Well, I enjoyed Clark's reading. I think he has made several important observations, especially one about the word sense natives develop over the years as they grow up. Clark mentioned that "While reading novels, I found the words used in novels are far closer to what we need to get acquainted with [in order to get] to the core of the language." He further stated that "Through reading novels, I could successfully be free of the burden to understand it perfectly." And then he inserted a paragraph about how many people learn English in a way that is different from the one he described. It would have been better had he supported his argument by elucidating on it a litte more.
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As I mulled over what he had written concerning the "word sense" or "word instinct," I began to wonder whether the native's word sense can be trusted all the time. From my experience with not a few American students as well as those Korean students who were either born in the States or moved there when they were really young, I can say that the word sense or instinct did not always work. Unless they study unfamiliar words by consulting a dictionary or asking those who know the meaning of those words, they are on a flimsy ground. Their understanding of the word is limited and fragmentary. They might not score high on their tests. They might misuse words in a daily conversation with a few opportunies in which they might be corrected. If not corrected, they are leaving behind them an impression that they are not learned people.
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Furthermore, I want to raise another question concerning consuling a dictionary. It is true that many natives don't consult a dictionary when they read novels. My question is, "Who are the many? Are they educated people or just the rank and file?" I've witnessed many educated native people consulting a dictionary when they run into an unfamiliar word. Of course, they guess and second guess the meaning of the word. But ultimately they look up a dictionary to get a sure meaning. Now one has to understand that these educated natives have a great language pool with which they can readily grasp the meaning. Yet, they go to the trouble to consult a dictionary to be exact and precise. They keep a good dictionary handy all the time.
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The last comment I want to make has something to do with reading novels. I try to read as many novels for adults as possible. I actually enjoy reading them. I also read novels for youth and children. Interestingly, I find myself pleasantly surprised by all the words that help me to comprehend the many layers of meanings these words have. Moreover, these novels provide me with words or phrases or even sentences I've been looking for many years to communicate myself more clearly. There is such an unspeakable joy.
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When I read novels either for adult reades or for youth readers, I sometimes read through them without consulting a dictionary at all. Other times, I look up an English English dictionary when I come across an unfamiliar word. The reason I am stating this is because the word sense or word instinct one develops by reading novels for adults can be very limited without reading novels for youth and children. Since novels for an adult audience do not contain many basic words one can use in a daily conversation, I don't think any beginner of a foregin language can readily develop a good and solid word sense. I am pretty sure Clark has a good command of the English language and has built up solid vocabulary. However, in order to develop a word sense, it might be more desirable for a language learner to begin with easy reading and then move on to a high level of reading, even when reading novels.
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On the whole, I agree with Clark. I just wanted to share my insights I've gleaned over the years of my study and experience. Please feel free to comment on my comments about Clark's talk. (CR)
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