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Vocabulary Myths:
Applying Second
Language Research
To Classroom
Teaching
This webpage is a summary of the abovementioned book by Keith Folse, currently
Associate Professor of TESOL at the
University of Central Florida. The core of
the book is a discussion of eight myths
about learning and teaching vocabulary:
The eight myths are:
1. In learning another language, vocabulary
is not as important as grammar or other
areas.
2. Using word lists to learn L2 vocabulary is
unproductive.
3. Presenting new vocabulary in semantic
sets facilitates learning.
4. The use of translations to learn new
vocabulary should be discouraged.
5. Guessing words from context is an
excellent strategy for learning L2
vocabulary.
6. The best vocabulary learners make use of
one or two really specific vocabulary
learning strategies.
7. The best dictionary for L2 learners is a
monolingual dictionary.

8. Teachers, textbooks, and curricula cover

L2 vocabulary adequately.

For language teachers the main insights

from the research that Folse analyses
are:
Vocabulary is crucial to both
communication and
comprehension;
Vocabulary needs to be explicitly
taught and learned; it will not
develop quickly enough through
simple exposure to written or
spoken language.
For non-language teachers the main
insights are:
It is important to be aware of the
English words and phrases that are
likely to cause most difficulty for
ESL students. [More]
Learning a subject entails, to a
large degree, learning the
vocabulary of that subject.
Much of the vocabulary that ESL
students need to succeed in a
subject is not specific to that
subject. [More]
ESL students should be encouraged
to have a bilingual dictionary with
them every lesson - and make
appropriate use of it. [More]

Vocabulary Myths:
Applying Second Language
Research To Classroom
Teaching
Preface

Folse notes that for many years until the

mid 1990's researchers and teachers
generally underestimated the importance
of vocabulary in second language (SL)
development. It was assumed that SL
vocabulary would grow as naturally and
easily as first language vocabulary,
through exposure to comprehensible
input.
[More on comprehensible input]
More on comprehensible input
The theory of comprehensible input was
promulgated by Krashen. In summary, the
theory posits that we acquire language in
one way only: when we are exposed to
input (written or spoken language) that is
comprehensible to us. Comprehensible
input is the necessary but also sufficient
condition for language acquisition to take
place. It requires no effort on the part of
the learner. For more on Krashen's related
theory of the different natures of language
acquistion and langauge learning, see:
An introduction to the work of Stephen
Krashen
Folse concedes that some vocabulary can
be acquired via comprehensible input,
particularly when the FL (first language)
and the SL come from the same language
family (such as English and German) and
thus have many cognates. However,
simple exposure to the SL does not work as
effortlessly for much vocabulary especially if the FL and SL are different
(as, for example, Japanese and English are
different) Today, there is a greater
understanding that vocabulary cannot be
left to grow organically; it benefits from
direct instruction and testing.

Folse finishes the preface with by stating

that the myths chapters of the book will
each contain the following sections:
In the real world.
What the research says.
What you [the language teacher] can
do.

Introduction
In this section Folse answers two
fundamental questions:
What do we mean by the term
'vocabulary'?
What are the components of
'knowing a word'?
In answer to the first question Folse notes
that the vocabulary task facing SL learners
encompasses more than the single words
that most people imagine: bright, lawyer,
simultaneously, etc. It also includes
learning set phrases such as once in a
while, phrasal verbs such as take on and
put up with and idioms such as Don't let
the cat out the bag.
[More on phrasal verbs]
More on phrasal verbs
In the discussion of phrasal verbs Folse
notes that: "Native speakers have no idea
that they are using phrasal verbs, nor do
they see why these words are so hard for
ESL students to deal with." For more about
phrasal verbs, see:
Important information about phrasal
verbs on this website.
The second question that Folse discusses is
What does it mean to say you know a
word? While most non-linguists would

answer that knowing a word entails

knowing what it means, Folse points out
that the implicit knowledge of a word
possessed by literate native-speakers
includes much more than just this. It
includes knowledge of the word's
polysemy (multiple meanings),
connotation, spelling/pronunciation, part
of speech, frequency, usage/register, and
collocation.
Folse claims that collocation is "perhaps
the single most important aspect of
knowing a word for non-native speakers"
(after learning its meaning). [There is
more about collocation on this page of the
website.]

