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Date Posted: 16:17:03 07/08/03 Tue
Author: Andréa Maria da Silva
Subject: Task 10

The lexical Approach

Lexical Approach is the name given by Michael Lewis and his associates to the lexis/collocation-focussed theories and procedures developed in The Lexical Approach, Implementing the Lexical Approach, Teaching Collocation, and numerous textbooks published by LTP. Lexis is the vocabulary of a language, all its words and phrases. Collocation is the way in which some words are often used together. A collocation is a particular combination of words used in this way: "Commit a crime" is a typical collocation in English. Common patterns of collocation include:
verb + noun (fly a kite)
adjective + noun (a light snowfall)
adverb + verb (to boldly go)
adverb + adjective (totally different)
adjective + preposition (similar to)
noun + noun (a collocation dictionary)

The Lexical Approach tries to keep language in larger chunks, rather than dissecting language into its constituents. It involves looking at the role of words in sentences in use to learn their function and getting students to use language first, learn structure later. It puts forward for a new centrality of lexis. In particular, lexical phrases were seen as a productive resource for learners, aiding in the production, comprehension, and necessary analytical reflection on the forms and meanings of the target language. Lexical phrases may be defined as ‘chunks' of language of varying lengths, phrases like as it were, on the other hand, as X would have us believe, and so on. As such, they are multi-word lexical phenomena that exist somewhere between the traditional poles of lexicon and syntax, conventionalized form/function composites that occur more frequently and have more idiomatically determined meaning than language that is put together each time. For instance, an exchange such as 'How are you? Fine thanks. and you?' would be considered as a Lexical phrase and taught at a basic level.

The key principles of the lexical approach would be:
§ Language consists of grammaticalised lexis, not lexicalised grammar.
§ The grammar/vocabulary dichotomy is invalid; much language consists of multi-words 'chunks'.
§ A central element of language teaching is raising students' awareness of, and developing their ability to 'chunk' language successfully.
§ Although structural patterns are known as useful, lexical and metaphorical patterning are accorded appropriate status.
§ Collocation is integrated as an organising principle within syllabuses.
§ The central metaphor of language is holistic - an organism; not atomistic - a machine.
§ It is the co-textual rather than the situational element of context which are of primary importance for language teaching.
§ Grammar as a receptive skill, involving the perception of similarity and difference, is prioritised.
§ Receptive skills, particularly listening, are given enhanced status.
§ The Present-Practise-Produce paradigm is rejected, in favour of a paradigm based on the Observe-Hypothesise-Experiment cycle.

The Lexical Approach shares many of the fundamental principles proposed by Communicative Approaches. The most important difference being its increased understanding of the nature of lexis in naturally occurring language, and its potential contribution to language pedagogy. In the lexical approach, lexis in its various types is thought to play a central role in language teaching and learning. Nattinger (1980, p. 341) suggests that teaching should be based on the idea that language production is the piecing together of ready-made units appropriate for a particular situation. Comprehension of such units is dependent on knowing the patterns to predict in different situations. Instruction, therefore, should center on these patterns and the ways they can be pieced together, along with the ways they vary and the situations in which they occur.

Activities used to develop learners' knowledge of lexical chains include the following:
§ Intensive and extensive listening and reading in the target language.
§ First and second language comparisons and translation—carried out chunk-for-chunk, rather than word-for-word—aimed at raising language awareness.
§ Repetition and recycling of activities, such as summarizing a text orally one day and again a few days later to keep words and expressions that have been learned active.
§ Guessing the meaning of vocabulary items from context.
§ Noticing and recording language patterns and collocations.
§ Working with dictionaries and other reference tools.
§ Working with language corpuses created by the teacher for use in the classroom or accessible on the Internet— to research word partnerships, preposition usage, style, and so on.

The Lexical Approach beliefs are based in humanistic values and in inspired innovative reform in classrooms. The lexical view of language impacts on almost every aspect of current practice, sometimes in potentially disturbing ways. Implementing a lexical approach in the classroom involves a change in the teacher's mindset. Most important, the language activities consistent with a lexical approach must be directed toward naturally occurring language and toward raising learners' awareness of the lexical nature of language.

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