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Date Posted: 15:35:01 07/11/03 Fri
Author: José Euríalo dos Reis
Subject: TASK 10

José Euríalo dos Reis - TASK 10

Explaining what a lexical approach is and describing its main characteristics.

According to LEWIS (1993:95), the Lexical is the Approach that evaluates both theory and practice of ELT and proposes a new direction to it, by incorporating some of the most interesting points of other theories and methods, such as corpus linguistics, discourse analysis and modern approaches concerning Grammar. Its main proposal is to develop learners’s proficiency using the lexis, or word or word combinations.

Its basis remains on the idea that a very important part of language acquisition is getting the ability to understand and produce lexical phrases as unanalyzed wholes (or chunks) and that such chunks become the raw data by which learners will perceive patterns of language traditionally known as grammatical rules. So, it is a kind of alternative to grammar-based approaches and concentrates its efforts on helping the learners to develop proficiency in terms of lexical items, avoiding the old dichotomy between grammar and vocabulary, using collocation as an organising principle, considering successful language something else than just accurate language, making use of grammaticalised lexis (instead of lexicalised grammar) and the "Observe-Hypothesise-Experiment cycle replaces the Present-Practice-produce paradigm".

The principles of such an approach implies different methods, materials and concepts concerning teachers' training and role and it seems the Lexical Approach has an important contribution to all the professionals involved in the activities related to teaching a second or foreign language.

Personally, I am sure it can be helpful, since I have been trying to use such an approach in order to learn French by myself these last months and the firts results are stimulating. Anyway, I think the Lexical Approach is not perfect at all (are we supposed to wait for perfection?), above all because I am sure some languages require more efforts related to grammar, somehow. Talking about French, I have been facing serious problems concerning verbs. Maybe I am wrong, but would a person learn German or Latin by submitting himself/herself exclusively to such an approach?



BIBLIOGRAPHY

LEWIS, M. (1993). The Lexical Approach: the state of ELT and a way forward. Hove (UK): Language Teaching Publications.

http://www.ltpwebsite.com/implementing.htm

http://www.ltpwebsite.com/lexicalapproach.htm

http://www.writing.berkeley.edu/TESL-EJ/ej09/r10.html

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