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acquisition the learners may copy such abstract entries from L1 lexicon to the interlanguage lexicon to assist the recognition of L2 words. According to her, in
this way of learning, concepts underlying word in the L1 are transferred to the L2 and mapped onto the new linguistic labels regardless of differences in the
semantics boundaries of corresponding words Ijaz: 405. This would easily lead the L2 learners to error in L2 use and production. The continuous L1 transfer
may also become the impedance of L2 lexical development. L2 learners would stick on a certain stage of development and difficult to reach the complete and
final stage of development.
4. Model of Vocabulary Acquisition
The basic model adapted to account for the process of L2 vocabulary acquisition is adapted from the computational model of L2 acquisition Ellis,
1997.
Figure 2.3: Model of Process of L2 Acquisition adapted from the Computational Model of L2 Acquisition Ellis, 1997.
In this model, learners encounter or are exposed to language input in the spoken or written forms or both. In the foreign language learning context, learners are
mostly exposed to the written forms rather than the spoken one. The language
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input is processed in two stages. First, information contained in the words are attended and taken into shortterm memory. The information attended may be the
word forms spelling, intonation, stress, and the word meanings. This attended information are called intake. Then, some of the intake is stored in the longterm
memory as part of the lexicon. The process that is responsible for creating intake and the lexicon occurs within the “black box” of the learners’ mind. Finally the
lexicon is manipulated or used by the learners in learner language Ellis, 1997: 35.
This model of vocabulary acquisition corresponds to the five essentials steps in vocabulary learning proposed by Brown and Payne. Their paper was
presented at the TESOL convention in Baltimore, MD, in 1994. The steps are 1. encountering new words
2. getting clear image – visual or auditory or both of the words forms 3. getting the word meaning
4. consolidating the word form and meaning in memory so that the new words become part of the lexicon
5. using the word Hatch and Brown, 1995: 371 391.
There are three crucial stages in the model of vocabulary acquisition process. The first is from input to intake, which is the first stage of vocabulary
mapping. The processes influence the intake quality. Brown and Payne suggest that learners need to get clear image of word form and meaning. The second
crucial stage is from intake to the lexicon, from the short term memory to the long term memory. It is the stage that determines how much of the intake would be
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incorporated into the lexicon. In this stage learners continually construct and adjust the vocabulary mapping or network of associations in the mental lexicon.
The third stage is the use of the lexicon by the L2 learners. According to Melka 1997, there are two natures of word use: 1. Receptive and productive. In the L2
acquisition context, the use of lexicon or words may serve two functions: to express one self and to understand others in communication. 2. To learn more
properties of L2 words or vocabulary.
5. Vocabulary Mapping Determinants
