What is lexical competence?

Lexical competence is the ability to recognize and use words in a language in the way that speakers of the language use them. Lexical competence includes understanding the different relationships among families of words and the common collocations of words.

Learners learning English need to be able to recognize the concept of chair and what makes it different from a stool, a sofa, or a bench. They also need to know that a chair is a piece of furniture, and that there are various kinds of chairs, including easy chairs, deck chairs, office chairs, rocking chairs and so on. They also need to understand how chair is now used in an extended sense for what used to be termed a chairman, especially when referring to a woman, as in Julie Wright is the chair of the committee.

• Concept module: lexical competence
• In overview module: Linguistic aspects of communicative competence
• In overview module: Aspects of communicative competence
• In overview module: Introduction to guidelines for a language and cult...
• In modular book: Guidelines for a Language and Culture Learning Program, by Carol J. Orwig
• In document collection: Other Resources
• In bookshelf: Language Learning

This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library, Version 3.5, published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 1999. [Ordering information.]

Page content last modified: 15 September 1998

© 1999 SIL International