词块教学法在初中英语写作课堂上的应用

1、ContentsChinese Abstract2English Abstract31. Introduction41.1 The Background of the Research41.2 The Significance of the Research42. Literature Review52.1 The Definition of Lexical Chunk52.2 The Theoretical Basis of Lexical Chunk Approach52.3 The Research of Lexical Chunk Approach Abroad62.4 The Res

2、earch of Lexical Chunk Approach at Home63. The Advantages of Lexical Chunk Approach in English Teaching73.1 Helping students Memorize Words73.2 Improving the Fluency and Authenticity of Language Expression83.3 Enhancing Pragmatic Awareness and Improving Pragmatic Ability94. Research on the Applicati

3、on of Lexical Chunk Approach in English Writing Class of Junior Middle School94.1 Research Problem94.2 Subjects and Methods104.3 Procedure104.4 Data analysis124.5 Pedagogical Implications145. Conclusion15References17Appendix18词块教学法在初中英语写作课堂上的应用摘 要一直以来，英文写作困扰着大部分中学生，目前许多语言学家和英语教师都在积极探讨提高学生书面表达的方法及策略，

4、因而外语教学和研究领域的热点话题之一就是如何培养学生的写作能力以及提高学生的写作水平。其中词汇组块作为语言学习、记忆、保存以及产出的最小单位，能减轻学习者语言输出及处理的负担，易于学生使用和记忆。词块结合了语法、语境和语义的优点, 能增强学习者语言的准确性、流利性和地道性。因此词块在英语写作教学中的前景非常可观。利用词块以更好地帮助学习者对语言构造进行认知，为以后的学习与进步打下良好的基础，这是目前教学过程中应注意的方向之一。本文从词块理论在英语课堂教学中的主要作用出发，对词块教学法在初中英语写作课堂中的运用过程展开了论述，希望可以为日后英语教师们提升学生英语写作水平从而提高教学质量的工作提供

5、参考。关键词：词块教学法；初中；英语写作教学The Application of Lexical Chunk Approach in English Writing Class of Junior Middle SchoolAbstractFor a long time, English writing has perplexed most junior middle school students. At present, the methods and strategies to enhance students written expression are explored by man

6、y linguists and English teachers. Therefore, one of the hot topics in the realm of foreign language training and investigation is how to develop students writing ability and improve students writing level. As a minimal group of language learning, memory, preservation and output (Becker, 1975), the l

7、exical chunk combines the advantages of grammar, context and semantics. It can lighten the burden of language output and processing, improve learners writing ability and level, and enhance their language accuracy, fluency and authenticity, so it has a very broad application prospect in the teaching

8、of English writing. Using lexical chunks to better guide learners to the overall cognition of language structure, thus laying a good foundation for future learning and promotion is one of the main directions to pay attention to in the teaching process. This paper discusses the main advantages of chu

9、nks theory in English teaching, and expounds the implementation strategy of Lexical Chunk Approach during the teaching process of junior middle school English writing , aiming to advance the English writing level of the students in junior middle school, and improve teaching quality.Key words: Lexica

10、l Chunk Approach; junior middle school; English writing teaching1. Introduction 1.1 The Background of the ResearchIn recent years, corpus linguistics has been developing, researchers lay more and more emphasis on the study of vocabulary. The researchers point out that numerous fixed or semi-fixed la

11、nguage constructions that possess the features of both sentence and word (李灿, 2013), and these stylized plates are stored in the human brain as one lot, which is the ideal unit of language processing. The speed of language processing is accelerated by the existence of lexical chunks. The study of le

12、xical chunks overcomes the shortcomings of the conventional structure teaching and communicative teaching method, and combines language learning with the improvement of communicative competence. Its function exceeds the range of vocabulary collocation and stretches to a complete sentence. As a unit

13、of English vocabulary teaching, lexical chunks concord with the fundamental laws of cognition.In the procedure of developing English teaching activities in junior middle school, students are in huge amount of pressure to master the basic language elements, especially at the cognitive level of vocabu

14、lary and related grammatical items. Therefore, starting from the basic connotation of lexical chunks, this paper discusses the concrete application ideas and paths of lexical approach in English teaching, which provides practical reference for the improvement of junior middle school English teaching

15、 models and methods in the future.1.2 The Significance of the ResearchWriting is a vital portion of English language skills in junior middle school. The compulsory Education English Curriculum Standard (2011) also makes clear requirements for the content and level of junior high school students Engl

16、ish writing. But actually the fact is the English writing competence of junior middle school students is still at a low level due to many factors, such as lack of vocabulary, lack of training, lack of strategies and so on. Many teachers prefer the traditional grammatical structure teaching method, w

17、hich separates the unique relationship between words and teaches vocabulary learning in isolation. This teaching method is undoubtedly inefficient. Similarly, this also increases the academic burden of learners. The Lexical Chunk Approach can effectively help the learners language become more fluent

