the target language as the medium to communicate. The objective of the teaching learning activity that is the mastery of
vocabulary has been discussed above; the following discussion will discuss any related theories that influence vocabulary mastery.
2. An Overview of the Aspects in Vocabulary Acquisition Process
Children mastering language go through a process called acquisition process. Krashen 1983 describes acquisition as a ‘natural’ process where there is
no conscious focusing on the linguistic form. Acquisition occurs in natural communication situation. Therefore, the students are said to have acquired
language if they can apply the vocabulary in appropriate situation for meaningful communication. This view of language acquisition is the principle which will be
used in the Natural Method. Vocabulary is of course part of language; therefore acquiring language
means acquiring vocabulary since vocabulary is the basis for communication. The process of acquiring vocabulary involves three important aspects. The first is
related to the input the students get, the second is the students’ memory and the last is related to the usage. The input to be decoded should be comprehensible in
order to provide meaningful input for the students to store them in the brain memorization and to be recalled in appropriate situation usage.
The three aspects above cannot be separated from the two major skills in learning language; receptive and productive skills. The process of a child learning
a language begins with the receptive skill. The child hears the language and then produces the language. Johnson 2001:83 states that a child when acquiring
language goes through a ‘silent period’. It is the period between the child first being exposed to a new language and his beginning to produce it. In other words,
there is an interval between the child first hearing a particular words and his use of it. Krashen 1982:60 hypothesizes that people acquire spoken fluency not by
practicing talking but by understanding input. The hypothesis is supported by Lenneberg 1962 who states that a child can acquire “competence” without ever
producing. Hence, firstly the child comprehends the input and will decide what and when to speak later. The following discussion will talk further about the
aspects in acquiring vocabulary.
2.1. Comprehensible Input in Vocabulary Acquisition
Comprehensible input as the exposure to new vocabulary of the target language is important in the vocabulary acquisition. The more the input
comprehensible, the more it is easily stored in the brain. Celce: 2001. The
exposure to new vocabulary consists of the form and the meaning. In order to get comprehensible input, interaction with the environment and context where the
certain words occurred have important role. Interaction and context are two important factors in providing input that are related to each other and cannot be
separated. Both have contribution in providing meaningful forms. The following will discuss them further.
2.1.1 Learners’ Interaction with the Environment
Interaction is one factor that facilitates comprehensible input. Interaction in this case means interaction with the people around and interaction with the
object what the words refer to or with what they hear. By interaction with the environment, the students will get much input uttered by the people around and
generate concept of the words from the association of the words they hear with the object. The students will get meaningful input from their interaction with the
environment. It is as stated by Gatenby 1944 that learning is by the ear; the child associates an object, action with a combination of sound. They are thinking from
object to name. An instrument containing a thin stick of graphite for writing or drawing is a pencil, having tears dropped from the eyes is crying. Hence,
interaction to enhance the vocabulary is not only with the people around but also with the object itself.
By active interaction using the language, the learners will get much input of target language. In the teaching new vocabulary items, visual aids and
demonstration are helpful. Here, in other words, the students interact with the objects of what they hear. The aid given will make the utterances more
meaningful since the learners will get easier to draw the concept of the words uttered.
2.1.2 Context of Vocabulary
Context has contribution in the usage. The students get context from the people’s utterances. Students can generate concept when the words are used, in
what situation the words are used by noticing the context given by the speakers who use the language. If interaction with the people provides the forms and
interaction with the object helps the students generate concepts, context gives clues of what situation for the form to be used or in other words it provides the
meaning. Therefore, it is stated above that interaction and context are related o each other.
Although names are learnt separately, the child rarely hears them separately Gatenby, 1944. Children hear a word in combination with other
words. They hear them in context, for example: this is your book, open your book, put your book on the table,
etc. The children correlate the actionsituation when the same word uttered and then generate the object which the word refers to. The
process in bilingual child is similar to the process of a child in acquiring the first language. The child who is bilingual does not translate; he merely learns another
name for an object Gatenby, 1944. Two words or more can have the same spelling and pronunciation, but are
different in the meaning. If the objects at the time when the words uttered are clear, it will not lead into confusion. However, when the objects that represent the
words do not exist or not clear, it presumably leads into confusion, especially when the words are presented in isolation without any context to explain. Hence,
context is necessary to make the words meaningful. In the case of first language learning, mother usually has already provided
context to introduce new vocabulary, either by providing the objects or utterances. In the secondforeign language learning, teacher talk is one aid to give enough
contexts. Gebhard 1996:70 states that teacher talk is important in providing learners with the only substantial live target language input they are likely to
receive. By teacher talk, the teacher gives enough input for the students. Another important consideration in teaching vocabulary by providing
context is that we can lead the learners to associate words. Meaning association to
