DEVELOPING LEXICAL AWARENESS THROUGH CORPUS ANALYSIS TOOLS

Abstract

Lexical awareness is an essential component of communicative competence, enabling learners to recognize, interpret, and use vocabulary appropriately in different linguistic and professional contexts. In English language teaching, vocabulary instruction has traditionally emphasized word meanings, translation, and memorization. However, effective language use requires a broader understanding of lexical relationships, collocations, semantic associations, grammatical patterns, and contextual variation. Corpus analysis tools provide opportunities to develop this understanding by enabling learners to investigate authentic language data and observe how words function in naturally occurring texts. This article examines the pedagogical potential of corpus analysis tools for developing lexical awareness in English language teaching. Particular attention is paid to concordancers, frequency lists, collocation analysis, keyword analysis, and data-driven learning. The article also discusses the relevance of corpus-based vocabulary instruction for English for Specific Purposes (ESP), particularly in information and communication technology (ICT) education. Practical classroom activities are proposed to demonstrate how corpus tools can support contextual vocabulary learning, collocational competence, learner autonomy, and analytical thinking. The article argues that the systematic integration of corpus analysis into language instruction can complement traditional vocabulary teaching by encouraging learners to explore authentic examples, formulate hypotheses, and develop a more comprehensive understanding of lexical use.