METHODOLOGY OF DEVELOPING STUDENTS' LEXICAL COMPETENCE IN TEACHING ENGLISH BASED ON CORPUS LINGUISTICS

Abstract

This article explores the methodology of developing students’ lexical competence in teaching English based on corpus linguistics. Lexical competence is considered one of the core components of communicative competence, since effective language use depends not only on knowing separate words but also on understanding their frequency, collocational patterns, semantic shades, grammatical behavior and contextual appropriateness. The study emphasizes the pedagogical value of electronic corpora, concordance lines, frequency lists, collocation analysis and authentic language data in improving students’ ability to acquire, analyze and use vocabulary in meaningful communication. A corpus-based approach allows students to observe how English words function in real discourse, compare lexical units in different contexts and make evidence-based conclusions about word usage. In the context of pedagogical higher education, this approach is especially important because future English teachers must be able to select appropriate vocabulary, explain lexical differences, design corpus-based exercises and guide learners toward independent lexical inquiry. The article analyzes methodological principles, stages of implementation and expected learning outcomes of using corpus linguistics in vocabulary teaching. It is argued that corpus-based instruction strengthens students’ lexical awareness, autonomous learning skills, analytical thinking and professional readiness for English language teaching.