Table of contents introduction Chapter I: Vocabulary as a base of acquiring language skills

Investigation of the problem: There are many suggestions in the literature as how to teach learners and how to design vocabulary tasks for ESP learners of English as a second language. This problem was investigated by many scholars e.g., Thornburry, Gairns Redman, S. Krashen, Herrel, Miller, Hutchinson and Graves are among them.
Construction of the qualification work: It consists of introduction, two chapters, conclusion and the list of used literature. Total amount of the work is 61 pages. Chapter I is about general and private vocabulary system, ways of enlarging vocabulary base and different ways of presenting vocabulary, language teaching methodology and how to teach English as a second language to ESP learners. Chapter II consists of 3 parts. In this chapter, we gave some information about methods and principles of using the new course book “Scale up”.

Chapter I: Vocabulary as a base of acquiring language skills
1.1 The importance of vocabulary in ESP teaching and learning

Vocabulary learning is an essential part in foreign language learning as the meanings of new words are very often emphasized, whether in books or in classrooms. It is also central to language teaching and is of paramount importance to a language learner. Recent research indicate that teaching vocabulary may be problematic because many teachers are not confident about best practice in vocabulary teaching and at times don’t know where to begin to form an instructional emphasis on word learning.

Vocabulary knowledge plays an important role in language learning. It can be easily proved by taking sample from the intellectual development of a child. What do the children begin learning the surroundings with? First of all, they start to learn the names of objects and subjects around, i.e. they learn vocabulary of their parents. Vocabulary is the first essential element of communication.
If we want to use language effectively, we must have good stock of vocabulary. We cannot use the language, if we don’t know the words of that language. English language has vast vocabulary. It is the richest language of the world. One cannot learn a language without learning vocabulary. Therefore, the study of vocabulary has occupied the central place in teaching-learning activities.
Thornbury stated as follows: “If you spend most of your time studying grammar, your English will not improve very much. You will see most improvement, if you learn more words and expressions. You can say very little with grammar, but you can say almost anything with words.”³

Huebener stated that the subject matter of language consists essentially of stocks of words and expressions and of the rules that govern the syntax of its speech pattern, that is, vocabulary and grammar.⁴

