Nguyễn Thị Thủy Tiên K18C Viet nam national university, ha noi University of languages and international studies Department for post graduate studies ASSIGNMENT TOPIC Collocation in vocabulary teaching SEMANTICS ( FINAL ASSIGNMENT) Student Nguyễn Thị Thủy Tiên Group K18C – English Department Supervisor Dr Hà Cẩm Tâm Time of submission 2862010 hµ néi 6 2010 TABLE OF CONTENTS I The theoretical overview of collocation 3 1 Definition of collocation 3 2 Characteristics of collocation 3 3 Classifi.
Nguyễn Thị Thủy Tiên-K18C Viet nam national university, noi University of languages and international studies Department for post-graduate studies ASSIGNMENT TOPIC : Collocation in vocabulary teaching SEMANTICS ( FINAL ASSIGNMENT) Student :Nguyễn Thị Thủy Tiên Group: K18C – English Department Supervisor : Dr Hà Cẩm Tâm Time of submission :28/6/2010 hµ néi / 2010 Final semantic assignment Nguyễn Thị Thủy Tiên-K18C TABLE OF CONTENTS I The theoretical overview of collocation ……………………… Definition of collocation……………………………………………….3 Characteristics of collocation…………………………………………3 Classification of collocation………………………………………… II The importance of collocation in vocabulary teaching ……… .6 III The example of teaching collocation for 10th grade students…… Reference ……………………………………………………………… …13 I The theoretical overview of collocation I.1 Definition of collocation - According to Moira Runcie (2002), collocation is word combination in a language to produce natural-sounding speech and writing Final semantic assignment Nguyễn Thị Thủy Tiên-K18C - Lewis (2000) defines collocation as the way in which words co-occur in natural text in statistically significant way (p 132) - According to Mc Carthy (1990), collocation is the likelihood of corruptionoccurrence between words - According to Chitra Fernando (1996), collocation is defined as the company words keep - According to Howard Jackson (1990), “collocation is a lexical relationship of mutual expectancy, the presence of a particular lexical item gives rise to the greater chance likelihood that other lexical items belonging to the same area of meaning will also occur.” - Oxford Collocation ( 2002) defined collocation as “the way words combine in a language to produce natural-sounding speech and writing” - Halliday and Hasan (1976) treat collocation as words used in lexical cohesion of text and contain a cohesive force.” - According to James (1998), collocations are the other words any particular word normally keeps company with (p 152) I.2 Characteristics of collocation I.2.1 No rule Native English speakers make correct collocations because of experiences in daily communication and the reading of word combination in their culture However, non-native speakers have limited chances to experience real word combination in the culture of target language and thus, create word combination in a way that sounds strange to native speakers because of using the way to collocates words in mother tongue In fact, there are no absolute rules for collocation Final semantic assignment Nguyễn Thị Thủy Tiên-K18C According to Gains and Redman [1986: 37], there is no absolute rule for collocating words because word combination simply reflects a common real world state of affairs For example, “shrug one’s shoulder” describes an action in real world McCarthy [1990: 18] said that knowledge of collocation is a question of typicality which is very important for recognizing untypical collocations In summary, there is no absolute rule of collocation Whether a collocation is acceptable or not in target language depends on notion of typicality I.2.2 Language specific Each language has its own language convention which governs the collocating of word As Zughoul (1991) points out, different languages have different collocation modes; what collocates in one language does not necessarily collocate in another language For instance, a clear road in English is a free road in Greek or a heavy drinker in English is a strong glass in Greek That is the reason why non- native speakers make mistakes in collocation In other words, English learners use their first language convention to collocate words For example, ăn sáng is correct in Vietnamese but eat breakfast is unacceptable in English It must be have / has breakfast in English I.2.3 Variable scope Collocation has very strict syntactic features but there may be some nonadjacent words between collocates For example, I break down doors, I broke down the doors and I broke down the battered, old door These examples illustrate the combination of break, down and door with