RESEARCH OBJECTIVES RESEARCH BENEFITS

written form, spoken form and frequency. All these properties are known as “word knowledge” Schmitt 2000: 5. To many learners, mastering the meaning of a word means to master the definition of the word in dictionaries. Schmitt 2000: 23 says that word meaning consists of the link of the word and its referent, and the latter means the person, thing, action, and situation. The meaning of a word in dictionaries is the basic meaning elements. However, a word can have different meanings in different contexts. This phenomenon involves the register. It is used in people‟s daily life popularly, and it means the denotation of a word meaning from the basic meaning in different contexts. It is the relationship between the content, sender, receiver, situation and purpose Carter 1990: 61. a. Definition of a Word In discussing vocabulary, it must be started with the definition of a word. The first definition of a word is defined by Carter 1998. He defines a word based on its system of spelling. A word is any sequence of letters including a limited number of other characteristics such as hyphen and aposthrope, bounded on either side by a space or punctuation mark. In this definition, it only emphasises on the form series of letters rather than the word excluding the meaning which is an important thing of a word. The second definition of a word is the minimum meaningful unit of language Carter, 1998: p.5. This definition is more accurate. The relation between individual words and the concept of meaning has clearly emerged. However, the problem with this definition is on particular meanings which are carried by more than one word. The third definition of a word is related to its pronunciation. A word will not have more than one stressed syllable Carter, 1998:p.6. However, the problem with this definition lies upon the words. For instance, the prepositions and conjunctions are not usually stressed. After knowing the definition of a word by Carter, it is necessary to know the further definition of word by another experts. The most famous definition of a word is defined by Bloomfield 1993. Bloomfield as cited in Poole 1999:10 claims that a word is the smallest unit of language which has its own meaning or which can stand by itself. This definition is the most well-known definition. b. Knowing a Word Knowing the aspects of word knowledge is important to get the clearer insight of a word. According to Paribakht Wesche, 1997:310 the discussions of what is meant by knowing a word emphasize the knowledge of word forms, their meanings, and their linguistics features, and the ability to use words in different modalities and varied linguistic settings. According to Carter 1998: 5 knowing a word means “knowing the different meanings carried by a single form”. Thus, he states that it is more accurate to define a word as a minimum meaningful unit of a language. Words can be in different form, but it does not mean that they are counted as different words. Moreover, Richards 1976:83 suggests some features of assumptions of word knowledge. He states that knowing a word entails: 1 knowing the degree of probability of encountering that word in speech or print and the sort of words most likely to be found associated with the word, 2 knowing the limitation imposed on the use of word according to variations of function and situation, 3 knowing a word means knowing the syntactic behavior associated with the word. It shows that knowledge of word comprises the understanding of relationship between specific grammatical features and the word, 4 knowing a word entails knowledge of the underlying form of a word and the derivations that can be made from it. This feature implies that knowledge of words involves the knowledge of the network of associations between that word and other words in the language. This indicates that lexical knowledge includes the understanding of the association between the word and other words, 5 knowing a word means knowing the semantic value of a word, and 6 knowing a word means knowing many of the different meanings associated with a word. This covers the understanding of various meaning based on the context in which the word is used. The seven aspects above provide clear points that have to be considered in learning vocabulary.

c. Categories of Word Knowledge

The categories of word knowledge are proposed by Nation 1990. He identifies four categories of word knowledge as shown in Table 2.1. Nation 1990 points out that knowing a word means; 1 knowing its form, 2 knowing its position, 3 knowing its function, and 4 knowing its meaning. Firstly, knowledge of word includes the knowledge of word form. This category covers both the spoken and written form of the word. It comprises three aspects, namely, knowledge of the spoken form, knowledge of the written form and knowledge of word parts Nation, 2001:40. Secondly, knowledge of word involves knowing its position. The category means the understanding of grammatical patterns and collocations. Knowing grammatical patterns of a word is related to the use of the word in a sentence Nation, 2001:56. Thirdly, knowing a word includes the knowledge of its functions. This category comprises the knowledge of its frequency and appropriateness. Knowing its frequency means recognizing whether the word frequently or rarely occurs. For example, the word „student‟ is more frequently used than the word „pupil‟ or „disciple‟. Knowing its appropriateness signifies the understanding whether the word is suitable for the context in which it occurs or not. For instance, the word „reserve‟ or „book‟ is more appropriate that the word „order‟ when it is used to reserve a room in hotel Nation, 2001:57. The last is knowing its meaning of word. Learners usually think that knowing a word means knowing the spoken or written form of the word and its meaning Nation, 2001:47. Students need also to be able to connect the two aspects-knowing the form and meaning- because it establishes the learner‟s readiness in retrieving the mearning when seeing or hearing the word or getting back the word form when wishing to express the meaning p.48. Table 2.1. Knowing a Word Nation, 1990:31 Form Spoken Form R What does the word sound like? P How is the word pronounced? R What does the word look like? P How is the word written and spelled? Written Form Position Grammatical patterns R In what patterns does the word occur? P In what pattern must we use the word? R What words or types of words can be expected before or after the word? P What words or types of words must we use with this word? Collocations Function Frequency R How common is the word? P How often should the word be used? R Where would we expect to meet this word? P Where can this word be used? Appropriateness Meaning Concept R What does the word mean? P What word should be used to express this meaning? R What other words does this word make us think of? P What other words could we instead of this one? Associations