Vocabulary and English for Specific Purposes Research - Averil Coxhead 2018

Introduction
The role and value of word list research for ESP

This chapter focuses on the role and value of word list research for ESP, using examples from a range of corpus-based studies in professional and academic contexts from two perspectives. The first focuses on research into developing and validating word lists and discusses the variety of lexical items that might be considered for selection for word lists, as well as principles for selection. The second investigates the use of word lists for research into vocabulary in ESP, including tracking vocabulary change in a field over time, researching the size of technical vocabulary, and the assessment of lexical knowledge based on word lists. The chapter ends by considering missing elements in word list research in ESP (for more on ways to identify specialised vocabulary, see Chapter 2; multi-word unit lists, see Chapter 4; and specialised word lists, see Chapters 5 to 8).