different words among collocates I.2.4 Idiomatic According to Fernando Chistra [1996: 45], both collocation and idiom have idiomacy because of the habitual and predictable co-occurrence of specific words, thus English native speakers are able to learn collocations through life4 Final semantic assignment Nguyễn Thị Thủy Tiên-K18C time experience However, that is the disadvantage for English learners who study English in non-English speaking environment However, there is distinction between collocation and idiom Meaning of collocation can be inferred from the meanings of the separate words but idioms have meanings which are quite different from the meanings of their components I.3 Classification of collocation - According to Benson, M., Benson, E & Ilson, R (1986), there are two ways of classifying collocation: - Grammatical collocation: Noun + prep : The light from the window Noun + to-V : Decision to make Noun + that clause : Conclusion that motivation is very important in learning English Preposition + noun : By the light of the moon Adjective + preposition / prepositional phrase : Safe from the attack Adjective + to-infinitive : Glad to see Adjective + that- clause : Necessary that you should that Verb patterns : To be free to choose - Lexical collocation: Verb + Noun / Pronoun / Prepositional Phrase: Come to a conclusion, make an appointment, set a record In many cases, the collocation incorporates an idea of eradication for example : Override a veto Adjective + noun : Torrential rain, strong/weak tea Noun + verb : Volcano erupt, bombs explode/ go off Noun + noun ( usually noun + of + noun) : A school of whales, a pack of wolves, a swarm of bees Final semantic assignment Nguyễn Thị Thủy Tiên-K18C Adverb + adjective : Closely acquainted, utterly abhorrent; patently/ totally/ utterly absurd Verb + adverb : Apologize humbly, appreciate deeply, greatly, keenly, sincerely, very much; argue bitterly, heatedly, passionately, strenuously, vehemently - Jimmie Hill (2000) offers the following schema for pointing out collocations to students: + Unique collocations: Foot the bill, shrug your shoulders (These are unique because foot (as a verb) and shrug are not used with any other nouns.) + Strong collocations: Trenchant criticism, rancid butter (There are other things that can be trenchant or rancid, but very few.) + Weak collocations: A tall woman, a red shirt, an expensive car, a loud noise (These combinations are entirely predictable to most students and not worth focusing on.) + Medium-strength collocations: Hold a conversation, a major operation, expensive tastes, a loud shirt (Note that words such as expensive and loud can form both weak and medium-strength collocations.) Hill argues that it is the medium-strength collocations which are most important for the ESL classroom II The importance of collocation in vocabulary teaching - Collocations might be described as the words that are placed or found together in a predictable pattern Examples range from two word combinations such as problem child to extended combinations such as He’s recovering from a major operation These language patterns comprise much of speech and writing But there are many more collocations than words, since many words occur in several different collocations Consequently, semantic errors in the use of lexical collocations make Final semantic assignment Nguyễn Thị Thủy Tiên-K18C both oral and written communication difficult Thus, in teaching vocabulary, teaching collocation is a vital part Teaching collocation plays an important role in order to help students write and speak English naturally In addition, reading and listening skills can be enhanced if students can acquire lots of collocations Hill (2000) states that collocation should play an important part in our teaching from lesson one (p 60).We have to accept the fact that collocation has been an undervalued aspect of productive vocabulary, despite its significance in EFL learning (Wei, 1999) Native-like proficiency of a language depends crucially on knowledge of a stock of prefabricated units (Cowie, 1996, p 389) Therefore, EFL learners should have a number of collocations in stock to communicate fluently and accurately - The emphasis on teaching collocation in vocabulary teaching is essential as the increasingly important role of Lexical Approach - a good way to acquire English vocabulary knowledge The approach has encouraged learners to see larger units of the language and focus attention on naturally occurring expressions rather than rulegenerated sentences Furthermore, the Lexical