Learner-created lexical databases using web-based source material

Abstract

The use of authentic text has been argued to increase learner awareness of lexical form, function, and meaning (for example, Willis 1990; Johns 1994). The Web provides ready-made material and tools for both learner-centred reading and vocabulary tasks. This study reports on the results of a project in which Japanese university EFL students made use of the Web as a living corpus to investigate the specific contexts and collocative properties of lexis. Using an online database, students created a communal dictionary composed of lexis and example sentences culled from web sources, along with examples of their own devising. The language database was then used to facilitate peer teaching of lexis. Work produced indicates that learners paid attention to lexical form, function, and meaning when composing.