Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Volume.7 Number.4 December, 2016 Pp. 13-20
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol7no4.2
Teaching Collocations in EFL Classroom
Nasrin S. Altuwairesh
Department of English Language and Translation
College of Languages and Translation
King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Abstract:
The last two decades have witnessed a growing interest in vocabulary items consisting of more than a single word in the field of English language teaching (ELT) (Nation & Meara, 2002, p. 36; Schmitt, 2000, p. 96). Researchers in the area came to notice that language is produced by native speakers as 'chunks' rather than single words (Schmitt, 2000, p. 42; Read, 2000, p.20). This entails that if language instructors wish English as a foreign language (EFL) learners to attain native-like proficiency, they should be trained on the use of chunks of language and equipped with a large number of them. Such multiple-word items, Schmitt (2000) explains, constitute a rather high percentage of the English language and are drawing more attention. Thus, these chunks of language are worth spending time on in any language course. The purpose of the following paper is two-fold: on the one hand, the researcher intends to get ELT instructors aware of the concept of collocations and its significance, for those who are not already aware of this aspect of language. On the other hand, the researcher aims at suggesting ways to help learners develop collocational knowledge.
Keywords: collocations, formulaic language, language chunks, multiple-word items, vocabulary
Cite as: Altuwairesh, N. S. (2016). Teaching Collocations in EFL Classroom. Arab World English Journal, 7(4). DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol7no4.2