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comprehend the reading materials, catch other talking, give response, speak fluently and write some kind of topics. On the contrary, if the learners do not
recognize the meaning of the words used by those who address them, they will be unable to participate in conversation, unable to express some ideas, or
unable to ask for information.
10. Problems in Learning Vocabulary
In learning vocabulary, students might get some difficulties. Some factors that often cause this problem are:
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a. Pronunciation
Research shows that words that are difficult to pronounce are more difficult to learn. Potentially difficult words will typically be those that
contain sounds that are unfamiliar to some groups of learners such as regular and lorry for Japanese speakers.
b. Spelling
Words that contain silent letters are particularly problematic, such as foreign, listen, climbing, honest, etc.
c. Length and complexity
Long words seem to be no more difficult to learn than short ones. But, as a rule of thumb, high frequency words tend to be short in English, and
therefore the learner is likely to meet them more often, a factor favoring their „learn ability’.
d. Grammar
Also problematic is the grammar associated with the word, especially if this differs from that of its first language equivalent.
22
Scott Thornbury, How to Teach Vocabulary, Essex: Longman, Pearson Education, 2002, pp. 27
—28.
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e. Meaning
When two words overlap in meaning, learners are likely to confuse them. Make and do are a case in point: You make breakfast and make an
appointment, but you do the housework and do a questionnaire. f.
Range, connotation and idiomatic Word that can be used in a wide range of contexts will generally be
perceived as easier than their synonyms with a narrower range. Learning vocabulary seems to be one of the easiest things about learning
a language, but it’s also one of the hardest things to do. It is because learning vocabulary does not only learn about the meaning of word. When learning
vocabulary, students will also learn about other aspects of word such as usage, pronunciation, grammatical, and so on. So it often makes difficulties for the
students to comprehend the vocabulary.
B. Direct Method
1. Definition of Direct Method
People can learn vocabulary through many methods. One of the methods is through direct method. The direct method is not new. Its principle has been
applied by language teachers for many years. Most recently, it was revived as a method when the goal of instruction became learning how to use a foreign
language to communicate.
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The direct method, which arrived at the end of the ninetieth century, was the product of reform movement which was reacting to the restrictions of
grammar translation. Translation was abandoned in favor of the teacher and the students speaking together, relating the grammatical forms they were studying
to objects and pictures, etc. in order to establish their meaning. The sentence was still the main object of interest, and accuracy was all important.
29
28
Diane Larsen Freeman, Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching.Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000, p. 23.
29
Jeremy Harmer, The Practice of English Language Teaching. London: Pearson Education, 4
th
ed, 2007, p.63.
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The direct method has one very basic rule. No translation is allowed. In fact, the direct method receives its name from the fact that meaning is to be
conveyed directly with the target language through the use of demonstration and visual aids, with no reco
urse to the students’ native language.
30
The direct method, in rejecting the use of translation developed as a reaction to such
highly intellectual approaches to language learning
31
. As Schmitt state, direct method emphasized exposure to oral language, with listening as the primary
skill. Meaning was related directly to the target language without the step of translation, and explicit grammar teaching was done played. Direct Method had
its problem. It required teacher to be proficient in the target language.
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2. Characteristics of Direct Method
The major characteristics of learning vocabulary through direct methods are: A.
The teacher introduces a new target language word or phrase, he demonstrates its meaning through the use of realia, pictures, or
pantomime; he never translate it into the students’ native language.
B. Students speak the target language great deal and communicate as if they
were in real situations. C.
Grammar is taught inductively; that is the students are presented with examples and they figure out the rule or generalization from the example.
An explicit grammar rule may never be given. D.
Students practice vocabulary by using new words in complete sentences.
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3. Function of Direct Method
Teachers who use the Direct Method believe that students need to associate meaning and the target language directly. In order to do this, when
the teacher introduces a new target language word or phrase, he demonstrates
30
Freeman, Techniques and Principles.., p. 23.
31
Jeremy Harmer, How to Teach Vocabulary.London: Longman.2002, p.78.
32
Norbert Schmitt, Vocabulary in Language Teaching, New York: Cambridge University Press, 2000, p. 12.
33
Freeman, Techniques and Principles.., p. 29.
