The Role of Grammatical Knowledge in Word-Meaning Inferencing

The role of grammatical knowledge in word meaning inferencing has not received proper attention in L2 research. Addressing this issue, the present study provides some empirical data to examine the contribution of grammatical knowledge to getting the meaning of unknown words .In their daily life, L2 learners encounter lots of unfamiliar words which they have to guess their meanings. Therefore, students draw on various strategies to arrive at the right track. One of the most important assets the learners depend on is the knowledge of grammar. To this end, the researcher's aim is (a) to see if grammatical knowledge plays any significant role in word guessing and (b) to see to what extent grammar improves guessibility. For this purpose, twenty participants took part in this study. To evaluate their knowledge of grammar a test of TOEFL was given to them. Then a forty-five item test on vocabulary was administered to see how grammar knowledge can affect their ability in guessing. The findings indicate that grammar knowledge is a key factor in deciphering the meanings of unknown words. It is further shown that knowledge of grammar enhances the learners' guessing ability to a great extent. Therefore, an explicit instruction of grammatical structures in L2 contexts is recommended .

کلیدواژه ها:

grammatical knowledge ، explicit instruction ، guessibility ، inference