摘要：AbstractThe crucial role of lexis in both first and second language acquisition has long been acknowledged by researchers. As Singleton (1999) aptly put it – “the major challenge of learning and using a language, whether as L1 or L2, lies not in the area of broad syntactic principles but in the ‘nitty-gritty’ of the lexicon”. With regards to the general discussions in L2 acquisition research, one glaring issue has always been whether explicit attention to vocabulary is absolutely necessary in vocabulary learning (Hunt and Beglar, 2005; Laufer, 2005a; Hulstijn, 2001; Huckin and Coady, 1999). Various studies have come up with opposing conclusions and the consensus appears to be a compromise between the incidental and the intentional, summarised fittingly by Nation (2005) in his assertion that every course should involve some deliberate attention to vocabulary. The present paper will focus on surveying and comparing the various strands of research dedicated to intentional and incidental vocabulary learning, as well as delve deeper into relevant vocabulary acquisition issues. It is hoped that the observations in this paper will constitute a body of essential empirical evidence together with theoretical insights into the vital areas of vocabulary research.
关键词：lexis/vocabulary;L2/second language acquisition;explicit/implicit vocabulary learning
