Chapter one points out the importance of vocabulary acquisition in second language teaching and learning. It introduces the topic of incidental vocabulary acquisition in the second language research field and compares intentional acquisition and incidental acquisition and puts forward that incidental acquisition is indispensable in the accumulation of words of second language. In chapter two, some major terms of second language words are defined and expounded, in which the definition of word is given and discussed. The meaning of vocabulary acquisition is also illustrated in comparison with intentional learning and incidental acquisition. The measurement of words is explained, in which word richness is very fundamental in measuring of words. In this chapter the status of vocabulary learning in second language learning is also fully illustrated. In the last part of this chapter, some fundamental theories of incidental vocabulary are discussed and several experts’ interpretations of incidental vocabulary acquisition are also presented. In chapter three, related theories of vocabulary acquisition are reviewed. What are included in vocabulary knowledge during vocabulary learning? And how to interpret vocabulary learning? Some vocabulary learning strategies are demonstrated which can facilitate vocabulary acquisition. Then some fundamental supporting theories are illustrated, such as: behavioral learning theory, cognitive learning theory, constructivist learning theory, hierarchy theory. These theories support the occurrence of incidental acquisition of words while studying. In the last part of this chapter, some influencing factors of incidental vocabulary acquisition are discussed. There are both external factors and internal factors which influence acquisition of words. Some scholars also suggest that textual factor (target word recurrence rate, the theme of the discourse) and learner factor (learner’s vocabulary knowledge, reading ability) determine the effect of incidental vocabulary acquisition. Chapter four discusses the aspects of vocabulary acquisition, in which acquisition of word forms, meaning, collocation and chunks is illustrated. Chapter five illustrates the researches of incidental acquisition in different learning activities: listening, reading, spoken and writing. Lots of scholars study the incidental vocabulary acquisition in different learning situations and they found that incidental vocabulary acquisition plays an important role in acquiring new words of a language. In the last chapter, chapter six, the author reported an independent research concerning the incidental vocabulary acquisition in the field of second language teaching and learning, and found out that various means of facilitating incidental vocabulary acquisition, hence contributing implications for the teaching and learning of vocabulary. 

This book endeavors to synthesize various aspects of vocabulary acqusisition, especially incidental vocabulary acquisition, including the relevant theories and previous literature reviews concerning vocabulary acquisition and helps better understand the topic of vocabulary acquisition. This research offers some implications for second language vocabulary teaching and learning. For future studies, more refined and well-designed triangulated researches are still needed to facilitate incidental vocabulary acquisition.

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