Vocabulary: Challenges and Debates. Vocabulary has been often considered as the Cinderella sister of grammar.

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Vocabulary: Challenges and Debates

Mohammad Amiryousefi, Hossein Vahid Dastjerdi

Abstract

• Traditionally, vocabulary was neglected in language teaching programs and curriculums for the sake of grammar and other parts of language. Nowadays, however, researchers have realized that vocabulary is an important part of language learning and teaching and worthy of attention and research. A proliferation of studies done on vocabulary can be taken as a proof to it. There are, however, some core issues and principles which are scarcely touched up on in the studies done and interested researchers and language teachers are eager to know. This article, therefore, intends to first give an overview of historical approaches and methods of vocabulary learning and teaching and then to discuss some current issues which are mostly asked and discussed by young language teachers ,researchers and even students.
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Conclusion 

• Vocabulary was previously neglected in the domain of language teaching and was often considered as the Cinderella sister of grammar. It was often given attention but as secondary or in short periods of time. Learning and teaching vocabulary is nowadays the center of language teaching and learning and considerable progress has been made concerning the issues related to it. There are now proliferation of activies and strategies available. 
• The decision that language teachers and programs make as to emphasize and include which types is largely dependant on the learners' levels, needs and educational backgrounds (Richards and Rodgers, 2002). 

Source: http://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/elt/article/view/7218