Myth 1: In learning another

language, vocabulary is not as
important as grammar or other
areas.
In the real world
Folse relates an incident in a Japanese
shop where, despite some knowledge of
Japanese grammar and much creative
effort, he was unable to communicate
what he needed (flour) through the simple
lack of the Japanese word for it.
What the research says
This section is best summed up in the
quote by Wilkins that Folse includes in his
research overview:
While without grammar very
little can be conveyed, without
vocabulary nothing can be
conveyed.
Vocabulary knowledge plays a
fundamental role both in fluent language

production (speaking and writing) and

efficient language comprehension
(listening and reading).
What you can do
Understand exactly how much of
your students' ability to understand
you is impacted by vocabulary issues.
This section discusses how to make input
(particularly spoken input) comprehensible.
[More]

Become more aware of the problem

of vocabulary for our students.
[More]
Choose materials that emphasise
vocabulary.
Include vocabulary in quizzes and
tests.

Myth 2: Using word lists to learn

L2 vocabulary is unproductive.
In the real world
Folse relates the story of a Japanese
woman who had learned English to a good
standard using the audio-lingual method.
He uses the story to make the point that
some of the old-fashioned methods of
learning a second language, that have
generally fallen into disrepute, could in
fact help students to acquire strong
vocabularies.
What the research says
Folse discusses several studies indicating
that the fairly prevalent aversion among
language teachers to having their students
learn vocabulary lists is unfounded
What you can do

Don't hesitate to use vocabulary lists.

Don't rely only on lists.
Include your students' likes and
dislikes as well as their classroom
expectations in your teaching.

Myth 3: Presenting new

vocabulary in semantic sets
facilitates learning.
In the real world
Folse writes that he has authored over 30
ESL textbooks, many of which have the
explicit purpose of developing students'
vocabulary. For all of these he needed to
decide how to organize the words to be
presented to the students. The intuitive
way is to organize the words by semantic
set; for example, to present body parts in
one unit and clothes in the next. A looser
semantic connection is by theme; e.g.
holiday words. Folse relates that, while
being himself a good vocabulary learner,
he cannot say with any confidence that
having words presented in semantic or
theme-based sets helped him to learn them
better.
What the research says
The intuitive way is not the best way. As
Folse states:
...the research results are clear
... semantic sets are not only
unhelpful, they actually hinder
vocabulary retention. [p52]
A more effective approach appears to be to
use themes such as holidays, cooking, etc.
Folse notes, however, that the limited
amount and nature of the research into
thematic groupings does not yet permit a

definitive assessment of its effectiveness.

What you can do
Do not present words initially in
semantic sets.
Use thematic presentations of new
words when possible.
Teach the most frequent words first,
then cover other items within that
semantic set.
Use exercises and activities that
juxtapose semantic set members for
reviewing items, not for initial
learning.

Myth 4: The use of translations to

learn new vocabulary should be
discouraged.
In the real world
Folse writes of a lesson when he failed to
understand a Japanese word, despite the
patient explanations of his teacher. He was
put out of his misery when another
student in the class told him the meaning
of the word in English.
What the research says
Folse starts this section with an overview
of the reasons why many teachers try to
avoid all use of L1 in the L2 classroom. He
goes on to cite recent research that he
summarizes as follows:
Research is clear: Translations
are not bad but are in fact a
helpful tool in learning new
foreighn language vocabulary.
What you can do

Do not stop a student who is jotting

down a translation of a new English
word.
Let a more knowledgeable student
help another student who speaks the
same language.
Learn what you can about your
students' native language.

Myth 5: Guessing words from

context is an excellent strategy
for learning L2 vocabulary.
In the real world
Folse relates an incident where he failed to
guess a word in context, despite applying
the usual "word attack" strategies.
What the research says
We typically acquire much of our L1
vocabulary by guessing the meaning of
new words from the comprehensible
contexts in which they are set. Several
relatively recent studies, however, have
found that this method is less effective for
L2 vocabulary acquisition.
Essentially, this is because L2 learners may
not know several of the surrounding
words in any given context. They
consequently do not have enough clues to
make accurate guesses about new word
meaning, and thereby develop their
vocabulary in the way L1 learners do.
What you can do
Teach the use of context clues as a
good reading strategy, but recognize
that learners cannot rely on this
compensatory strategy for
vocabulary growth.

