Applying Categorization to EFL Vocabulary Teaching at Different Language Levels

Abstract

Categorization is an essential cognitive phenomenon for human beings, as it allows us to organize the information that we get from the world. For this reason, categorization constitutes a major topic in the branch of Cognitive Semantics. The current theories that explain categorization broke with the classical view of categorization, in which category membership was determined on the basis of fixed and necessary features. Due to many authors such as Eleanor Rosch, who have contributed to the break with the called classical view of categorization, it is now known about the existence of two different dimensions regarding categorization: (i) the vertical dimension, and (ii) the horizontal dimension. The vertical dimension has to do with categories belonging to other categories, it is, groups of categories that can be related to each other in terms of class-inclusion. On the other hand, the horizontal dimension has to do with categories at the same level of categorization, it is, categories that are considered the “same kind of thing”. Nowadays, most EFL teachers still focus only on grammar, instead of giving vocabulary its due importance. Having into account the categorization theories, some authors have executed some studies for the adaptation of categorization to Foreign Language Vocabulary Teaching (FLVT) (Boers & Lindstromberg, 2006; Zhang, 2017). In that way, the aim of this project is to apply the different theories of categorization to the design of vocabulary activities that could be adapted to different levels of language proficiency. To achieve this aim, music has been selected as the central complex cognitive domain and six categories of it have been chosen. In addition, a possible extension to some of the given activities is provided so as to fit other language levels. Therefore, this study contributes to the understanding of the categorization and the way it can be applied to EFL. The type of activities provided might be more effective for FLT as they enable the students to learn first the words that provide them with the maximum information with less cognitive effort and, to establish the conceptual relation between words that belong to different levels of conceptualization.