Creating and Validating an Advanced Practical Word List

Abstract

This study aims to create and validate a list of highly practical words used in the daily lives of people living in an English-speaking environment. These words are known to most native speakers of English, but are unknown to most advanced non-native speakers. The resulting list will be of great value to advanced non-native users of English who may function well in their respective domains of work but encounter many embarrassments for not having the vocabulary for daily communications. Three contemporary dictionaries were used in the initial development of the Advanced Practical Word List (hereafter APWL). Seven native speakers were then asked to rate the usefulness of the initial word list. Sixty advanced non-native speakers and 40 native speakers of English were asked to identify the words that were known to them. Based on these criteria, 867 word families have been identified by all native speakers as of high practical value but were unknown to most of the advanced non-native speakers in this study. The APWL comprises words from a wide range of frequency levels, and includes both words that should have been known to the advanced learners, and those that are beyond their proficiency level. The APWL is divided into 25 categories, each representing a type of words useful in daily life scenarios. Additionally, the APWL is divided into two types of sublists, one based on the words' frequency levels and another based on the potential usefulness of the words. The APWL is an important aid for advanced learners in an English-speaking context. It helps them cope with words that are frequently used by native speakers in daily life. The APWL is also important, as it attempts to look for another type of vocabulary in addition to the four tiers of words identified by Nation (2001).