Since the beginning of the blind English learning, English learning process is short of favorable materials and environment, but now a considerable amount of researches concerning the English vocabulary have been done. A large amount of researches about vocabulary have been done to identify the various strategies used by different groups. However, little research has been done to study the vocabulary learning strategies, especially when Chinese students are confronted with many problems in learning and memorizing vocabulary. For example, English-majored students are asked to pass TEM-4, that is to say, they must master at least 13,000—16,000 words before they graduate. But when they are enrolled in universities, they may only master about 3000 words, which gives them more pressure to memorize vocabulary in Chinese context. Chinese students may not have clear and systematic plan on how to memorize English vocabulary. Therefore, this paper makes an analysis of vocabulary learning and memorizing methods in the Chinese context, and then offers some suggestions for improving English vocabulary memorization. In a word, this paper aims at finding a way to solve 源Z自+吹冰=文-论(文+网[www.chuibin.com English learners’ problems like how to use proper strategies to enlarge vocabulary and then master it liberally.

II. On Vocabulary Learning Methods

The definition of vocabulary learning methods derives from language learning methods. Schmit adopted Rubin’s definition of learning as “the process by which information is obtained, stored, retrieved, and used and extended to vocabulary learning strategies in the following way”.(49) There is a much more comprehensive and clearer definition of vocabulary learning methods: knowledge about the mechanisms (processes, strategies) used to learn vocabulary as well as steps or actions taken by learners (a) to retain them in long-term memory, (b) to find out the meaning of unknown words, (c) to recall them at will, and (d) to use them in oral or written mode.(Catalan 72) It can be inferred that vocabulary learning methods concern approaches of discovery, techniques, production and consolidation of words. This definition is also suitable for vocabulary memorizing methods to some degree, which can retain the meaning and usage of vocabularies, recall them at will and using them correctly.

Learning vocabularies means students are supposed to understand the words both in written and spoken form, know its meaning, know its positive and negative association, know its culture and origin, pronounce it correctly, recall it when needed, and use it in appropriate grammatical form. In this way, it seems that vocabulary learning is a comprehensive studying process. As for memorizing vocabularies, it emphasizes that students should remember the meaning, pronunciation and usage of a word in long or short time memory, and then can recall what he or she remember. After comparison, people can know vocabulary memorization is a purposeful learning process. In another words, vocabulary memorizing is one of the procedures of vocabulary learning, which gives people a possibility to apply the learning strategies to memorizing vocabulary.