Is That Word Difficult or Just Unfamiliar?
I often hear English learners and English native speakers alike complain that certain English words are “difficult” (in fact, I’ve heard the same thing said by native and non-native speakers of Japanese and Mandarin Chinese, too).
Consider the words shoe and happy. Are these English words difficult? To you and I, these terms are probably as easy and basic as they get. But what about for a 6-month old American child? Or what about for a hunter-gatherer living deep in the Amazonian rain forest who has never heard a word of English spoken or seen any English writing? For both, all English words are more or less difficult, or rather, “unfamiliar”.
And that right there gets to my basic contention. There are no “difficult” words in English or any human language; there are just those words that are familiar, or as of now, unfamiliar to you.
Consider the words vapid and insipid. If you are well-read or have just studied for TOEFL, you are probably familiar with the words and would not consider them difficult. But if you were to poll the average American high school student, they would probably not know the meaning of either word despite the fact that neither represent advanced cognitive concepts (and in fact have the same basic meaning of bland, flat, dull or tedious), have few letters, and are easy to spell. These words aren’t difficult; they are just uncommon and therefore perceived as difficult to the uninitiated.
I do concede, however, that there are some words that are difficult to pronounce in certain languages. One prime example came up yesterday as I was discussing different types of cars with my girlfriend (she has just moved to Seattle and is quickly realizing how lame our public transportation system is compared with Taipei hence the need for a car). I was explaining the pros and cons of front wheel drive cars and rear wheel drive cars, when I suddenly realized what a mouthful “rear wheel drive” is when said many times fast in quick succession. The combination of R’s, L’s and W’s requires quite a bit of tongue and lips movement and can quickly wear out the mouth muscles. Similar challenges are experienced by Mandarin Chinese learners when trying to wrap their mouths around “retroflex” sounds like zh, ch, and sh, that require bending the tip of the tongue back towards the top of your mouth.
But just as the pronunciation of words that you once found hard to produce get easier and easier to say over time, so too do once “difficult” words that become clearer and clearer every time you hear, say, read or write them. And that right there is the key to learning words (and the languages in which they rest): exposure and practice.
I believe vocabulary is the most comprehensive and most difficult aspect of English for foreign learners to master thoroughly. They should first concentrate on learning the most frequently used and therefore most important English vocabulary for their practical real life needs. Multiple sense English words and synonyms (words with a similar meaning) present special difficulty for foreign learners.
Other difficulties in learning and using English vocabulary include fixed word collocations (phrases), phrasal verbs, idioms, proverbs and regional differences in vocabulary usage. There are differences in English usage in English-speaking countries in terms of spelling, pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar. I know some specialised books dealing with British and American English differences.
English usage can also be formal and informal. Formal English is the language of the mass media, education, business, economy, commerce, technology, science, etc. Informal English includes colloquial, slang and dialect usage. It is harder for foreign learners
to master informal than formal English vocabulary.
WAYS TO MASTER ENGLISH VOCABULARY
Learners can improve their English vocabulary in the following ways:
a) when doing English grammar exercises;
b) when practising speaking on various topics;
c) when reading various materials in English on a multitude of topics;
d) when listening to audio and video recordings with diverse content.
I believe the best way to learn English vocabulary is by topics with explanations of meaning, examples of usage in sentences and with subsequent exercises. It is possible to practise English vocabulary through exercises in listening comprehension, speaking, reading and writing.
1. Do ready-made lexical exercises from textbooks in vocabulary practice. Exercises
in vocabulary practice can include dialogues, narrations (telling stories), thematic texts, questions and answers in various situations, discussions, talking points and expressing opinions and views on real life topics and issues, etc.
2. Learners can also master new English vocabulary by reading thematic texts (materials), first of all on everyday topics with important content, for example: Practical Tips and Advice to Make Everyday Life Easier and Better (practical solutions for everyday problems). Such self-help books on settling everyday matters are available at libraries, book stores and on the Internet. It is better for easier memorisation to write down unknown vocabulary in whole
sentences. It is expedient for learners to practise telling the content of the texts that they
have read.
3. Students of English can learn a lot of vocabulary on every topic from thematic English dictionaries. Good thematic English dictionaries provide clear word usage explanations and also a few usage sentences for each word meaning, which is especially important. It is a good practice for students to make up their own sentences with difficult vocabulary for potential use in daily life. Think about real life situations where and when that vocabulary can be used.
4. It is helpful for learners to have lists of difficult word meanings and of phrases (expressions) on every topic with usage sentences. By reading those ready-made vocabulary usage sentences many times if needed learners will gradually master the vocabulary. Longman Language Activator Dictionary (unique English Idea Production Dictionary) covers this issue thoroughly. It is useful for learners to make up their own sentences with that vocabulary, taking into consideration real life situations.
5. Thematic general English dictionaries combined with English synonym dictionaries are a valuable tool for mastering English vocabulary logically, comprehensively and intensively for real life needs of learners. English synonym dictionaries provide usage explanations and usage examples for words with similar meaning.
Summary:
Thematic English reading materials can be combined with English phrase books, conversation books, thematic English dictionaries, English synonym dictionaries and vocabulary practice books (with lexical exercises) for comprehensive, logical and intensive learning of English vocabulary.