A Critical Review of the Terminology and Taxonomies Used in the Literature on Lexical Errors
María del Pilar Agustín Llach · Miscelánea A Journal of English and American Studies · 2005
This paper is a critical review of the terminology and the different taxonomies in the field of lexical errors. We intend to bring some order to the terminological and classificatory chaos in the field of lexical errors by analyzing, comparing, and systematizing the different terms and classifications. We will begin with a discussion of the role of vocabulary in communication, as an academic predictor, and of the severity of lexical errors as communication distractors. Then, we turn to the inconsistencies in terminology and typology of lexical errors in the literature on vocabulary acquisition and lexical errors. These inconsistencies in terminology and taxonomies are due to the lack of a common definition for the term “lexical error”. And furthermore, they are a cause of disorder and chaos in the field of vocabulary acquisition research and they have important academic and pedagogic consequences.