18、ly, improve the ability of word selection and improve the accuracy of language expression. Besides, it can enhance learners self-confidence, and improve the ability of text comprehension and the speed of text organization.2. Literature Review2.1 The Definition of Lexical ChunkIn the study of lexical

19、 chunks, because each researcher has his own different understanding on lexical chunks, the explanations of chunks are diverse. In the 1950s, Miller and Selfridge advanced the concept of chunking, which was used to explain the process of assembling individual information into blocks. The concept was

20、 later used in linguistics. Nattinger and Decarrico (1992) proposed the idea of lexical phrase, and they thought the word block is a special multi-word lexical phenomenon in language, which is between vocabulary and grammar and consists of two or more words. This kind of variable programming languag

21、e is the inexhaustible source of language development. Lewis (1993) proposed the concept of lexical chunks. He found that lexical chunks can effectively promote language learners understanding of raw materials, and pointed out that comprehending and outputting new word blocks is vital for language a

22、cquisition. Moon (1998) put forward a broader concept, that is multi-word stem. This concept refers to a vocabulary containing two or more words that is indivisible in both semantic and grammatical forms. To sum up, lexical chunks refer to a continuous and integral lexical phrase, which is the unity

23、 of grammar, meaning feature and context. They are prefabricated and frequently used multi-word combinations (phrases, fixed collocation, idiomatic expressions and fixed sentence patterns, etc.) that exist in fixed or semi-fixed forms. They are recognized, remembered and output as a whole and are us

24、ed without grammatical generation and analysis, with specific structure and relatively stable meaning.2.2 The Theoretical Basis of Lexical Chunk ApproachIn the academic field, the connotation of chunks teaching has not formed a more extensive consensus. On the foundation of its theory, lexical chunk

25、s teaching mainly comes from cognitive schemata in cognitive psychology. That is to say, in the process of language cognition, it does not just input language or related information. After this series of processing, the related logical cognitive structure becomes the basis of its subsequent language

26、 cognition and learning activities. Therefore, from this level, lexical chunks teaching emphasizes the overall cognition of knowledge. Under the connection and mutual action betwixt each information and knowledge elements, the corresponding knowledge can be transformed into individual language appli

27、cation ability as soon as possible. The conclusion of computational analysis reveals that numerous of fixed or semi-fixed language constructions are subsisted with both sentence and lexical features in language, these stylized word blocks are preserved inside human brain in general and are the best

28、units for language analysis. This combination of words is called lexical chunks. Many linguists have explored their role in language learning. According to incomplete statistics, over fifty terms are applied to depict the concept of lexical chunks. In conclusion, lexical chunks are prefabricated and

29、 frequently used in fixed or semi-fixed forms of poly-word combinations (phrases, fixed collocation, idioms and fixed sentence patterns, etc.). They are recognized, memorized and output by the whole, and do not need to be generated and analyzed by grammar, and have specific structure and relatively

30、stable significance.2.3 The Research of Lexical Chunk Approach AbroadIn the 1950s, Miller and Selfridge advanced the concept of chunk, which was used to explain the process of grouping a single information into blocks, which was later applied to the field of linguistics.Becker (1975) advanced the co

31、ncept of prefabricated phrases, in which the memory, preservation, production and application of language are not in units of a single word, but rather in a fixed or semi-fixed patterned prefabricated board structure that constitutes the minimum unit of human correspondence. Nattinger and DeCarrcos

32、(1992) book LexicalphrasesandLanguageTeaching puts forward that learning English in lexical chunks can improve the fluency of expression and focus the speakers attention on the overall discourse structure rather than individual words. They said that the computational data of language acquisition ind

33、icates that lexical phrases is a special multi-word lexical phenomenon in language (Nattinger & DeCarrico, 1992).Lewis (1993) is the author of The Lexical Approach. He proposed Lexical Chunk Approach. It is on the basis of the theory that language is grammatical instead of lexical, and that the cent

34、er of language learning is lexical. The teacher should not only analyze the grammar in the target language in the class, but also guide the learner to focus on the word blocks.2.4 The Research of Lexical Chunk Approach at HomeIn China, we have been studying the acquisition and application of chunk k

35、nowledge during the SLA for decades. Among them, Yang Yuchens (1999) and Shen Minyus (1999) are two academicians to present the teaching of lexical chunks earlier.Wang Chengxiang (2000) argued that helping students expand groups, reduce the memory content, and improve their associative ability of wo

36、rds is the basic way to enhance the effect of vocabulary teaching.Song Desheng (2002) holds that memory can form an individual information set into a large language block by chunking, which can quicken the information handing speed of short-term memory and promote the rapid and efficient coding of i

37、nformation. The processing of information in the form of chunks is also easy to extract, especially memorizing words, can be used to improve memory efficiency.In 2006, Wang Lifei and other scholars put forward the method of using corpus to improve the ability of second language learners to use lexic

38、al chunks.3. The Advantages of Lexical Chunk Approach in English Teaching3.1 Helping students Memorize WordsVocabulary is the basis and emphasis of English teaching, and studying vocabulary well is crucial for students to advance their English level. In the daily teaching, many teachers still teach

