| Language is made up of phonetics, grammar and vocabulary. We all agree that language system and grammar will never exist without vocabulary. And the range of vocabulary directly affects learners' skills, such as listening, speaking, reading, writing and translation. The indisputable fact is that our Chinese English learners have a relatively poor vocabulary size (Zheng Shutang, 1996). Vocabulary learning has always been the most tricky matter, and also is one of the most cared problems for second language learners. Many mistakes in students' reading comprehension, listening, translation and writing can be found, which, as we all know, are due to their poor lexical competence.The present research is truly practical on lexical competence of senior high school English learners. In order to get the data of learners' lexical competence, the author has tried to detail and quantify the items of lexical competence and design a questionnaire for high school learners' lexical competence in the light of the relevant lexical theory and the learners' actual conditions. By this investigation, the author has tried to solve some problems, such as the conditions of high school learners' lexical competence, its features, the insufficiency and the relationship between vocabulary range, lexical competence and language ability. In the investigation, 319 high school learners have joined in, and the results are as follows:1. In general, high school learners' lexical competence is at medium-sized stage;2. Their lexical competence is positively relevant to their language ability;3. There exists an obvious difference between boy learners and girl learners. That is to say, girl learners have a relatively high lexical competence and vocabulary range;4. There is also an obvious difference between arts learners and science learners. The fact is that arts learners have a high lexical competence;5. Their lexical competence is mediumly interrelated with their vocabulary and test scores.Through the research, we think it is necessary and practicable to train high school learners' lexical competence and it will have an instructive meaning for high school English teaching. English teachers in high school should try every means to establish students' proper concept, enhance lexical competence consciousness. Meanwhile in and out of class, teachers should try to create a pleasant environment for high school learners, thus improving learners' lexical competence. Meanwhile learners will get pleasure and enjoyment from lexical learning. What's more, the author has a deeper thinking and discussion for the in-the-course problems and phenomenon. |
