TEACHING VOCABULARY AS A COMMUNICATIVE SKILL FOR EFL LEARNERS

Аннотация

This article illustrates the importance of teaching vocabulary as a second language and research is done on different topic related sources. Hence learning languages through communicative competence is indispensable issue in teaching process. Key words: vocabulary, translation, method, communication The importance of vocabulary in learning a foreign language in the lives of students cannot be overstated. It is one of the factors that ties the four skills; speaking, listening, writing, and reading. Thus, students must know basic terminology to support their vocabulary in learning English before they can master these four skills. This is due to the. fact that vocabulary is a crucial and necessary component of language development. Students must learn a sufficient quantity of words and know how to use them correctly in order to communicate effectively in a foreign language. According to Heibert , vocabulary is defined as "understanding of the meaning of words." The term vocabulary has a variety of connotations. Some teachers, for example, use the phrase to refer to visual vocabulary, which refers to students' direct recognition of printed words; others refer to words that are comprehended as their meaning vocabulary. Rider stated that increasing pupils' vocabulary is crucial since they would feel smarter as a result of doing so. This is because they will be able to comprehend what they read and hear more easily. Furthermore, because they have a greater command of the language, they will find it simpler to express themselves. Furthermore, according to Thornbury, a person needs to acquire a minimum of 2,000 words in order to converse naturally in a 197 language. It is clear from this explanation that vocabulary plays an important role in the process of learning a language. In modern methodology two main tendencies set apart: methods in which the teacher has the most important role and chooses the items students will learn opposing the one where focus shifts away from the teacher to the students. This makes students more responsible for their own learning and allows to meet individual needs of each student. Grammar-translation vs. communicative approach in recent years, there has been a major shift in perspective within the language teaching profession concerning the nature of what is to be taught. In simple terms, there has been a change of emphasis from presenting language as a set of forms (grammatical, phonological, lexical) which have to be learned and practised, to presenting language as a functional system which is used to fulfil a range of communicative purposes, which is described as communicative competence. Grammar-translation method The grammar-translation method of foreign language teaching is one of the most traditional methods, dating back to the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It was originally used to teach 'dead' languages (and literatures) such - 5 - as Latin and Greek. However, conscious learning of grammar is no longer the leading strategy in language educating area. The principal characteristic of the grammar-translation method is a focus on learning the grammar rules and their application in translating texts from one language into the other. Most of the teaching is provided in students’ first language. Vocabulary is presented mainly through direct translation from the native language and memorization, using bilingual word list: e.g. the house – dům the mouse - myš The basic unit of a teaching process is a sentence. Students spend most of the lesson time completing grammar exercises, where the main emphasis is laid on accuracy and following given structure. The grammar is presented systematically, in students native language and practiced through translation from one language to the other, e.g. Do you have my book? Mening kitobim sizdami? = I don't know where your book is. Sizning kitobingiz qayerda ekanligini bilmayman I don't know where your book is. In regard to language skills reading and writing are distinctively preferred to speaking and listening. Little time is spent on oral practice and students have not enough opportunities to produce sentences on their own However, many theories about vocabulary learning process were written, it still remains the matter of memory. Thus, there are several general principles for successful teaching, which are valid for any method. According to Wallace, 1988 the principles are: - aim – what is to be taught, which words, how many - need – target vocabulary should respond students’ real needs and interests - frequent exposure and repetition - meaningful presentation – clear and unambiguous denotation or reference should be assured Learning vocabulary is a complex process. The students’ aim to be reached in learning vocabulary process is primarily their ability to recall the word at will and to recognize it in its spoken and written form. Generally, knowing a word involves knowing its form and its meaning at the basic level. In deeper as