Language Learning Through Captioned Videos

Incidental Vocabulary Acquisition

Mark Feng Teng

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9780429559761
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Languages & Linguistics
• Subtopic: Linguistics
• Index: Languages & Linguistics

This research- and pedagogy-oriented book delves into the study and application of incidental vocabulary acquisition in English through captioned videos. This technology offers EFL students of different ages more opportunities for vocabulary learning compared to the traditional classroom. This book reviews the conceptual, methodological, theoretical, and practical issues associated with captioned videos and offers innovative ideas to help researchers, graduate students, and classroom practitioners enhance learners' vocabulary acquisition at all levels.

1 Introduction to Vocabulary Knowledge and Incidental Vocabulary Acquisition

Teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL) recognize the importance of vocabulary in learning a language. Vocabulary is the foundation for learning a language. Without a sufficient vocabulary, claiming fluency in a foreign language is impossible. Schmitt (2010) proposed that little information can be conveyed without grammar, and nothing can be expressed without words. This assertion reflects my personal experience with EFL learning; I learned several useful keywords and expressions and managed to communicate with native speakers. Vocabulary knowledge became the foundation of my grammar and syntax learning.

The importance of learning vocabulary is commonly acknowledged among teachers. Building a rich repertoire of vocabulary knowledge is necessary, particularly for EFL students who wish to develop fluency and expression in English. Nearly everyone—from beginning learners in English to professors in academia—has experienced the frustration of not having the right word immediately available within one’s lexicon. Occasionally these occurrences are a matter of not being able to recall the right word; sometimes we just do not know the right word. While reading a newspaper or homework assignment, running across words whose meanings elude us can be frustrating. Building a vocabulary level essential to one’s reading and communication needs should be a personal goal for each learner.

Students instinctively recognize the importance of learning vocabulary, as evidenced by their often carrying dictionaries but not grammar books. Students also generally understand that a small vocabulary can inhibit effective communication. A larger vocabulary leads to better performance in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. While first-language (L1) learners acquire words incidentally through reading (Nagy, Anderson, & Herman, 1987), whether incidental vocabulary learning is effective for second-language (L2) learners remains a vexing question. Can incidental L2 vocabulary learning be as effective as explicit word learning? If so, how? If not, how can incidental vocabulary acquisition be maximized? Exploring these issues should be interesting, but first we need to define what a word is.

What is a Word?

A word includes three aspects: form, meaning, and use. According to Nation (2013), a word’s form involves its pronunciation (spoken form), spelling (written form), and any smaller parts that make up that particular word (such as a prefix, root, and suffix). An example of word parts can be exemplified by the word uncommunicative, in which the prefix un- means “negative” or “opposite,” communicate is the root word, and -ive is a suffix denoting that someone or something is able to do something. The different components go together to refer to someone or something who/that cannot communicate and is hence uncommunicative. Nation (2013) stated that meaning encompasses how form and meaning work together—in other words, the concept, the items to which it refers, and the associations that come to mind when people think about a specific word or expression. Use, as Nation (2013) noted, involves the grammatical functions of a word or phrase, the collocations that normally accompany it, and any constraints on its use in terms of frequency, level, and so forth. Nation (2013) further declared that form, meaning, and use each separately contains three components, and each component includes a receptive and productive dimension. As such, learning these three aspects for each word or phrase actually involves 18 types of lexical knowledge, as summarized in Table 1.1.

Learners exhibit individual differences in acquiring vocabulary knowledge. Some learners excel in the grammatical functions of particular words or phrases, while others may have a greater knowledge of English word parts. Teachers’ vocabulary instruction should be built on an understanding of learners’ strengths and weaknesses. For example, many students may be adept at recognizing meaning in terms of concepts and referents. However, if learners have not seen particular words or phrases before, then they may be less able to recognize them when the words are spoken or less prepared to pronounce them when read aloud. Sometimes students are weak at recognizing particular types of vocabulary usage. For example, young learners might use a particular word or expression that may be colloquial and rarely appropriate in formal contexts, such as in a speech.

Yet if teachers are aware of students’ strengths and weaknesses in English vocabulary, then they have a starting place when attempting to expand students’ knowledge. When reviewing the information in Table 1.1, teachers may find it challenging to approach the task of teaching English vocabulary. If so, they are not alone; there is much for teachers and students to learn to understand and use words and phrases correctly in different situations. This chapter does not claim to cover every aspect but instead aims to help teachers understand important issues from recent vocabulary research and theory so they may approach incidental vocabulary teaching and learning in a principled, thoughtful way.

Table 1.1 What is Involved in Knowing a Word?

Aspect	Component	Receptive Knowledge	Productive Knowledge
Form	Spoken	What does the word sound like?	How is the word pronounced?
	Written	What does the word look like?	How is the word written and spelled?
	Word parts	What parts in this word are recognizable?	What word parts are needed to express the meaning?
Meaning	Form and meaning	What meaning does this word form signal?	What word form can be used to express this meaning?
	Concepts and references	What is included in this concept?	What items can the concept refer to?
	Associations	What other words does this word make people think of?	What other words could people use instead of this one?
Use	Grammatical functions	In what patterns does the word occur?	In what patterns must people use this word?
	Collocations	Which words or types of words occur along with this one?	Which words or types of words must people use with this one?
	Constraints (Register, frequency…)	Where, when, and how often would people expect to encounter this word?	Where, when, and how often can people use this word?

