4 The Conquest of Vocabulary
All these will be grouped together as luxury proper. Let us remember that we are still working in classrooms in lands where the language taught is not that of the environment, for if it were,* we would have to make allowances for changes in our classification, agreeing for example to call political vocabulary a semi-luxury vocabulary. Our subdivision into semi-luxury and luxury-proper will govern our timetable for the conquest of vocabulary in the classroom (in lessons and in the materials offered). We first conquer the part of the language that would serve us best if we were to visit a country where it is used, and only then do we attempt the conquest of the luxury proper.** The means at our disposal include texts, pictures, transparencies (in isolation or in filmstrips), films, and radio and television programs. Where the language is not phonetic, the last wall charts contain luxury vocabulary words, mainly in order to give examples of the various spellings in that language. If these charts can be used for Visual Dictation, they will afford verbal situations after the vocabulary has been explained by one or other of the means available.
* For example, in the case of Immigrants’ Schools. ** If the purpose were to help people to acquire the language of a specialized field, naturally the language of that field would no longer be considered as luxury.
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