Wilkins also said: “provided one knows the appropriate vocabulary, communication in a foreign language may not be very difficult. Without vocabulary, however, it is next to impossible.” (Wilkins, 1978) Krashen clearly indicated “vocabulary is of prime concern in the second language settings because it plays a dominant role in classroom success.” (Krashen, 1989) In a word, Vocabulary is one of the most fundamental means for the language learning and also the preconditions of the language application. The more vocabulary one owns, the more easily it is possible for him to express better. The importance of vocabulary knowledge in learning a second language is nicely summed up by McCarthy (2001, p. 2).He concluded that vocabulary forms the biggest part of the meaning of any languages, and vocabulary is the biggest part of the meaning of any languages, and vocabulary is the biggest problem for most learners. 1.2.2 The purpose of the studyAlthough many studies have been conducted on VLS, few researches have been done to combine VLS with the Multi-media and Internet environment, which would possibly make learners’ vocabulary learning better. Furthermore, by reviewing the relevant studies abroad and at home, the researcher found that few studies are mainly concerned on the vocabulary learning strategies used by Non-English majors. The purpose of this study is to explore the overall pattern of VLS adopted by Non-English major in the Internet and Multi-media environment, to find out whether there exists different tendency among the facets of listening, speaking, reading and writing and lastly to conclude the main obstacles among these students during VLS in the Internet and Multi-media environment, so as ...
