摘要
The teaching of vocabulary, the basic unit of language studies, is not an easy task; it requires an understanding of linguistic theory, both micro and macro linguistics. This article is an attempt to explore the theoretical basis behind vocabulary teaching through pictures and discusses the position of linguistic theory in language teaching. While vocabulary has been considered as one aspect of language and it is basic to language study, the teaching of vocabulary includes some of the following characteristics. They are, among other things, sound production, spelling, grammar, classes, and semantics. The discussion is limited to the semantic aspect of vocabulary, especially the theory of semantics the teacher relies on. Within the study of meaning, a great many theories are recognized; these include Triangle-Semantics Theory, Componential Analysis Theory, and Theory of Language Use, e.g., Speech Acts, Sociolinguistics, Pragmatics, and Psycholinguistics. The focus in this-article, however, is on the Triangle-Semantics Theory. This article is supported with some sense data gained from teachers of English. The information is gathered by means of interview and observation in the classroom. Data analysis and interpretation of findings indicate that most teachers do not realize that they are relying on semantic theory when teaching vocabulary, the Triangle-Semantics Theory.
