Incidental L2 Vocabulary Learning: An Impracticable Term?

The term 'incidental vocabulary learning' has become commonplace in second language (L2) acquisition research and in empirical research into second and foreign language pedagogy, often in contrast to 'intentional language learning.' The former term is associated with more natural language learning, whereas the latter is assumed to be typical of practices and behaviors within it. The authors argue that incidental vocabulary learning is an impracticable term for current empirical research into vocabulary development in L2 pedagogy and suggest that 'induced vocabulary salience' be used as an alternate term for discussing the incidental-intentional contrast. Adapted from the source document