4.2 Analysis of the interview 10

4.3 Discussion of the classroom observation 11

5. Efficient Application of Context to English Vocabulary Teaching 12

5.1 Application of Linguistic Context to English Vocabulary Teaching 12

5.1.1 Application of Phonetic Context 12

5.1.2 Application of Lexical Context 12

5.1.3 Application of Grammatical Context 13

5.2 Application of Non-Linguistic Context to English Vocabulary Teaching 13

5.2.1 Application of Situational Context 13

5.2.2 Application of Cultural Context 14

6. Conclusion 15

References 16

Appendix 18

1. Introduction

1.1 Background of the study

Since the significance of learning English has being recognized gradually, English teaching is becoming more and more important. And as is well-known that vocabulary is the building blocks of a language, it’s obvious that it is impossible to communicate without vocabulary. Although teachers and students have a view on how important vocabulary is, the present situation of vocabulary learning and teaching is still unsatisfied. The vocabulary teaching method still at the stage where teachers explain words’ pronunciation, spelling and meaning to students, and then check students’ word memory by dictation while students memorize vocabulary mechanically.  

1.2 Significance of the study

Nowadays, most of the teachers have realized the importance of English vocabulary teaching, the problem now is that how to teach vocabulary appropriately, which is also the significance of this thesis. The aim of this thesis is to explore what kind of problems teachers and students in junior high school have when they deal with vocabularies. And the writer will discuss the advantages of context in teaching vocabulary and how to apply context in vocabulary teaching, hoping that it will help teachers figure out how to teach English vocabulary better and help students learn vocabulary better. 

1.3 Layout of the thesis

The thesis consists of five chapters.

In chapter one, the writer mainly talks about the background, research questions and significance of the study.

Chapter two consists of three parts. The first part presents the study of context at home and abroad. The second part mainly talks about vocabulary teaching. And the third part talks about the advantages of using context in English vocabulary teaching.

Chapter three consists of three parts. The first part is a questionnaire about the attitudes of students towards vocabulary learning and teaching. The second part is an interview of students and teachers about their attitudes and methods of vocabulary learning or teaching. And the third part is class observation, presenting some problems of English vocabulary teaching.

Chapter four discusses how to apply context to vocabulary teaching with respect to linguistic and non-linguistic context. And the last chapter makes a summary of this thesis and addresses its limitations.

2. Literature Review

2.1 Context in Language use

Context is a rich and elusive concept to define. Since the 1980s, context has been a common concern in many fields such as philosophy, psychology, literature and so on. Scholars have devoted themselves to investigating it especially in the field of linguistic investigation.

2.1.1 The Study of Context Theory

There are many concepts of context but it doesn’t have a specific definition and how it is defined never reaches a consistent viewpoint. The definition of context in language use varies according to different scholars. 语境在初中英语词汇教学中的应用(2):http://www.youerw.com/yingyu/lunwen_49300.html