Choose context clues and activities

that match the proficiency level of
your students.
Exercises that ask students to guess
word meanings should be done in
class so that the teacher can give
immediate feedback. Another option
is to have your students do these
exercises on a computer-based
program that gives immediate
feedback
Reading can be a conduit for
vocabulary growth, especially when
done with vocabulary exercises.

Myth 6: The best vocabulary

learners make use of one or two
really good specific vocabulary
learning strategies.
In the real world
Folse relates an incident from his own
teaching when a student made him realise
that often a simplistic word attack strategy
can be superior to a more sophisticated
and specific approach.
What the research says
Folse discusses numerous studies on the
various vocabulary learning strategies. His
conclusion is that there is no specific
strategy that can be recommended above
all others. There are several strategies that
may be effective depending on learner and
context variables, and there are also
strategies that likely to be ineffective.
What you can do
No vocabulary strategy or training is
a substitute for knowing vocabulary.
There is no one strategy or training

that is better than another.

Some students are totally ignorant of
strategy use; others use only a
handful.
Folse states that this implies teachers should
make learners aware of as many strategies
as possible. He then outlines three different
strategies to teach the words review, valley
and call off.

Your students may have strategies

that are related to their cultural or
educational background. If these
startegies are successful, then
encourage their use - even if it goes
against what you would normally do
or how you were taught.
Teach learners how to keep a neat
and spacious vocabulary notebook
Teach learners how to keep a
vocabulary notebook in such a way
that it actually promotes student
retrieval practice.
Folse outlines what such a notebook could
look like and how it could be used.

Myth 7: The best dictionary for L2

learners is a monolingual
dictionary.
In the real world
Folse relates an incident when he failed to
choose the right Japanese word for an
essay, despite assiduous use of a
dictionary.
What the research says
Folse discusses research which reveals the
prevalent teacher notion that students
should be discouraged from using a
bilingual dictionary. Many teachers
believe that students should first try to
guess the word from context and, if

unsuccessful, consult a monolingual

dictionary. Folse notes that there is an
insufficient research base to support this
typical teacher aversion to their students
using bilingual dictionaries.
What you can do
Teachers should continue to teach
context clues and understand the
critical limitations of context clues but not in lieu of vocabulary itself.
Teach context clues but not at the
expense of explicit teaching of
vocabulary.
Teachers should be aware that the
real value of teaching context clues
may not necessarily be in the
learning of using of context clues per
se but rather in better overall English
proficiency.
Relatively few words are learned
through incidental acquisition;
drawing learners' attention to words
enhances vocabulary retention.
Teachers must stop saying
emphatically that the goal of L2
learners is to move toward the use of
a monolingual dictionary as soon as
possible.
Dictionaries are part of the language
learning process and are here to stay.
Teachers must teach students how to
deal with polysemous words.
Consider allowing your students to
use a bilingualized dictionary.

Myth 8: Teachers, textbooks, and

curricula cover L2 vocabulary
adequately.
Folse writes about a vocabulary course he
taught that was demanding of both him
and the students, but which was well

received by the students who understood

the importance of developing their
vocabularies.
What the research says
Folse divides his discussion of the research
into three perspectives:
Vocabulary in the curriculum in
general.
Folse notes that vocabulary is typically the
area where student have most questions but
is poorly covered in the majority of the
language learning materials analysed.

Vocabulary in specific areas of the

curriculum.
Folse reviews research which highlights the
prime importance of vocabulary in reading
comprehension and ability, and notes that
ESL curricula typically do not adequately
cover vocabulary.

Vocabulary in practice activities in

the curriculum.
Folse analyses research into the plethora of
different activities to teach, practice and test
vocabulary. The key finding is that "simple"
activities such as doing multiple-choice quiz
can result in as much vocabulary learning as
more time-consuming tasks such as writing
original sentences with new words.

What you can do

Do something with vocabulary in
EVERY lesson.
Once you teach vocabulary, you must
test vocabulary.
Vocabulary practices can take many
forms; what appears to be most
important is not the form of the
exercise as much as the number of
"forced retrievals" of the word or its
meaning
Make use of the vocabulary software
as well as resources on the internet.

Conclusion
In this section Folse reviews the eight
myths that his book has aimed to dispel.
He reiterates the primacy of vocabulary in
the language learning process and his
conviction that language teachers should
place vocabulary at the heart of teaching,
testing and student learning.
Folse, Keith. Vocabulary Myths: Applying
Second Language Research To Classroom
Teaching. N.p.: University of Michigan
Press, 2004. Print.

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