Education Publications
Document Type
Book Chapter
Publication Date
2016
Journal
Making and Using Word Lists for Language Learning and Testing
First Page
153
Last Page
167
URL with Digital Object Identifier
https://doi.org/10.1075/z.208.15ch15
Abstract
This chapter describes a word list study which expands on earlier studies and creates a practical wordlist that would provide a starting point for L2 beginners’ lexical development. An initial aim is to identify which words should be included in an essential wordlist for L2 beginners. A second aim is to determine how many items should be included in a wordlist for L2 beginners using three criteria: practicability, change in the coverage curve, and amount of lexical coverage. The word list could serve as the foundation for L2 beginner lexical development. The points to note about the study are its choice of the unit of counting, the size of the list and its sub-lists, the treatment of proper noun homonyms and the extensive validation of the list.
Citation of this paper:
Dang, T. N. Y., & Webb, S. (2016). Making an essential word list for beginners. In I. S. P. Nation, Making and Using Word Lists for Language Learning and Testing (pp. 153-167, 188-195). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
