The Lexical Approach .

Is a method of teaching foreign language described by Michael Lewis in the 1990s.

The basic concept on which this approach rests is the idea that an important part of learning a language consists of being able to understand and produce lexical phrases as chunks.

In the lexical approach, instruction focuses on fixed expressions that occur frequently in dialogues, which Lewis claims make up a larger part of discourse than unique phrases and sentences. Vocabulary is prized over grammar per se in this approach. 

Nature of the lexis:

There is a distinction between vocabulary, traditionally thought to be constituted of single items, and lexis, which includes not only the single words but also the word combinations that we store in our mental lexicons. Lexical approach advocates argue that language consists of meaningful chunks that, when combined, produce continuous coherent text, and only a minority of spoken sentences are entirely novel creations. Michael Lewis presents this taxonomy of Lexical items:

• words (e.g., book, pen)
• polywords (e.g., by the way, upside down)
• collocations, or word partnerships (e.g., community service, absolutely convinced)
• institutionalized utterances (e.g., I’ll get it; We’ll see; That’ll do; If I were you . . .; Would you like a cup of coffee?)
• sentence frames and heads (e.g., That is not as . . . as you think; The fact/suggestion/problem/danger was . . .) and even text frames (e.g., In this paper we explore . . .; Firstly . . .; Secondly . . .; Finally . . .)

The Lexical Approach pays attention not only to single words but more importantly to collocations and institutionalized utterances and sentence frames. Michael Lewis states that.

Collocations:

A collocation is the readily observable phenomenon whereby certain words co-occur in natural text with greater than random frequency and is not determined by logic or frequency, but is arbitrary, decided only by linguistic convention. Some collocations are fully fixed, such as:

• to catch a cold
• rancid butter
• drug addict

Other Collocations are more or less fixed and can be completed in a relatively small number of ways, as in the following examples:

• blood / close / distant / near(est) relative
• learn by doing / by heart / by observation / by rote / from experience
• badly / bitterly / deeply / seriously / severely hurt

  
  Key principles:

•  Language consists of grammaticalised lexis, not lexicalised grammar.

•  The grammar/vocabulary dichotomy is invalid; much language consists of multi-words 'chunks'.

• A central element of language teaching is raising students' awareness of, and developing their ability to 'chunk' language successfully.

• Although structural patterns are known as useful, lexical and metaphorical patterning are accorded appropriate status.

• The central metaphor of language is holistic - an organism; not atomistic - a machine.

• It is the co-textual rather than the situational element of context which are of primary importance for language teaching.

•  Collocation is integrated as an organising principle within syllabuses.

• Grammar as a receptive skill, involving the perception of similarity and difference, is prioritised.

• Receptive skills, particularly listening, are given enhanced status.

• The Present-Practice-Produce paradigm is rejected, in favour of a paradigm based on the Observe-Hypothesise-Experiment cycle.