Source: Adapted from Nation (2013).

How can Our Learners Expand Vocabulary Knowledge?

Learning English vocabulary is a cumulative process. Lexical items are continually being added to existing vocabulary lists. In a book by Lessard-Clouston (2013), he pointed out that this circumstance is most evident with computer-related vocabularies, partially because of the development of the internet, e-mail, and web browsers. Helping learners expand their vocabulary knowledge is important and can be accomplished in many ways. As a non-native English speaker, I have been learning vocabulary for many years, but I am still a learner because English vocabulary continually evolves. Occasionally, I come across an unknown word or phrase (or a new usage for one I already know) in print, online, or via radio or television. I then stop to consider what the term might mean in that particular context and make a guess. If I have a dictionary close by, I will check it for that word or phrase; if I am at my computer, I will consult an online dictionary. When watching English-language videos or programs without captions, I am always afraid that I will miss some information. Even though missing that information does not prevent me from comprehending the content, I nevertheless want to learn every word. But when I stop watching the video, I miss more information. However, with the help of captions, I can understand more aural information. I also continue to ponder how to learn and use words. To a certain extent, this technique expands my vocabulary knowledge.

English vocabulary requires form, meaning, and use but also involves layers of meaning connected to the roots of words (Nation & Meara, 2010). Teaching vocabulary does not simply call for the explicit teaching of individual words; it also involves the use of lexical knowledge. The most important goal is to expand learners’ vocabulary knowledge. One of the reasons students often fail to reach their vocabulary-related goals is a lack of assistance in understanding spoken and written discourse. Perhaps some students do not recognize the importance of out-of-classroom vocabulary learning. Some also need to become autonomous vocabulary learners by referencing various resources or types of language input.

One would be remiss to discuss vocabulary knowledge without considering the degree to which individuals differ in their ability (and interest) to learn words. The number of words learned vary greatly among students, as documented in previous studies (e.g., Webb & Chang, 2012). Some students may work harder than others. Additional influencing factors include one’s aptitude and initial language proficiency. For example, as documented in one of my studies (Teng, 2019a), some students with a larger vocabulary or better English proficiency may make relatively large gains during captioned video viewing. Hence, monitoring vocabulary size and helping students improve their lexical development is extremely important.

Can students expand their vocabulary knowledge? In short, yes. As an EFL learner, I understand that progress is the most powerful stimulus for learning. Students can only learn a small proportion of frequent word families through explicit classroom instruction; they must learn more words independently outside class. The greater the amount of input, the more often students will encounter unknown or partially known words. Repeated encounters will help students develop word-related knowledge and strengthen their confidence in learning vocabulary. For instance, as documented in some of my studies, reading while listening to graded reader audiobooks can increase EFL learners’ potential to develop lexical knowledge (Teng, 2018b). Marginal glosses can help EFL learners better understand new words while reading (Teng, 2019c). Watching L2 TV programs or videos, particularly captioned videos, may further expand learners’ potential to increase their vocabulary knowledge (Teng, 2019d).

What is Incidental Vocabulary Acquisition?

Incidental vocabulary acquisition refers to the learning of words or expressions through reading or listening activities without a conscious intention to commit target items to memory (Hulstijn, 2013). For instance, learners can pick up unknown words while engaging in communicative activities with partners. You will probably have no difficulty recalling something that happened to you a couple of days ago, but it may be hard to recall the details of an incident from a few years ago. These examples briefly illustrate the challenges associated with incidentally recalling factual knowledge, including words, dates, events, and explanations.

In contrast to incidental vocabulary learning, intentional vocabulary learning refers to learners’ deliberate attempts to commit words to memory using rehearsal techniques, such as rote learning or when preparing for a school test (Hulstijn, 2013). One example of the difference between intentional and incidental learning is that intentional learners were told in advance that they would be tested afterwards on materials to which they had been exposed. Learners in the incidental learning condition were not told they would be tested later. In this case, incidental and intentional learning respectively pertain to whether learners were notified they would be completing a post-test after the intervention, as this adv...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Preface
• Acknowledgment
• 1 Introduction to Vocabulary Knowledge and Incidental Vocabulary Acquisition
• 2 Captioned Videos: Multimedia Features, Definitions and Theoretical Frameworks
• 3 Language Learning and Incidental Vocabulary Acquisition From Captioned Videos: Advantages and Disadvantages
• 4 Vocabulary Learning From Captioned Videos for EFL Learners
• 5 Research Methods for Using Captioned Videos in Incidental Vocabulary Acquisition
• 6 Conclusion: Maximizing Vocabulary Learning Performance From Captioned Videos
• Index