughtful, intentional and varied.