Abstract:

Lexis, understood as a system of word units, represents one of the fundamental constituents of foreign language acquisition (FLA) and foreign language teaching (FLT). Although the coursebook remains the principal source of linguistic and lexical knowledge in the Slovak FLT classroom, the domestic pedagogical documentation sets education performance and content standards for the students to achieve at each CEF level of reference. Concerning the development of lexical competence, the State Educational Program for the English Language specifies the lists of recommended lexis categorized according to reference levels and school-leaving exam topics. However, our previous research indicates the existence of discrepancies between the reference levels of lexical units recommended in the national curriculum and reference levels assigned in the English Vocabulary Profile (EVP). The presented study aimed to analyze the state-recommended lexis for the reference levels A1 – B2 and identified to what extent the documents correspond with the international standards specified in the EVP. To attain the set objective, the study employed the EVP functionality of the lexical analyzer, Text Inspector, and the comparative tool Text Lex Compare provided by LexTutor.com. The research discusses the suitability of examined lexical units and aids foreign language teachers in adjusting and modifying the language instruction in the classrooms.

Keywords:

Lexis, State Education Program, English Vocabulary Profile, Text Inspector, comparative analysis.