As it is acknowledged, “word” is the most common element in sentences because a language is a collection of words. Words can be compared to bricks of buildings fixed with the help of clay called Grammar. Despite quite small pieces, they are vital to the great structure. Wilkins rightly says, “Without grammar very little can be conveyed….but without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed”⁵.
Therefore, the study of vocabulary is at the center while learning a new language. English being a second language or foreign language, one needs to learn vocabulary in the systematic way. We cannot neglect grammar at all but even if you misuse grammar or pronounce a word wrongly, you’ll be still partly understood, but if you use an incorrect word in your speech, the listener may be confused and misunderstand you. According to Ghadessy, the vocabulary is more important than grammar as the basic of language. In communication, vocabulary is often more important than grammar. It is frustrating for intermediate learners when they discover they cannot communicate effectively because they do not know many of the words they need.
Vocabulary is one of the significant aspects in language teaching and learning, above and beyond grammar and pronunciation. A good vocabulary and the ability to use word correctly and effectively can be the passport to the worlds of interesting and exciting information.
Famous imperialist poet, Rudyard Kipling says that words are the most powerful drug used by mankind. Those who are rich in vocabulary can speak and write English correctly. Therefore, the study of vocabulary is at the center while learning a new language. English being a second language or foreign language, one needs to learn vocabulary in the systematic way. In fact, without vocabulary communication in a second or foreign language is not possible in a meaningful way. McCarthy argues: “No matter how well the student learns grammar, no matter how successfully the sounds of L2 are mastered, without words to express a wide range of meanings, communication in an L2 just cannot happen in any meaningful way”.⁶
Vocabulary is needed for expressing meaning and in using the receptive (listening and reading) and the productive (speaking and writing) skills. It should be considered as an internal part of learning a foreign language since it leads the way to communication. Nation aptly mentioned, “Such as writing and reading, vocabulary knowledge is one of the components of language skills”.⁷ Harmer clearly states, “if language structures make up the skeleton of language, then it is vocabulary that provides the vital organs and the flesh”. If one wants to use language effectively, he/she must have good stock of vocabulary. Language is made up of words. Nagy appropriately remarks, “Vocabulary knowledge is fundamental to reading comprehension; one cannot understand text without knowing what most of the words mean”. Teaching vocabulary well is a key aspect of developing engaged and successful readers.
Acquiring a large vocabulary can benefit you in any sphere of social activity. It will enable you to understand others' ideas better and to have the satisfaction of getting your thoughts and ideas across more effectively.
The main aim of teaching vocabulary is assimilation of the meaning, form of the words and its usage in oral and written speech – that is formation of lexical habits. People can have many aptitudes, but without a large and precise English vocabulary to express them, they cannot take full advantage of these abilities. Unlike aptitudes, vocabulary is not a natural ability; it can be improved if one is willing to make the effort to do so.⁸
Language learners who wish to own an ability of fluency in English skills must have a large and adequate vocabulary. Jack C. Richard and Willy A. Renandya assert: The complex materials need to be understood through the vocabulary knowledge as an important. Sufficient English words can make learners efficiently communicate and fundamentally comprehend on English articles and academic essays.
Unfortunately, learning vocabulary is considered to be as a weak point of the most language learners. Restricted knowledge of vocabulary and sentence structure is thought as the main problem in learning language. Without wide range of vocabulary a learner won’t be able to be skillful at reading, writing, listening and speaking.
It will enable us to understand the others' ideas better and to have the satisfaction or getting our thoughts and ideas across more effectively. While there are not any magic shortcuts to learning words, the larger our vocabulary becomes, the easier it will be to connect a new word with words we already know, and thus remember its meaning. In summary, learning vocabulary is the very important thing that English students should focus on in order to achieve success in learning and in the future work in the field of English.
Vocabulary, as one of the knowledge areas in language, plays a great role for learners in acquiring a language.⁹ Harmon, Wood, & Keser, as well as Linse state those learners’ vocabulary development is an important aspect of their language development.
Vocabulary knowledge is often viewed as a critical tool for second language learners because a limited vocabulary in a second language impedes successful communication. Underscoring the importance of vocabulary acquisition, emphasizes that “lexical knowledge is central to communicative competence and to the acquisition of a second language”.¹⁰
Nation further describes the relationship between vocabulary knowledge and language use as complementary: knowledge of vocabulary enables language use and, conversely, language use leads to an increase in vocabulary knowledge. The importance of vocabulary is demonstrated daily in and out the school. In classroom, the achieving students possess the most sufficient vocabulary.
Research has shown that second language readers rely heavily on vocabulary knowledge and the lack of that knowledge is the main and the largest obstacle for L2 readers to overcome.¹¹ In production, when we have a meaning or concept that we wish to express, we need to have a store of words from which we can select to express this meaning or concept. “When students travel, they don’t carry grammar books, they carry dictionaries.”¹²
On the other hand, vocabulary has been acknowledged as L2 learners’ greatest single source of problems. This remark may possibly reflect that the open-endedness of a vocabulary system is perceived to be a cause of difficulty by learners. Another possible reason is that, unlike syntax and phonology, vocabulary does not have rules the learners may follow to acquire and develop their knowledge. In other words, it is not clear in L2 vocabulary learning what rules apply or which vocabulary items should be learned first. Oxford also claims that vocabulary is “by far the most sizeable and unmanageable component in the learning of any language, whether a foreign or one’s mother tongue, because of tens of thousands of different meanings.” Despite these difficulties that language learners face in L2 vocabulary, they still have to deal with it in their examinations as “vocabulary has traditionally been one of the language components measured in language tests.” Furthermore, many learners see second language acquisition as essentially a matter of learning vocabulary and therefore they spend a great deal of time on memorizing lists of L2 words and rely on their bilingual dictionary as a basic communicative resource. As a result, language teachers and applied linguists now generally recognize the importance of vocabulary learning and are exploring ways of promoting it more effectively. Some of this research takes the form of investigation of strategies learners use specifically for vocabulary, which is our focus of attention.
In the field of education, including English (from personal experience), education in Saudi Arabia is still dominated by the view that knowledge is a set of facts that have to be memorized. Teaching learning process as focuses on the teacher as a prominent source of knowledge. As a result, students may have problems to understand academic concepts as what they usually get is something abstract. Many students can serve a good level of memorization of teaching material but in the end of teaching learning process, they actually do not understand it at all. Nation states Knowledge is constructed by humans. Knowledge is not a set of facts, concepts, or laws waiting to be discovered. It is not something that exists independent of knower. Humans create or construct knowledge as they attempt to bring meaning to their experience. Everything that we know, we have made. Based on this opinion, a learning process that focuses on the teacher is no longer suitable. It is because our brain is continuously finding meaning and saving meaningful cases, and learning processes have to involve students in finding meaning.
Teaching and learning processes have to make it possible for the students to understand the meaning of their learning material. Students as the learning subject are the starting point in teaching and learning, which measure the success of the teaching learning process. Teaching and learning can be successful when the students can directly feel the advantages of learning materials by experiencing and learning it.
Going back to English in the Saudi educational system, children are eligible to go school consisting of pre-school, six years of primary school starting at the age of seven, and three years of intermediate (aged 13-15) and high (secondary) school (aged 16-18). English as a foreign language was added to the curriculum starting from the 4^th grade of primary school (age 9). Students receive four 45-minutes lessons of English per week and they have to pass examinations in all subjects, including English, to move from one level to another.
From my personal experience over the many years I have been teaching in Saudi Arabia, I have become more and more aware that some of the most basic principles of vocabulary teaching and learning have been forgotten or ignored. In other words, I found that although teaching still focuses more on grammar than on vocabulary, students majoring in English rely heavily on their knowledge of vocabulary rather than on their knowledge of grammar in learning English. The more vocabulary students have at their disposal, the better they learn, regardless of their grammatical knowledge, although this is not to say that they should neglect grammar completely.
Recent research indicates that teaching vocabulary may be problematic because many teachers are not confident about the best practice in vocabulary teaching and at times do not know where to begin to form an instructional emphasis on word learning. Teaching words is a crucial aspect in learning a language as languages are based on words. It is almost impossible to learn a language without words; even communication between human beings is based on words. Both teachers and students agree that acquisition of the vocabulary is a central factor in teaching a language. Teaching vocabulary is one of the most discussed parts of teaching
English as a foreign language. When the teaching and learning process takes place, problems would appear to the teachers. They have problems of how to teach students in order to gain satisfying results. The teacher should prepare and find out the appropriate techniques, which will be implemented to the students. A good teacher should prepare himself or herself with various and up-to-date techniques. Teachers need to be able to master the material in order to be understood by students, and make them interested and happy in the teaching and learning process in the classroom.
The teachers should be concerned that teaching vocabulary is something new and different from student’s native language. They also have to take into account that teaching English for young learners is different from adults. The teachers have to know the characteristics of his\her learners. They moreover need to prepare good techniques and suitable material in order to gain the target of language teaching.