Vocabulary teaching as a part of the process of developing linguistic competence in efl classes

VOCABULARY TEACHING AS A PART OF THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING LINGUISTIC COMPETENCE IN EFL CLASSES
Termez Pedagogical Institute
Master of Foreign language and Literature
(English) Boysaitova Munojat Musurmonqul qizi
ANNOTATION
Vocabulary was absolutely necessary to give students something to hang on when learning structures, but was frequently not a main focus for learning itself. Recently, however, linguists have increasingly been turning their attention to vocabulary, stressing its importance in language teaching and reassessing some of the ways in which it is taught and learnt.
KEY WORDS: structures, school, structures, teaching vocabulary
INTRODUCTION
Nowadays, people are more and more aware of the fact that the acquisition of vocabulary is just as important as the acquisition of grammar, although the two are obviously interdependent. If language structures make up the skeleton of a language, the vocabulary provides the flesh and the vital organs.
Vocabulary is the knowledge of words and word meanings. As Steven Stahl (2005) puts it, «Vocabulary knowledge is knowledge; the knowledge of a word not only implies a definition, but also implies how that word fits into the world». Vocabulary knowledge is not something that can ever be fully mastered; it is something that expands and deepens over the course of a lifetime. Instruction in vocabulary involves far more than looking up words in a dictionary and using the words in a sentence.
Vocabulary is acquired incidentally through indirect exposure to words and intentionally through explicit instruction in specific words and word learning strategies. Unless words are used, an ability to manipulate language structures does not have any potential for expressing meaning. Here we talk about the importance of choosing one’s words carefully. In the real life it is possible that where vocabulary is used correctly, it can cancel out grammatical inaccuracy. The need to study language structures is obvious, as grammatical knowledge allows us to generate correct sentences.
However, at the same time, we must have meanings that we wish to express, and we need to have a store of words that we can select from when we wish to express these meanings. A common problem in teaching vocabulary lies in the fact that whilst there is a consensus about at what levels grammatical structures should be taught, we can hardly say about teaching vocabulary.
Of course, there are structures, that include word lists, but there is no guarantee that the list for a set of students is the same with the list for another set of students at the same level. But, in the same time we can say students have to learn the use of the verb ‘to be’ before they learn its use as an auxiliary in the Present Continuous Tense.
One of the problems of vocabulary teaching is how to select what words to teach. Dictionaries for upper intermediate students frequently contain up to 55,000 words or even more, and a word may have many meanings. They represent just a small fraction of all the possible words in a language. For a second-language speaker to get to native-speaker level takes many years of hard work. One would have to double the size of the active vocabulary at least. Some linguists estimate that educated native speakers could have an active vocabulary of between 8,000 and 10,000 words.
Competency-based language teaching (CBLT)is a language teaching focused aspect of competency-based education. In brief, competency-based education is focused on having students master specific skills that are related to real world task. CBLT takes this approach and applies it to the learning of language.
This post will focus on the assumptions, curriculum of CBLT, and the criticism of this approach.
Competency-based instruction is an approach to the planning and delivery of courses that has been in widespread use since the 1970s. What characterizes a competency-based approach is the focus on the outcomes of learning, as the driving force of teaching and the curriculum.
The application of its principles to language teaching is called competency-based language teaching. Because this approach seeks to teach the skills needed to perform real-world tasks, it became widely used, from the 1980s, as the basis for many English language programmes for immigrants and refugees, as well as for work-related courses of many different kinds. It is an approach that has been the foundation for the design of work-related and survival-oriented language teaching programmes for adults. It seeks to teach students the basic skills they need in order to prepare them for situations they commonly encounter in everyday life. Recently, competency-based frameworks have become adopted in many countries, particularly for vocational and technical education. They are also increasingly being adopted in national language curriculums.
CBLT is often used in programmes that focus on learners with very specific language needs. In such cases, rather than seeking to teach general English, the specific language skills needed to function in a specific context is the focus. This is similar, then, to an ESP approach. There, too, the starting point in course planning is an identification of the tasks the learner will need to carry out within a specific setting and the language demands of those tasks. (The Common European Framework of Reference also describes learning outcomes in terms of competencies).
The competencies needed for successful task performance are then identified, and used as the basis for course planning. Teaching methods used may vary, but typically are skill-based, since the focus is on developing the ability to use language to carry out real-world activities.
The term “competence” was introduced by the International Labor Organization in the early 1990s for the qualification requirements for postgraduate education, specialists in the professional development system and managerial retraining. And now it is used in conjunction with synonymous terms: basic, basic, general and universal competencies. “Basic competences are, in part, cultural and intersectoral knowledge, knowledge, skills and abilities required for effective human professional activity”.
In linguistics, linguistic competence is the system of unconscious knowledge that one knows when they know a language. It is distinguished from linguistic performance, which includes all other factors that allow one to use one's language in practice.
In approaches to linguistics which adopt this distinction, competence would normally be considered responsible for the fact that "I like ice cream" is a possible sentence of English, the particular proposition that it denotes, and the particular sequence of phones that it consists of.
Performance, on the other hand, would be responsible for the real-time processing required to produce or comprehend it, for the particular role it plays in a discourse, and for the particular sound wave one might produce while uttering it.
The term Linguistic Competence itself emerged in the work of the linguist Chomsky (1965, cited in Harmer, 2001).
It referred specifically to syntactic competence. Chomsky believes that communication goes hand in hand with understanding grammatically correct expressions. Many scholars emphasize that attention should be paid to two essential points to understand Chomsky’s approach to linguistic competence:
Linguistic Competence means organizations and individuals working within the system are able to communicate effectively and convey information in a manner that is easily understood by diverse audiences, including individuals with Limited English Proficiency; individuals who have few literacy skills or are not literate; and individuals with disabilities that impair communication. It also means that structures, policies, procedures and dedicated resources are in place that enables organizations and individuals to effectively respond to the literacy needs of the populations being served.

