Lexical approach

Michael Lewis: The Lexical Approach: the State of ELT and a Way Forward (1993)
Implementing the Lexical Approach – Putting Theory into Practice (1997)
Presentation by: Hassnae SALEK, English trainee teacher
CRMEF Oujda, English departement, 2018

1. The Lexical Approach Presented by : Hassnae SALEK CRMEF Oujda English department 2018 Michael Lewis

2. Outline Background Fundamentals of the Lexical approach Features of the Lexical approach In search of a theory Teacher / Learner roles Methodological Implications of the Lexical Approach Lexical approach activities Limitations of the Lexical Approach Teaching lexically

3. Background The benchmark text for the lexical approach is Michael Lewis’s The Lexical Approach: the State of ELT and a Way Forward , published in 1993. Another book by Lewis followed in 1997: Implementing the Lexical Approach – Putting Theory into Practice

4. Grammar/Vocabulary dichotomy is false. Language is basically its lexicon. (Lexical Approach) Fundamentals of the Lexical approach

5. Grammar Vs Lexis The fundamental principle of the lexical approach is that language consists of “ grammaticalized lexis, not lexicalized grammar.” (Lewis, 1993) Fundamentals of the Lexical approach

6. "The more one considers the matter, the more reasonable it seems to suppose that lexis is where we need to start from, the syntax to be put to the service of words and not the other way round.“ (Lewis, 2002) Fundamentals of the Lexical approach

7. Features of the lexical approach The lexical approach Is based on the Idea that Language is made up of other structural elements besides what we are traditionally think of as grammar Notion Premise Assumption belief (Ken Lackman , 2010) Noun phrase + is based + abstract noun+ that + clause on the

8. Features of the lexical approach ‘Language consists not of traditional grammar and vocabulary but often of multi-word prefabricated chunks ’ (ILA, p.3)

9. What is a Chunk? Any pair or group of words commonly found together or near one another, e.g ., idioms , collocations, fixed expressions , phrasal verbs etc. It is a lexico -grammatical unit which exists somewhere between the traditional poles of lexicon and syntax.

10. Types of Chunks Collocations: words which go together to give a certain meaning, usually, but not always, two words . (e.g., a broken home = a family in which one parent is absent, usually due to divorce or desertion ) Fixed expressions: expressions which cannot be changed. Most fixed expressions are idiomatic or are those used in polite speech ( e.g., kick the bucket = To die) Semi-fixed expressions: are phrases or idioms that retain the same basic word order throughout . (e.g., spill the beans = reveal the secrets )

11. In search of a theory Theory of the N ature of language : “language consists of “ grammaticalized lexis, not lexicalized grammar .” (Lewis, 1993) No theory of learning No clear implications on syllabus specifications

12. “The lexical approach ....is specifically not a lexical syllabus” “A central requirement of the Lexical Approach is that language material should be text and discourse, rather than sentence-based” (e.g., Ask learners to underline chunks they can find in a text) Lewis, 1997

13. Methodological Implications of the Lexical Approach in the learning /teaching operation Emphasis is on successful communication not grammatical mastery. Teach whole phrases not individual sounds. Grammar is acquired by a process of observation, hypothesis and experiment. Grammar exploration instead of grammar explanation. Intensive and extensive listening and reading in the target language. Guessing the meaning of vocabulary items from context. Working with dictionaries and other references tools.

14. Teacher/ Learner roles Teacher His talk is the major source of learner’s input. His role is to provide scaffolding to help learners. The teacher’s role is to help the students develop their “noticing” skill, or in other words, to turn input (language exposure) into intake (language acquisition). Learner Discoverer and Data analyst Notice and record lexical chunks

15. “Adult language knowledge consists of a continuum of linguistic constructions of different levels of complexity and abstraction. Constructions can comprise concrete and particular items (as in words and idioms ), more abstract classes of items (as in word classes and abstract constructions) , or complex combinations of concrete and abstract pieces of language (as mixed constructions). Consequently, no rigid separation is postulated to exist between lexis and grammar”. (Nick C. Ellis, 2011) Limitations of the Lexical Approach

16. Limitations of the Lexical Approach Seth Lindstromberg “ My good-bye to the Lexical Approach” Coming from the perspective of Cognitive Linguistics, Lindstromberg argues against a strong version of the LA, whose proponents downplay the importance of meaning at the word level.

17. Limitations of the Lexical Approach Which chunks should teachers and materials writers be concerned about? ‘The most frequent ones ( e.g., I mean,   of course..)’ Where should we expect chunks to be learned ? ‘outside the class; over a  considerable   period of time’

18. Limitations of the Lexical Approach Lexical approach lacks full characterization of an APPROACH.

19. Conclusion The lexical approach is a method of teaching foreign languages described by Michael Lewis in the early 1990s. Vocabulary is prized over grammar. Vocabulary should be taught within a context (sentences, texts) New sentences structures. Lexical items allow the production of natural successful language.

20. “Lewis offers us a journey without maps .”

21. References Lackman , K. (2010). Lexical Approach Activities: A revolutionary way of teaching .  Lewis, Michael (1993),  The Lexical Approach: the State of ELT and a Way Forward. Hove: Language Teaching Publications . Lindstromberg , S. (2003). My good-bye to the Lexical Approach.  Humanising Language Teaching   5 (2) Lewis, Michael (2002). The Lexical Approach: The state of ELT and a way forward. Croatia: Thomson Corporation. Lewis, Michael, (1997). Implementing the Lexical Approach – Putting Theory into Practice Nick C. Ellis, (2011 ). "The Emergence of Language As a Complex Adaptive System."  The Routledge Handbook of Applied Linguistics, ed. by James Simpson. Routledge . Thornbury , S. (1998). Lexical Approach: A journey without maps?  Modern English Teacher 7 :7-13