A Review on the Role of Morphological Awareness in Vocabulary Learning and Retention

According to Nation (2001), vocabulary is a key part of any language-teaching program and vocabulary learning is one of the goals of significance in the language learning. YongqiGu (2003) pointed out that vocabulary acquisition is definitely a learner-centered activity with the effectiveness of the learner’s strategies depending on his/her viewpoint and motivation towards new vocabulary acquisition. One potential vocabulary learning strategy is the utilization of morphological awareness which refers to the capability to recognize and adjust the morphemic structure of words. An awareness of morphology commences in early childhood through adolescence. Two main aspects of morphological awareness are: analytical and syntactic word formation. Morphologically complex words are generated by affixing inflectional or derivational forms to base forms. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to present the significance of morphological awareness that can be implemented as a strategy to improve the process of vocabulary learning and retention in language classroom

Keywords:

Morphological awareness , vocabulary learning strategies , vocabulary learning andretention