Author Description

The purpose of The Learner's Lexicon of North American English is to provide teachers and learners with a rough guide to the relative importance of the words of the English language for the learner. With an estimated lexicon of 500,000 words, the acquisition of the vocabulary of English is arguably the most daunting task facing the learner. Of course, one does not need to know the total lexicon of English, and it is quite possible to live comfortably in the English-speaking world with a vocabulary of only a few thousand words. However, for the learner it is important to spend one's energy on words that will be necessary and useful. For the teacher, this lexicon will be helpful for designing appropriate language materials and it can be a useful reference for checking on what lexical items have and have not been covered in a course.