4。2 Language proficiency level and WDK ability 。。。。。12

4。3 The Attitude of L2 learners to the effect of WDK。。13

5 Conclusion。。。。。。。。13

5。1 The Relation between Word Derivational Knowledge and the Proficiency of Second Language Learning。。。。。。。。13

5。2 Limitations and suggestion。14

The Relation between Word Derivational Knowledge and the Proficiency of Second Language Learning

1。 Introduction

1。1 Current Situation Review 

With the globalization of the world, mastering a second language(English) is not only an embodiment of personal competence，but also a powerful weapon in the increasingly fierce social competition。 And the study of second language learning (SLL) has always been a hot topic in the both English-speaking countries and non-English-speaking countries。 论文网

Vocabulary, as the basic unit of language, plays a rather important role in the language system。 Actually the amount of vocabulary and the capacity of using these vocabularies have a direct impact on a learner's richness and accuracy in speaking and writing。 For many L2 learners, an inadequate supply of vocabulary has been perceived as the barrier of English learning。 Memorizing words is an arduous task for its high input but low output。 Thus study on the relation between vocabulary and second language learning has become more and more popular。

In the past few years, the research perspective of vocabulary has expanded from recognizing single language symbol (the width of the vocabulary) to analyzing the word structure (the depth of the vocabulary)。 Knowledge of derivational morphology is considered an important aspect of vocabulary knowledge both in L1 (mother tongue) and L2 (second or foreign language) English language learning (Leontjev， 2016)。 However, since the study of English lexicology start at a late stage at home (Qiao Xiangru, 2011), the researches on the relation between WDK and SLL not only are limited in number, but also exist some disadvantages in design and operation。文献综述

1。2 Introduction of Word and Word Derivational Knowledge

1。2。1 Words and Vocabulary

According to Oxford English Dictionary, word is a sound or letter or a group of sound or letters that expresses a particular meaning。 As for the nature of the word, J。M Anglin (1970) came up with four aspects in her book The Growth of Word Meaning: First, the word contains meaning, which can be identified in part with the features or criteria properties associated with it。 Next, words cohere in a system in which many features can be organized hierarchically or in theoretical nests。 Third, the meaning of a word is often derived from the contexts in which it occurs, and similarity of meaning among words relates to privileges of occurrence within the same context。 Finally, the word, as a social tool whose function is to communicate, is useless unless it means the same thing to different members of a linguistic community。

D。 A。 Wilkins (1972) said, without grammar, very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary, nothing can be conveyed。 A good vocabulary system is indeed an asset to a child; those who know more words are able to process various read text and are competent to engage in active conversation with people from different background and proficiency level (Anderson & Freebody, 1981)。 It’s not grammar but the vocabulary that restricts the improvement of English proficiency。 For L2 learners, grammar can be crammed in a short time; while the vocabulary accumulation is a long-term project。 

1。2。2Word Derivational Knowledge

Word Derivational Knowledge is an important part of vocabulary knowledge。 The term ‘derivation’ in linguistics is used in two different senses。 In one sense it indicates the historical or diachronic development of a word; in a second sense derivation indicates the formation of a word synchronically from a word which is said to ‘underlay it’ (R。 C。 Dearmond, 1969)。 Although the derivational vocabularies are enormous, the derivation rules are regular and obvious。 Thus mastering the derivation rules of English vocabulary can be a shortcut of learning second language。