The Importance of Morphological Awareness in Vocabulary Learning and Retention

Vocabulary is an essential component for communication. Language learners encounter vocabulary on a regular basis, and must be able to acquire and retain it. Furthermore, vocabulary functions as a cornerstone without which any language could not be existent. With respect to this fact, Wilkins (1972) expressed that while without grammar very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed. No linguist today would seriously take a stand against the fact that, quantitatively, vocabulary dominates in the language field and that vocabulary acquisition is the central obstacle to language acquisition (Ma, 2009). According to Nation (2001), vocabulary is an integral part of any language-teaching program and learning vocabulary is one of the most significant goals in the process of language learning. One potential of vocabulary learning strategy is the utilization of morphological awareness which refers to the potency to recognize and adjust the morphemic structure of words. Morphological awareness is clarified as the capability to utilize the knowledge of word formation instructions and the pairings between sounds and meanings (Kuo & Anderson, 2006). The pervasiveness of morphological composition in the lexicon of several languages suggests that language communities, that are responsible for creating a lexicon, think it is more helpful to have morphemes as the constituents of words than not to have them. A quantity of recently conducted research has dealt with lexical problems of language learners. Scholars have demonstrated that lexical problems frequently interfere with communication; in other words, communication breaks down when people do not utilize the right words. Therefore, there is an expanded interest in vocabulary as a component of every language.

Keywords:

Morphological Awareness , Vocabulary Learning , Vocabulary Retention