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Second language learners are typically conscious of the extent to which limitations in their vocabulary knowledge hamper their ability to communicate effectively in the target language, since lexical items carry the basic information load of the meanings they wish to comprehend and express. This gives vocabulary study a salience for learners that may be lacking in the acquisition of other features of the language system. However, language teachers are often unsure about how best to incorporate vocabulary learning into their teaching. Traditional techniques of presenting new words in class or requiring students to memorize lists of vocabulary items seem old-fashioned in the context of current task-based language programs. The debate in SLA about the need to focus on form in classroom communication activities (see Doughty & Williams, 1998) has centered almost entirely on the acquisition of grammar, but there are similar issues involved in finding a place for the systematic study of vocabulary in the language curriculum.
There was a boom in second language vocabulary studies in the 1990s and early 2000s, reflected in the number of books published in the last seven years, particularly by Cambridge University Press, which almost seemed to corner the market for such publications. Thus, the four volumes in the annotated bibliography at the end of this chapter, along with others such as Coady and Huckin (1997) and Singleton (1999), give comprehensive coverage of theory, research, and practice related to second language vocabulary teaching and learning up to the end of the decade. This review, then, will concentrate somewhat selectively on work that has appeared since 1999, with particular attention to interesting new developments.
Incidental and Intentional Learning
One distinction that has been influential in vocabulary studies is that between incidental and intentional learning. The basic issue is the extent to which learners can acquire word knowledge incidentally, in the sense of being a by-product of their main learning activity inside or outside the classroom, rather than through activity that is primarily intended to enhance their vocabulary knowledge. Thus, as applied in the literature, the distinction involves both where the learner's attention is concentrated and the pedagogical context in which the opportunity for learning is available. There is no doubt that incidental learning occurs, particularly through extensive reading in input-rich...