TEACHING ABSTRACT SUBTECHNICAL VOCABULARY

Authors

  • Pál Heltai

Keywords:

LSP, Subtechnical, Vocabulary Acquisition

Abstract

This paper explores various aspects of the teaching of abstract subtechnical vocabulary. Vocabulary item in this category are very difíicult to learn and teach, while they are essential for reading comprehension (especially in un ESP/EAP context) as well as for advanced-leve1 writing and speech, where a certain leve1 of lexical sophistication is part of comunicative success. It is argued that the learning of abstract vocabulary is more difíicult in that such item are rather difficult to associate with a visual image and sense relations such as hyponymy and antonomy are less important for them than for concrete vocabulary. Apparently, the most important relation for such words is the collocational relation, and teaching abstract vocabulary should be synonymous with teaching collocations. Students must be made conscious of the importance of multiword units in general, and of collocations with abstract words in particular. While the present paper is not primarily concerned with a systematic description of the methodology that can be employed, it does suggest various procedures suitable for practising abstract vocabulary. Vocabulary tests and the use of Ll equivalents are discussed.

Author Biography

Pál Heltai

Teacher Training College, ELTE University

Issue

Section

Artículos