A very special event for June!
Gangwon Chapter and University of Birmingham are working together to bring you a special lecture by Dr. Crayton Walker.
Registration details and Zoom link TBA.
CHUNK versus CORE: Two Different Approaches to Teaching Vocabulary
Abstract
Michael Lewis gave us the chunk, a fixed sequence of words. I argue that this concept is somewhat short sighted. I will work with a concrete example, the verb ‘draw’, which is associated with a range of chunks that relate to the core meanings of ‘draw’. Discover the principles that lie behind the creation and use of chunks.
Summary
Part of the legacy of Michael Lewis and the Lexical Approach is the idea of a chunk and chunking where learners are encouraged to spot, record and memorise chunks i.e. fixed sequences ofwords. The original idea of a chunk was based on Sinclairian Corpus Linguistics which showed that, to produce English, learners needed to be able to use lots of fixed and semi-fixed phrases.
However, for most corpus linguists the term ‘chunk’ is too vague. We talk about collocations, lexicalised phrases, grammatical patterning and the like. For us, these are linguistic phenomena that reflect a deeper set of principles that are being applied. One of these principles is that of core meaning.
I plan to take the example of the verb ‘draw’ which is associated with many different sequences such as 'draw the line at', 'draw a breath', 'draw strength from', 'draw on her
inner reserves', 'draw a veil over' etc. By working through the data in the form of a worksheet, participants will be able to see how most of these sequences are associated with one or other of the core meanings of ‘draw’. I will argue that a greater understanding of the way that lexis operates will help learners.
Audience
I focus on the more theoretical aspects of lexis and phraseology in a very accessible and practical manner. The content will appeal to both experienced teachers and those with less
knowledge of corpus linguistics and lexis.
Biography
I have been working in the Department of English Language and Linguistics at the University of Birmingham since 2006. Before joining the University, I had a career in English language teaching. I taught English for Special Purposes (ESP) in London, Riyadh and Stuttgart and I was in charge of the English department of a large language school in Germany for over 10 years. I have worked as a teacher, teacher trainer and materials developer and have over 25 years of experience in EFL/ESL.
My research interests are associated with the study of collocation and other phraseological aspects of English. I am currently using corpus-based techniques to investigate the phraseological behaviour of high frequency nouns and verbs and looking at how these are represented in mainstream EFL coursebooks. I am particularly interested in semantic prosody and pattern grammar and how patterning and phraseology in the co-text helps to disambiguate a polysemous item.
