VOCABULARY INPUT IN ESL TEXTBOOKS: A CORPUS-BASED ANALYSIS

Authors

  • Muthyala Udaya Department of ESL Studies, The English and Foreign Languages University, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46827/ejes.v8i6.4117

Keywords:

corpus, ESL, frequency, textbook, vocabulary, wordlist

Abstract

Although textbooks are a major source in language learning, few research studies explored to what extent vocabulary input in ESL textbooks supports English language learning. The present study compares the vocabulary input of two English textbooks prescribed for Indian university undergraduate students. A corpus is constructed using online software based on the words in the textbooks. Comparison of frequency against different corpora reveals the differences in the order of words. The results are discussed both from a quantitative and a qualitative perspective. The analysis reveals that many words in the textbooks occasionally occur in common everyday language use and vocabulary selection in these textbooks demonstrates great variation in the number and selection of vocabulary. Therefore, the study confirms that the communication needs of learners are afforded greater weight than frequency criteria.

 

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Author Biography

  • Muthyala Udaya, Department of ESL Studies, The English and Foreign Languages University, India
    Dr. Muthyala Udaya is an Assistant Professor in the Department of ESL Studies, School of ELE, The English and Foreign Languages University, India. Her research interests include Corpus and Language Teaching, Bilingualism, Second Language Acquisition, and Learning.

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Published

2022-01-14

Issue

Vol. 8 No. 6 (2021)

Section

Articles

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