1. IATEFL-H Conference Eger
The Lexical Approach and its classroom implications, or the sad story of the dead rabbit
IATEFL-H Conference Eger
October 2012
Judit Révész

2. Language as a huge substitution table…
Noun/
pronoun
auxiliary
verb
Relative pronoun
SHE
YOU I
Brad Pitt
Tom & Jerry
Cinderella WE
MAY
WILL
SHOULD
MUST
‘LL
SEE
KNOW DECIDE
SWIM
WHEN
WHAT
WHY
HOW
WHO HE
THEY
BILL
SUSAN
CAN GO
COOK
DO SING
HANG
Nonsense combinations like
How they should do, what they should go
Swim

3. I’LL SEE WHAT I CAN DO.

4. What is a collocation?
“Collocation is the readily observable phenomenon whereby certain words co-occur in natural text with greater than random frequency. Instead of words, we consciously try to think of collocations, and to present these in expressions. Rather than trying to break things into ever smaller pieces, there is a conscious effort to see things in larger, more holistic, ways.”
(Michael Lewis, (1997). Implementing the lexical approach: Putting theory into practice. Hove, England: Language Teaching Publications.)

5. Density of collocations 2
“Collocation is the readily observable phenomenon whereby certain words co-occur in natural text with greater than random frequency. Instead of words, we consciously try to think of collocations, and to present these in expressions. Rather than trying to break things into ever smaller pieces, there is a conscious effort to see things in larger, more holistic, ways.”
Intertwining collocations

6. 50-80% of text is made up of chunks!

7. The reason why you’re so fluent is that you have a great amount of overlearnt chunks
at your disposal!

8. Colligation
is the way a word regularly co-occurs with a (grammatical) pattern, the word and its grammatical environment. Each word has its own “grammar”.
OWN = SAJÁT
Hunglish:
*He’s only 19 but he drives an own car.
*She passed the driving test.”
*They suggested to go somewhere else.

9. Collocational competence
Is it just an issue for advanced learners?
*She listens the classical music.
*They go to home.
*He plays on the violin.
*My niece is one, she can go but she cannot speak.
*He very likes football.

10. Listen to the radio looks limited whereas listen to + object seems unlimited. Which one is more generative?

11. „Like slow-release aspirin, (chunks) surrender their internal structure slowly, over time”
(Scott Thornbury)
These chunks become the raw data by which learners perceive patterns of language traditionally thought of as grammar.
Only a minority of spoken sentences are entirely novel creations.

12. Implications for language teaching
Translation is out
Vocabulary lists with L1 equivalents are out
Value of learner creativity is questioned.
Huge amounts of authentic input
Awareness raising
Rote learning is back
Teacher as language model and input provider
Working/ Playing with language corpora e.g. BNC and concordances
Although collocations change very fast, they are controlled by the native speaker community. Learner creativity should start at the level of combining chunks.

13. Rote learning is back! Collocations memory, jigsaw Gapped reading
Correcting text
Reconstructing text to make it personally meaningful
Dictation – key words
Copying – off-the wall-dictation
Drills
Learning by heart, songs, poetry, tongue twisters, proverbs, etc.
Mini narratives – 5 nouns 5 verbs
Recording formats, 5-5-1, Lobster
Grouping collocations (have, put)

14. Retell your story in their words!
Re-telling
Retell the story in your own words! = Retell their story in your words.
Retell your story in their words!
Off the wall dictation

15. I have a close friend called Irene
I have a close friend called Irene. I’ve known her for about 15 years now. We met at work – she was a colleague of mine at the company where I used to work. We get on very well although we don’t have a lot in common – we have quite different interests. We don’t work together any more, and when I changed jobs we lost touch for a couple of years. But now we keep in touch regularly.
 (New English File Intermediate, OUP)

16. I have a close friend called Irene. I’ve known her 1……. 15 years now
I have a close friend called Irene. I’ve known her 1……. 15 years now. We met at 2…….– she was a colleague 3……. at the company where I used 4………. We get 5…………. although we don’t have a lot in 6…… – we have quite different 7……….. We don’t work together any 8………, and when I changed jobs we lost 9……… for a couple of years. But now we 10…….. in touch regularly.

17. TOUCH in the British National Corpus
I did not want to touch her.
staying in touch is essential.
I don't wanna lose touch with them now.
had been out of touch since the first report
Clare kept in touch with Annabel.
trying to get in touch?
a touch more deeply
He will touch everyone on the raw’
It was always touch and go
He has been in touch with Greenalls
when the South Africans touch down at Kingston Airport
Yes touch wood.
a touch of elegance.

18. Collocation domino/memory
TRAFFIC
CYCLE
PEDESTRIAN
RUSH
PARKING
JAM
LANE
AREA
HOUR
LOT

19. Storing/revising vocabulary
Catch the
Miss the
Get off the
Get on the
Take the
BUS

20. Storing/revising vocabulary
BUS
LANE
TIMETABLE
TERMINAL
ROUTE
PASS

21. CLEVER DISAPPOINTING IMPRESSIVE ENJOYABLE STUPID BRILLIANT DISASTROUS
VERY
ABSOLUTELY
CLEVER
DISAPPOINTING
IMPRESSIVE
ENJOYABLE
STUPID
BRILLIANT
DISASTROUS
SUPERB
HILARIOUS
IDIOTIC
CLEVER, 2. BRILLIANT, 3. DISASTROUS, 4. DISAPPOINTING, 5. IMPRESSIVE,
6. SUPERB, 7. HILARIOUS, 8. ENJOYABLE, 9. STUPID, 10. IDIOTIC

22. The sad story of the dead rabbit
The body work or car body but it also applies to the engine.
Mechanistic view of language.

23. The sad story of the dead rabbit
Taken apart, dissected and put together again?
What we can learn by dissecting the rabbit
What we cannot learn by dissecting the rabbit, movement, eating habits, mating behaviour, how it behaves in its natural environment. Imitate the rabbit!
Looking back, what concepts would you expect to see in the test?
Collocations being idiomatic, a selection of cartoons.

24. Catching the bus

25. Making friends

26. Fan club

27. Half brother

28. Toasting the bride

29. Don’t fabricate, imitate!
SUMMARY
Don’t fabricate, imitate!
Obsessive grammar syndrome or OGS

30. Thank you for your attention! Have a good day!