Basic Verbs with Constructions as an Effective Primary English Learning Material

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This paper investigates the possibility of utilizing basic verbs with constructions to effectively learn English as a foreign language at the beginning stage. First, in order to find out the status of basic verbs in the existing teaching materials-3rd and 4th grade Korean elementary English textbooks and two types of ESL coursebooks-analyses were conducted. The result was that ① token frequency of all the verbs used and the distribution of sentence types were negatively skewed compared to actual tendencies, but ESL coursebooks seemed to get near the real appearance of verb use whereas Korean textbooks did not; and that ② the types of complement which the verbs took and the context where the verbs used were similar between the Korean textbooks and ESL coursebooks, but the way basic verbs were presented in ESL coursebooks was more intensive and gradual that of Korean textbooks.
Then, based on the idea that the form of a verb is correlated to the meaning of the verb and the structures in which the verb is realized, the role of basic verbs with constructions on English beginners in Korea was examined. Basic verbs are viewed as a facilitative input to start language learning and processing, and constructions are proper linguistic structures that include crucial features in language acquisition. Utilizing basic verbs with constructions will help the leaner adequately use their cognitive ability with the input that they take, ptoviding a powerful start to language learning.