39、vocabulary in a traditional mode-“teacher read the words - students follow - explanation of words - the enumeration collocation - example / translation - students memorize - dictation”. This kind of isolated way of explaining the word is both dull and out of context, and students will quickly forget

40、 after rote memorization. Furthermore, even if they remember the word, they still can not use it in the written writing and the oral communication. Linguists believe that the storage and output of language are not based on individual words, but rather the lexical block structure as the minimum unit

41、of human language communication (Becker, 1975). Therefore, strengthening learners awareness of chunks and cultivating students ability to use lexical chunks in English teaching cannot only improve students vocabulary application ability, but also greatly improve the efficiency of English teaching. T

42、he Lexical Chunk Approach is a method to grasp vocabulary efficiently by taking the language unit which appears more frequently than the word in the real language communication as the object, combining the grammatical, semantic and contextual advantages of the lexical chunks.Memory plays a central p

43、art in English learning, particularly in vocabulary learning. First of all, since lexical chunks are made up of multiple words, or a complete sentence occasionally, the amount of words remembered by one lexical chunk is more than one word. Secondly, the difficulty of students memory will increase be

44、cause of the increase of memory capacity, because the connotations of lexical phrases are placed in a specific context, so it is easier to remember, and not easier to forget, than to memorize words alone from the context, therefore it helps reduce the burden of short-term memory. Furthermore, lexica

45、l chunks memory tend to be highly accurate. Since the grammatical structure and semantic collocation are the two limitations between the components of lexical chunks, they can be used from memory bank at once. Even if the framework of structures that have changed, the changes are very limited, so th

46、e possibility of making mistakes is reduced, and the accuracy of language use is greatly improved.3.2 Improving the Fluency and Authenticity of Language ExpressionPawley and Syder (1983) held that there are two major problems for second language learners. How to acquire both fluency and word selecti

47、on ability close to native. Because of the weak foundation of English, junior middle school students often have collocation errors or mismatches in using English vocabulary. Lexical chunks are stored in the brain, and when used, they are extracted in general, so learners are much less likely to make

48、 mistakes than when they are extracted word by word. Because of vocabulary deficiency, junior middle school students often do not know how to speak in oral communication, and lexical chunks can be regarded as a fixed unit, in the form of a whole memory, so learners do not need to understand its inte

49、rnal components, do not need to carry out grammatical analysis, so as to organize the language at the level of discourse and maintain the fluency of speech, thus making the language more fluent. Lexical chunks can be used to ensure that the conversations involving changing topics, making requests, g

50、reeting people etc. go smoothly. For example, the lexical chunks can be used to express sympathy: “Im sorry.” (陶桃, 2013) and this pattern can be extended to include many other words, for example, Im (so/really/terribly) sorry about/to hear . ; Thats (awful/terrible); What a (pity/shame)!In addition,

51、 the skills of mastering a large number of lexical chunks are helpful to learners to achieve their own choice of words (Skehan,1999). Pawley and Syder (1983) pointed out that many learners may have achieved native-like fluency, but not native-like selection, their choice of words is quite different

52、from native speakers except that their accents do not sound like native English speakers. Many lexical chunks are integrated with the thinking style and cultural connotation of the English speaking nation. They are fixed, conventional, and cannot be translated word by word with Chinese thinking, the

53、refore, mastering lexical chunks helps students speak authentic English.3.3 Enhancing Pragmatic Awareness and Improving Pragmatic AbilityIt is all known that foreign language teaching intends to train students skills of communication. Hymes(1972), Canale & Swain(1980) Canale(1983) have expounded the

54、 connotation of communicative competence in detail. There is one thing in common, that is, communicative competence includes pragmatic competence. Cultivating communicative competence means to let students know the way to generate grammatically sentences, as well as to make students learn to apply l

55、anguage appropriately. Nattinger and Deparricos research mentioned that the pragmatic function of chunks mainly involves three respects: “social interactions”, “essential theme”, and “discourse techniques”, each of which contains many specific functions. In social interaction, for example, lexical p

56、hrases are related to the pragmatic functions of greetings (How are you doing?), response (Yes, .), cutting into the topic (They further argue that.) and clarifying questions (I want to tell you that.), changing the subject (By the way, .), ending the session (Thats all about it.), etc. Ellis agrees

57、 that lexical phrases enable the spokesman to apply the proper words at the proper time and place (Ellis, 1999:85). That is to say, in communication, the speaker can choose corresponding chunk to express his intention appropriately, and make communication more in line with the pragmatic rules of lan

58、guage according to specific situation automatically. For example, when asking for permission, people usually use “Do you mind if I.?” In restaurants, waiters use the phrase “May l take your order?” When hearing someones bad news, “I am sorry to hear that.” is usually used. And “Thank you.” is used f

59、or compliments. The learning of lexical chunks can make learners more and more naturally link lexical chunks with their pragmatic functions, and focus on the restrictions of context on language application from the beginning, so as to enhance students pragmatic awareness and ensure the appropriateness of their foreign language communicat