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 LEXICAL GOALS & TOPICAL KNOWLEDGE.
Our initial inclination for specifying lexical knowledge at the intermediate
stage was simply to double the number of words suggested for the elementary
stage. This was based on a perception that after the basic grammar is "in
place", the principal problem facing the learner is vocabulary building. As we
talked with colleagues, however, it became apparent that the requirement that
all of the "old" vocabulary be kept active and that both the old and the new
vocabulary be integrated across a wider range of functions and verb forms,
made it more likely that, in fact, fewer new vocabulary items might be added at
this stage.
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Productive: approx. 1350 words
Receptive: approx. 1800 words
Both of these totals reflect total lexical knowledge, not knowledge new to
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the intermediate stage. Again, these totals represents statements subject to
empirical confirmation; we expect there to be a wide variety of experience.
As with functional knowledge, the topical knowledge of the elementary
stage should be recycled. Growth in topical knowledge will be apparent in two
ways: breadth of knowledge; and ability to talk about others, not just self.
Students should be encouraged to discuss a broader spectrum of, e.g.,
interests--hobbies, animals, sports, professions--and not simply their own.
As students move to the intermediate skill level, their utterances should
become recognizably more sentential and not simply unstructured lexical
strings. The ideal conversational format at this level is question-and-answer
because it requires only sentence-length utterances. Narration will, typically,
remain largely beyond the grasp of intermediate-level speakers.
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School-verbs of studying
Emotions !hfl> cthlbn> ljdjkty> gtxfkty> dtc=ksq> pfdbljdfnm...@
Film/Theater
Music
Art
New areas of topical knowledge, listed above, differ from the ones at the
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elementary stage in being more abstract or complex. While some of the topics
may be represented by one or two lexical items at the elementary stage, the
broader range of words needed to make the topical knowledge reasonably
useful probably will not be in place until the intermediate stage.
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