Vocabulary

       A person's vocabulary is the set of words within a language that are familiar to that person. A vocabulary usually develops with age, and serves as a useful and fundamental tool for communication and acquiring knowledge. Acquiring an extensive vocabulary is one of the largest challenges in learning a second language.

       During its infancy, a child instinctively builds a vocabulary. Infants imitate words that they hear and then associate those words with objects and actions. This is the listening vocabulary. The speaking vocabulary follows, as a child's thoughts become more reliant on his/her ability to self-express without relying on gestures or babbling. Once the reading and writing vocabularies start to develop, through questions and education, the child starts to discover the anomalies and irregularities of language.

       In first grade, a child who can read learns about twice as many words as one who cannot. Generally, this gap does not narrow later. This results in a wide range of vocabulary by age five or six, when an English-speaking child will have learned about 1500 words.

       After leaving school, vocabulary growth reaches a plateau. People usually then expand their vocabularies by e.g. reading, playing word games, and by participating in vocabulary-related programs. Exposure to traditional print media teaches correct spelling and vocabulary, while exposure to text messaging leads to more relaxed word acceptability constraints.

Reasons Why Vocabulary Is Important:

• An extensive vocabulary aids expression and communication.
• Vocabulary size has been directly linked to reading comprehension.
• Linguistic vocabulary is synonymous with thinking vocabulary.
• A person may be judged by others based on his or her vocabulary.
• Wilkins (1972) once said," Without grammar, very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary, nothing can be conveyed."

How young children develop their vocabulary skills:

1. Reading vocabulary: A literate person's reading vocabulary is all the words he or she can recognize when reading. This is generally the largest type of vocabulary simply because a reader tends to be exposed to more words by reading than by listening. In many cases, notably Chinese characters, as in Chinese and Japanese kanji, where the pronunciation may be in obscurity for little indication judging from the written word, some words may be part of the written vocabulary but not the commonly spoken language.
2. Listening vocabulary: A person's listening vocabulary is all the words he or she can recognize when listening to speech. People may still understand words they were not exposed to before using cues such as tone, gestures, the topic of discussion and the social context of the conversation.
3. Speaking vocabulary: A person's speaking vocabulary is all the words he or she uses in speech. It is likely to be a subset of the listening vocabulary. Due to the spontaneous nature of speech, words are often misused. This misuse – though slight and unintentional – may be compensated by facial expressions, tone of voice, or hand gestures.
4. Writing vocabulary: Words are used in various forms of writing from formal essays to Twitter feeds. Many written words do not commonly appear in speech. Writers generally use a limited set of words when communicating for example: if there are a number of synonyms, a writer will have his own preference as to which of them to use or if he is unlikely to use technical vocabulary relating to a subject in which he has no knowledge or interest.  

       Sadlier's Vocabulary Workshop at the 1st grade level uses words that are interesting, engaging, and practical that students can relate to. Developmentally appropriate for students who are just starting to read, the teaching and learning process guides and supports students as they build and acquire vocabulary, and understand word relationships through a variety of lessons. To view online samples, visit www.Sadlier.com