摘 要

词汇是掌握一门语言的基础。近年来国外二语习得研究者普遍认为，当二语学习者具备了一定的词汇量，即词汇量达到3000-5000后，词汇将主要依靠阅读附带习得。但目前我国英语学习者学习单词的方式主要仍是直接学习，学生普遍存在词汇量不足,词汇使用不当等问题,学生的英语听说读写及综合能力也不能提高。因此本研究以南京林业大学四年级英语专业学生为研究对象，通过研究阅读对我国英语专业学生附带习得词汇的影响，去发现通过增加阅读输入量我国英语学习者也能有效的习得词汇。论文以两份测试，一份问卷调查的形式调查英语专业学生在阅读过程中附带习得词汇的情况，之后将测试结果和问卷调查进行整理分析。最终，从测试结果和分析中得出了阅读是有效地促进词汇习得的重要方法，良好的阅读习惯对学好英语至关重要。

关键词：阅读输入; 词汇附带习得; 有效性; 学习与习得

Contents

1. Introduction 1

1.1 Importance of Vocabulary Learning 1

1.2 Theoretical Significance of the Research 1

2. Review of Literature 2

2.1 Definition of Incidental Vocabulary Acquisition 2

2.2 Researches on the Effectiveness of Reading in Vocabulary Acquisition 3

3. Methodology 5

3.1 Hypothesis 5

3.2 Subjects 5

3.3 Instruments 5

3.4 Procedures 5

4. Discussion 6

4.1 Data Analysis ( appendix 1,2,3 ) 6

4.3 Results and Discussion 6

4.3.1 Intensive Learning – A Main Method to Learn Words 7

4.3.2 Extensive Reading– An Essential Means to Acquire Vocabulary 8

4.3.3 Causes of Lacking of Reading to Acquire Vocabulary 8

4.3.4 Significance and Feasibility of Increasing Reading to English Majors .9

5. Conclusion ………10

5.1 Major Findings……………………………………………………………...10

5.2 Suggestion ………………………………………………………………….10

5.3 Limitation…………………………………………………………………...10

Works Cited 12

Bibliography 13

Appendix 1 15

Appendix 2 16

Appendix 3 18

An empirical study on the effectiveness of reading on incidental vocabulary acquisition among English majors

1. Introduction
   1. Importance of Vocabulary Learning

Vocabulary is the basis of Language. As Wilkins (1974) puts forward that without grammar very little can be conveyed, but without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed. Furthermore, vocabulary acquisition is essential for the learning of foreign language (Laufer, 1986; Nation, 1990) because it has an effect on learners' grammar competence, communication, and perceptions about the relative importance of vocabulary (Barcroft, 2004).  What’s more, external second language acquisition researchers generally think that when second language learners have a vocabulary size of 3,000 to 5,000 , then they will acquire vocabulary mainly from reading. Therefore, plenty of studies have been done on second language vocabulary acquisition.

1.2 Theoretical Significance of the Research

Many studies on SL vocabulary learning have been done by domestic Scholars. But they mainly focuses on the following questions: Can Chinese English learners acquire word knowledge by the Free Reading Method? Can they acquire word knowledge by the Intensive Learning Method as well? And which method can help learners achieve word knowledge better? There is few researches concentrating on the necessity of acquiring vocabulary through reading at home.

So this research will not only analyze different methods of vocabulary learning, but also give a more detailed description of the influence of reading on second language vocabulary acquisition. It can provide a better explanation for the necessity of reading on incidental vocabulary acquisition. In addition, empirical researches in this field are very few in China, so it can become a reference for the Chinese researchers to do further studies.

2. Review of Literature

2.1 Definition of Incidental Vocabulary Acquisition

The fact that incidental acquisition occurs in language learning is generally acknowledged by researchers. "Most scholars agree that except for the first few thousand most common words, L2 vocabulary is predominately incidental." (Huckin and Coady, 1999) Furthermore, researchers generally hold the view that when L2 learners have a vocabulary size of 3,000 to 5,000, then they will acquire words mainly from reading.Then what is incidental vocabulary acquisition? Krashen(1985) put forward the Input Hypothesis, but he didn't give the definition of incidental vocabulary acquisition. Later, the concept of incidental vocabulary acquisition was proposed by Nagy, Herman and Anderson( 1987) on the basis of studying how children learn their native language. They believe that incidental learning from context accounts for a substantial proportion in promoting students' vocabulary growth.

Krashen (1989) argues that language learners could acquire vocabulary and spelling most efficiently by receiving comprehensible input while reading. Schmidt (1994) suggests that the vocabulary acquisition refers to the learner's primary objective is to do something else such as communicating instead of having a plan to learn words. Nation (1998) points out that incidental vocabulary acquisition means learners could acquire vocabulary in the process of concentrating on other things, especially information carried on by the language, and not to learn vocabulary technically. Joe (1998) also mentions that incidental vocabulary acquisition indicates that learners paid their attention to the understanding of the context, not the vocabulary. And it is very effective to acquire vocabulary in context.

Paribakht and Wesche (1999) regard incidental vocabulary acquisition as the learning process occurs when learners try to comprehend the new words they have heard or read in context. Laufer and Hill (2000) define it as the by-product of other activities, such as reading or listening without the learner's conscious objective to learn the words. In other words, the students are not trying to learn the vocabulary on purpose but their mind is called to the vocabulary they do not know.