Factors affecting Greek vocabulary instruction

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Factors affecting Greek vocabulary instruction

• Dr. Georgia Andreou Ioannis Galantomos
• andreou_at_uth.gr iogalantom_at_uth.gr

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CONTENTS

• 1. Introduction
• 2. Factors affecting Greek vocabulary instruction
• 2.1. Metaphoric language
• 2.2. Idiomaticity
• 2.3. Variety due to Diglossia
• 3. Teaching suggestions in the literature
• 4. Objections to the teaching suggestions
• 5. Teaching tips
• References

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1. Introduction

• Modern Greek is one of the less widely languages
  spoken in Europe
• (??t???p????? et al., 2005)
• Nevertheless during the last years the number of
  its speakers has risen considerably(??t???p?????
  et al., 2005)
• This reality has called on the adoption of
  flexible and innovative methods of language
  learning

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1. Introduction

• One of the aspects of second language acquisition
  that was for many years a neglected component is
  vocabulary (Meara, 1980)
• The 80s and 90s have experienced a growing
  interest in vocabulary learning and teaching
  (Henriksen, 1999)
• Without grammar very little can be conveyed,
  without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed
  (Wilkins, 1972)

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1. Introduction

• Factors affecting Greek vocabulary instruction
• Metaphoric language
• Idiomaticity
• Variety in language levels as an outcome of the
  interaction of the spoken version (demotic Greek)
  and the written one (puristic Greek/katharevousa)

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2. Factors affecting Greek vocabulary
instruction 2.1.Metaphoric Language

• Traditional beliefs hold that
• metaphor is a property of language
• metaphor is used for artistic and rhetorical
  purposes
• metaphor use requires special talents

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2.1. Metaphoric Language

• Cognitive linguistic approach holds
• metaphor is a property of concepts
• people use metaphor to make sense of other
  concepts and not for artistic purposes
• metaphor is not always based on similarity
• metaphor is used by ordinary people
• metaphor shapes the way people understand and
  realize surrounding reality
• (Kövecses, 2002)

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2.1. Metaphoric Language

• The ability to understand and produce metaphors
  is labeled as metaphoric competence (Littlemore
  Low, 2006)
• The true sign of proficiency is the ability to
  metaphorize (Danesi, 1992)

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2.2. Idiomaticity

• Idioms are not well-defined
• Traditional definition an expression whose
  meaning cannot be worked out from the meanings of
  its constituent words (Trask, 1999) (applicable
  to cases such as µ?? t? d??e?, but what about t??
  ?fa?e t? ??µa)
• Terminology idioms, fixed expressions, formulaic
  language, phraseological unit, phraseme etc.
• Moon (1998) recognizes five (5) description
  models
• semantic approaches
• lexicalist approaches
• syntactic approaches
• functional approaches
• lexicographical approaches

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2.2. Idiomaticity

• Idiom typologies in Greek
• S?µe???d?? (2000)
• Phraseology in a narrower sense
• Phraseology in a broader sense
• ??ts?? (2004)
• Usual collocations
• Stable collocations
• Figurative collocations
• Idioms
• ??astas??d?-S?µe???d? ????µ??? (2006)
• Among single words, multicompounds and free
  combinations there is large
• group of word sequences with a gradable degree of
  interdependence

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2.2. Idiomaticity

• Types of idioms in Greek
• figurative idioms (e.g. pet?? sta s???efa)
• idioms based on cultural/historical knowledge
  (e.g. ????µa? ???????)
• pure idioms (e.g. t?? ?pa?a, t?? ????, ??ft?)
• Knowledge and use of idioms are taken to be
  indicators of second language proficiency
• (Yorio, 1989)

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2.3. Variety due to Diglossia

• From its diglossic past, Modern Greek language
  inherited a variety of alternative forms and
  structures (e.g. ???f???-???f???e) the
  appropriate use of which is influenced by
  contextual and communicative restrictions
• Ignorance of this dimension would create serious
  gaps and problems in the acquisition of Greek
  (Babiniotis, 1992)

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3. Teaching suggestions in the literature

