The Learning of Vocabulary and the Usage of Portmanteaus by Jordanian EFL Students

Abstract

Vocabulary acquisition and portmanteau blending is most crucial plus a neglected aspect of the study in Jordan, moreover, the lexical knowledge lacks in explanation of blending of words and vocabulary acquisition among foreign language learners. This research is subjected to provide the theoretical and lexical knowledge of vocabulary acquisition strategies being employed by the students, portmanteau words and their lexical structures being preferred by the learners of English as a foreign language. To explore these aspects qualitative and quantitative approaches of description were taken into consideration within convenient sampling method. Results indicated the frequently preferred strategy of vocabulary acquisition is cognitive one and least frequent is metacognitive among EFL learner. Likewise, lexical structure of determinative and coordinative blend under fused blending of portmanteau words were revealed out. These findings advised that learners and teachers can make an approach to achieve the goals of language vocabulary and to make the language easily and rapidly comprehensible among the students. It is necessary to choose an appropriate method while learning to enhance the vocabulary acquisition and this is possible by the research over strategies being more preferred among students.