Approach puts communicative power in the center of language teaching, with the knowledge of ready-made chunks; students may learn how to communicate fluently and naturally, because fluency is based on the acquisition of large store of fixed and semi-fixed prefabricated items - In The Grammar Book: An ESL/EFL Teacher’s Course, Marianne Celce- Murcia and Diane Larsen-Freeman point out that “it would be useful for ESL/EFL learners to have access to the significant collocates of all the lexical items they are expected to acquire and use” (1983:55) Another EFL researcher, Joanna Channell, has not only stressed the importance of collocation properties but also put the semantic theory of vocabulary learning into practice Together with three researchers, she integrated semantic field theory, componential analysis, and the Final semantic assignment Nguyễn Thị Thủy Tiên-K18C collocation approach into her unique workbooks for advanced EFL learners (Rudzka et al., 1981a, 1985) III The example of teaching collocation for 12th grade students III.1 Because of the reasons mentioned in part II, collocations should be paid attention in teaching vocabulary which is an inevitable part of teaching all English skills such as reading, speaking, listening and writing There are some general suggestions for teaching collocation: ● In the first place, teacher should explain the importance of collocation in learning English and advise learners to use collocations in their communications to have native-like communications ● In the second place, teacher should encourage learners to pay attention to collocations whenever they learn English Consequently, students are able to improve their knowledge of collocations The collocation awareness-raising process (CAR) proposed by Ying and Hendricks (2004) suggests four steps in teaching collocations First, make students understand what collocations are Second, raise collocation awareness by introducing materials for target collocations Third, teach the students the steps of noticing and noting collocations, followed by the step of incorporating the learnt collocations in tasks Lastly, examine and give feedback on students’ work ● In the third place, teacher should think carefully about collocations to teach Collocations should be active and appropriate for learners at different stages (Hill, 2000) ●In the fourth place, teacher should repeat and recycle the collocations already learnt every now and then in class activities to help learners register those learnt in their memory The same thing twice activates collocations (Hill,Lewis & Lewis, 2000, p.90) Final semantic assignment Nguyễn Thị Thủy Tiên-K18C ● In the fifth place, teacher should have students’ work corrected by their friend Peer correction is recommended since it is a means to get feedback and instant reinforcement (Wei, 1999) ● In the sixth place, teacher should take advantage of group work to help fostering learning interdependence, especially in vocabulary work Learners can exchange knowledge and ask others to explain unknown items Group work is a motivating factor, which involves trying to remember details together, explaining impressions and building good memories (Moudraia, 2006) III.2.The example of teaching collocation for 10th grade students - The lesson: - The source: Unit 3: Daily activities English text book (2006) – 10th grade – Education publisher – page 32 - Teaching collocation: Reading : Teaching collocation ( task 1, 2) is used as the final part of while – reading step and task is used as the beginning of post –reading step: - Task 1: Read the reading “A worker’s typical day” quickly and find out collocations in the text and make a list of collocations Answer: There are collocations in the reading text: • Has a big breakfast • Hurried walks to factory • Have lunch • Take a nap • Get on the train • Overtime pay • Get off the train • Job security - Task 2: Provide further exercise of collocations related to daily activities: Fill in each blank with a suitable word Final semantic assignment Nguyễn Thị Thủy Tiên-K18C _ a train 10 _a shower/bath _ a taxi 11 _ breakfast/lunch/dinner _ a bus 12 _seafood/ Japanese food _a ferry 13 _ to school _ a boat 14 _ homework _the train 15 _TV _the bus 16 _to music _the ferry 17 _to the radio _ up Answer: take a train 10 have a shower/bath take a taxi 11 have breakfast/lunch/dinner take a bus 12 have seafood/ Japanese food take a ferry 13 go to school take a boat 14 homework on the train 15 watch TV on the bus 16 listen to music on the ferry 17 listen to the radio get up - Task 3: Make a list of collocations about the importance of college education Suggestions: - Well-paid job - Do work better - Get promotion 10 Final semantic assignment Nguyễn Thị Thủy Tiên-K18C Listening - Teach some collocations in listening text for students and refer to some relevant collocations before students listen to the interview in while-listening step: • Ride a bicycle • Indoor swimming pool • Go to the gym • Good appetite • Go to a health club • Beauty secrets • Get advice • Fantastic shape - Ask students to provide relevant collocations and then give suggestions : • Go skiing • Go for a walk • Go fishing • Go for a drive • Go climbing • Go for a swim • Go hiking • Go to sleep Speaking : - Provide some collocations about daily activities at the beginning of whilespeaking step help students to task B “You are a TV reporter Interview your partner, a business man or a singer and then report his/ her routines to your class”: • A business man’s activities : 11 Final semantic assignment Nguyễn Thị Thủy Tiên-K18C • Singer’s activities Having meetings/ business lunch Getting up late Signing contracts Having breakfast Working on the computer Attending a club Attending an exhibition Going to the gym Writing Before students write, ask them to list some useful collocations for their writing “Your class took a tour of Ha Long last month but the tour was very poorly run Write a letter to the travel agency to complain about the tour (the hotel, the meals, the tour guide) Here are some suggestions: - Uncomfortable bed - Fresh fish - Comfortable bus - Tasty food - Small room - Poorly served - Dirty room - Ill-informed tourist guide - Insufficient meal - Unfriendly tourist guide - Poor food - Look into matter - Spacious hotel - Convincing explanation 12 Final semantic assignment Reference Benson, M., Benson, E and Ilson, R 1986a Lexicographic Description of English Amesterdam and Philadelphia: John Benjamins Benson, M., Benson, E and Ilson, R 1986b The BBI Combinatory Dictionary of English: A Guide to Word Combinations Amsterdam and Philadelphia: John Benjamins (abbrev as BBI) Celce-Murcia, M and Larsen-Freeman, D 1983 The Grammar Book: An ESL/EFL Teacher’s Course Cambridge: Newbury House Cowie, A.P (1994) Phraseology In R.E Asher (Ed.) The encyclopaedia of language and linguistics, (3168-71) Oxford: Oxford University Press Fernando, Chitra 1996 Idiom and Idiomacity Oxford University Press Halliday, M A K., and Hasan, R., 1976 Cohesion in English London: Longman Hill, J (2000) Revising priorities: From grammatical failure to collocational success In M Lewis (Ed.), Teaching collocation: Further development in the lexical approach Oxford: Oxford University Press Hill, J., Lewis, M & Lewis, M (2000) Classroom strategies, activities and exercises In M Lewis (Ed.), Teaching collocation: Further development in the lexical approach Oxford: Oxford University Press Lewis, M.(2000) Learning in a lexical approach In M Lewis (Ed.), Teaching collocation: Further development in the lexical approach Oxford: Oxford University Press Jackson, Howard 1990 Grammar and Meaning Longman Group Limited James, C (1998) Errors in language learning and use: Exploring error analysis New York: Addison Wesley Longman Limited UK Mc Cathy, Michael 1990 Vocabulary Oxford University Press Moudraia, O (2006) Lexical approach to second language teaching Retrieved April 26, 2006 from the World Wide Web Rudzka, B., Channell, J., Putseys, Y., and Ostyn, P 1981a The Words You Need London: Macmillan Rudzka, B., Channell, J., Putseys, Y., and Ostyn, P 1981b The Words You Need Teacher’s Book London: Macmillan Rudzka, B., Channell, J., Putseys, Y., and Ostyn, P 1985 More Words You Need London: Macmillan Wei, Y (1999, March) Teaching collocations for productive vocabulary development Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages New York Ying, Y & Hendricks, A (2004) Collocation awareness in the writing process Reflections of English Language Teaching, 3, 51-78 ... Thus, in teaching vocabulary, teaching collocation is a vital part Teaching collocation plays an important role in order to help students write and speak English naturally In addition, reading... mentioned in part II, collocations should be paid attention in teaching vocabulary which is an inevitable part of teaching all English skills such as reading, speaking, listening and writing There... publisher – page 32 - Teaching collocation: Reading : Teaching collocation ( task 1, 2) is used as the final part of while – reading step and task is used as the beginning of post –reading step: - Task