• In literature the below teaching suggestions are
  mentioned
• Metaphor instruction
• Exploitation of literature
• (Blachowisz Fisher, 2002)
• Idiom instruction
• Teaching as if they were single words
• (Stahl, 1999)
• Thematic lists
• (??ts??, 2004)
• Language variety instruction
• Noticing through the textual use and marking the
  suitable register
• (??ts??, 2004)

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4. Objections to the teaching suggestions

• Metaphor instruction hides the fact that everyday
  communication abounds in metaphors
• Idiom instruction does not make clear that a
  certain number of idiomatic expressions is not
  arbitrary but rather motivated (in the cognitive
  linguistic sense) and hence interrelated
• Language variety instruction reflects better the
  attitude towards register variation

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5. Teaching tips

• A language instructor in order to enhance
  metaphor and idiom instruction should
• Raise his/her students awareness of the fact
  that metaphors and idioms do not lie outside
  everyday language use
• Teach metaphors and idioms in context
• Exploit various textual sources
• Encourage his/her students to draw the meanings
  of metaphors and idioms especially those that
  come with rich imagery (e.g. pet?? sta s???efa,
  ???????se ap? t? ??µ? t??)

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6. Teaching tips

• Be careful with any constructed text designed for
  practice because it might seem artificial and
  sound unnatural
• Combine various techniques (e.g. thematic lists,
  cognitive linguistic approach)
• Teach according to the proficiency level of
  his/her class. Some teaching methods are not
  suitable for every level (e.g. the cognitive
  linguistic methodology seems applicable only to
  intermediate students)

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REFERENCES

• ??astas??d?-S?µe???d?, ?., ????µ???, ?. (2006).
  ?? Ste?e?t?pe? ??f??se?? ?a? ? ??da?t??? t?? ??a?
  ????????? ?? ?e?te??? G??ssa?. ????a ?at????.
• ??t???p?????, ?., ?sa??a??d??, ?., ???µt??, ?.
  (2005). ?d???? ??a t?? e?et?se?? p?st?p???s??
  ep???e?a? t?? e?????µ??e?a?. Tessa?????? ????T
  ??G.
• Babiniotis, G. (1992). The Teaching of Modern
  Greek as a First and a Foreign Second Language.
  La Linguistique, 28, 115-130.
• Blachowicz, C., Fisher, P.J. (2002). Teaching
  Vocabulary in All Classrooms. New Jersey Merrill
  Prentice Hall.
• Danesi, M. (1992). Metaphor and Classroom Second
  Language Learning. Romance Languages Annual, 3,
  189-194.
• Henriksen, B. (1999). Three Dimensions of
  Vocabulary Development. SSLA, 21, 303-317.

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REFERENCES

• Kövecses, Z. (2002). Metaphor. A Practical
  Introduction. Oxford OUP.
• Littlemore, J., Low, G. (2006). Figurative
  Thinking and Foreign Language Teaching. Hampshire
  New York Palgrave Macmillan.
• Meara, P. (1980). Vocabulary Acquisition A
  Neglected Aspect of Language Learning. Language
  Teaching and Linguistics Abstracts, 13, 221-246.
• ??ts??, ?. (2004). ? ??das?a??a t?? G??ssa? ?p?
  t? ???sµa t?? ?p????????a??? ???s????s??.
  ??sa???? st? Te???a ?a? t?? ?e?????? t??
  ?p????????a??? ???t????. ????a Gutenberg.
• Moon, R. (1998). Fixed Expressions and Idioms in
  English. Oxford OUP.

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REFERENCES

• Stahl, S.A. (1999). Vocabulary Development.
  Brookline, MA Brookline Books.
• S?µe???d??, ?. (2000). ??sa???? st?? ????????
  F?ase?????a. Tessa?????? ??d??a?.
• Trask, R.L. (1999). Key Concepts in Language and
  Linguistics. London New York Routledge.
• Wilkins, D.A. (1972). Linguistics in language
  teaching. London Edward Arnold.
• Yorio, C.A. (1989). Idiomaticity as an indicator
  of second language proficiency. In Hyltenstam,
  K., Obler, L.K. (Eds.), Bilingualism Across the
  Lifespan (pp. 55-72). Cambridge CUP.

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Thank you for your attention

• Georgia Andreou, Assistant Professor of
  Linguistics, University of Thessaly
• Ioannis Galantomos, Ph.D. candidate of
  Linguistics, University of Thessaly