The development of such important competences is, in our opinion, a clear goal of foreign language teaching. The competence approach, which is widely used in the methodology of teaching a foreign language, determines the purpose of training for the formation of communicative competence, that is, the amount of knowledge, skills and abilities necessary for successful oral communication.

The ability to conduct a constructive dialogue, use different styles of speech depending on the communication situation, create and edit various documents, as well as speak in public is one of the main qualities of professional activity of law enforcement officers
Teaching a job-oriented language provides them with language and professional education. The basis of the educational process should therefore be job-related texts that help to form and develop verbal and non-verbal language skills in the professional activity of the future lawyer. When working with text materials, students must demonstrate the following skills:
-be able to determine the purpose of the text;
-be able to identify the main idea in the text;
-can determine who the text is intended for;
-understand a sentence and find a text that reproduces it in full.

Summary of the chapter

Most of the suggested strategies concentrated on exposing students to real language (spoken by natives) and making them repeat dialogues. Some others who focused on overcoming writing difficulties advised that students should be assigned more grammar and vocabulary activities and claimed that even an oral expression session should always end up with a written assignment.

Others saw that students have to speak as much as possible inside and outside classrooms, and teachers should vary their teaching techniques to cover all levels and all learning styles. All teachers agree that what really helps students overcome the difficulties they encounter is making them relaxed and feel at ease in order to gain their attention and confidence which they claim to be very important in the teaching/learning process as a whole.
Competency-based language teaching (CBLT) serves the purpose of itemizing the behavior a person should have in order to use a language. The benefits of this approach are the clarity in the expectations. However, for some the minute nature of the expectations limits the development of a person. Regardless of the pros and cons, CBLT is one model of approaching language teaching.
The translation of proverbs and sayings across different languages and cultures is a complex and challenging task that requires a deep understanding of the linguistic, cultural, and social contexts of both the source and target languages. Proverbs and sayings are an integral part of any language, and they provide a wealth of insights into the history, culture, and beliefs of a particular community. However, due to the cultural and linguistic differences between languages, accurately translating these expressions can be difficult. This topic explores the challenges of translating proverbs and sayings, particularly in non-related languages such as Uzbek and English. The discussion focuses on the cultural references, idiomatic expressions, and metaphors that make up these expressions and how they may pose translation difficulties. Additionally, this topic highlights the importance of cultural knowledge and linguistic expertise in accurately conveying the intended meaning of these expressions in translation. The challenges discussed include the complexity of figurative language, the importance of cultural context, and the challenges of finding equivalent expressions in different languages. Ultimately, this topic emphasizes the need for skilled and experienced translators to overcome these challenges and provide accurate translations of proverbs and sayings across different languages and cultures. ¹
There are many scholars and researchers who have contributed to the study of translation and cross-cultural communication, and who have explored the challenges of translating proverbs and sayings in particular. Some notable scholars in this field include: Lawrence Venuti: Venuti is a translation theorist and scholar who have written extensively on the cultural and linguistic challenges of translation. He is known for his advocacy of translation as a cultural and political practice and his work on the ethics of translation. Mona Baker: Baker is a translation studies scholar who has written on the complexities of translating idiomatic expressions and metaphors across different languages and cultures. She is also known for her work on the role of translation in the global flow of information and knowledge. Susan Bassnett: Bassnett is a translation studies scholar who has written on the cultural and historical context of translation, including the challenges of translating proverbs and sayings. She is also known for her work on the role of translation in shaping cultural identities and perceptions. Umberto Eco: Eco was an Italian semiotician, philosopher, and novelist who wrote extensively on the complexities of language and communication. He was particularly interested in the role of translation in mediating between different cultures and in the ways that language shapes our perceptions of reality. Itamar Even-Zohar: Even-Zohar was an Israeli literary theorist and translation studies scholar who developed the polysystem theory of literature, which emphasizes the dynamic interplay between different literary systems and the role of translation in facilitating literary exchanges between different cultures. André Lefevere: Lefevere was a translation studies scholar who wrote on the cultural and ideological dimensions of translation. He was particularly interested in the role of translation in the construction of national and cultural identities and in the ways that translation can challenge dominant discourses and power structures.[6]