A pathological analysis of barriers to vocabulary learning and teaching

Abstract

Learning a foreign or second language at different levels of proficiency involves the acquisition of a great number of words. Language learners look for effective ways to increase opportunities for retaining new words in long-term memory, but forgetting is a common problem The importance of vocabulary learning also poses some challenges for teachers. They like to know in what ways instructional programmes might foster the acquisition of so many words. In this study, learners’ problems in vocabulary learning are elaborated on and some guidelines are offered to ameliorate or even to remove them. It introduces language learning strategies that make vocabulary learning interesting and easy for learners. It also familiarises teachers with useful techniques and activities for presentation. A misconception analysis of teachers’ and students’ attitudes to vocabulary learning is carried out in terms of learning strategies, dictionary use, input, intake, output, affective variables, mnemonic devices, declarative and procedural memories.