Extensive Reading and Viewing for Vocabulary Growth: Corpus Insights

Abstract

This chapter is about the insights that can be gained from corpus linguistics regarding extensive reading (ER) and related pedagogical approaches to vocabulary acquisition, such as extensive viewing (EV). The aim is to communicate to teachers how corpus linguistics is of value in understanding the vocabulary learning potential of ER and EV and provide an overview of some methods that have been used to inform teachers’ decisions around what might (or might not) assist students’ vocabulary development. A selection of sample studies is discussed illustrating how corpus linguistics can inform curriculum decisions about ER for developing academic vocabulary and its potential to support the development of a vocabulary size adequate for the general demands of reading in a second language.