Procedural vocabulary as a device to organize meaning and discourse

Abstract

Abstract Procedural vocabulary has been defined as a type of core vocabulary with low lexicality and high indexicality (Widdowson 1983 1984; Robinson 1989 1992). This paper analyzes the linguistic notion of procedural vocabulary and proposes that several vocabulary concepts described by different authors (e.g. Vocabulary 3, Anaphoric nouns) are part of this type of vocabulary. The paper also discusses the role of procedural vocabulary in discourse and suggests that the concepts of schema and procedure are relevant for the description of this type of vocabulary and its categorization into two types: procedural defining vocabulary and procedural organizing vocabulary. Procedural defining vocabulary is used for negotiating meaning and for defining concepts related to a particular content schema. Procedural organizing vocabulary is concerned with the actualization of formal schemata and contributes to organizing the development of the discourse.