The Relationship between Three Different Vocabulary Abilities

Abstract

The close relationship existing between the experience and the size of one's vocabulary is quite obvious. One's vocabulary in a specific field is usually a fairly reliable index of one's knowledge and acquaintance in the field. An analysis of the different group and individual tests, that are being used to test mental ability, reveals the importance of vocabulary ability as it is considered by those devising the various tests. ' * The pos sessor of a very limited vocabulary is by this fact alone limited in the extent to which he may profit by the experience of others, since such ex periences are, chiefly if not wholly, communicated in terms of words.1 The great number of studies bearing on vocabulary abilities are of many different types, involving such topics, as: (1) size of vocabulary; (2) words most commonly found in children's and adults' written vocabu lary; (3) word counts from printed matter; (4) the reliability and validity of vocabulary tests; (5) diagnostic and prognostic values of vocabulary tests ; and other topics varied in nature. The present study is an attempt to find the relationship existing between different vocabulary abilities. Sixty-six third-grade pupils were given three tests to find out the different vocabulary abilities. The first test was designed to test a student's ability in choosing words that rhymed. The subjects were given some key words, and then were set to the task of making or selecting words to rhyme with the key words. These key words were ball, bell, and fly. Two minutes were allowed for each word. The second vocabulary test was one of word building. In this test the letters a-e-o-b-m-l-t were used. The subjects were given, orally, the following instructions: Please write at the top of a blank sheet of paper the letters a-e-o-b-m-l-t (these letters were also written on a black board in the front of the room). Your task is to make as many words as you can out of these letters given you. You may use any of these letters ; but no letter can be used more than once in any one word. Do you now understand what you are to do ? The next test was a simple sentence vocabulary test, similar in nature to the Holley Sentence Vocabulary Scale, having the same directions but