Vocabulary contributes to meaningful communication, and forms the premise to assess its impact in English as Second Language (ESL) situations. It has become sine qua non for people to develop the linguistic competence of English to succeed at every level, and acquire a certain level of proficiency in the skills of language, both major and ancillary. The major skills of language - Speaking, Reading, Writing, Listening- cannot be operational without vocabulary and grammar. The second language research identifies the need for vocabulary at all levels of education as at least 2000 words are essential to carry on a simple conversation, and 10000-word families are required for academic success. However, in its spoken form, intelligibility of speech demands the speakers’ ability to use words either in isolation, or in combination, with right pronunciation. In the ESL situation, this feature of vocabulary does not receive emphasis, thereby affecting the pronunciation. In addition, pronunciation - of both words and sentences - in the second language contexts is affected by the mother tongue interference, and needs to be addressed in the curriculum. This paper aims at exploring the pronunciation aspect of vocabulary, with respect to Indian/Telugu speakers, and its pedagogical implications to enable the learners use the target language intelligibly.
Dr. K. Manjula (Wed,) studied this question.