A discussion on teaching and learning vocabulary1. IntroductionVocabulary has always been considered a key component of language teaching and learning in EFL contexts. However, compared to teaching grammar, teaching vocabulary seems to receive little attention and interest. It is only since the 1990s that increasing efforts have been made towards the study of vocabulary as an important element of effective communication in second language learning. Wilkins points out that “without grammar very little can be conveyed, but without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed” (1972, p. 111, as cited in Milton, Wade, & Hopkins, 2010). In line with him, Ellis also emphasizes that foreign language vocabulary underlies other aspects of language learning such as grammar (as cited in Milton, Wade, & Hopkins, 2010). Meanwhile, as mentioned by Laufer (1998), the main difference in vocabulary learning between foreign language learners and native speakers lies in the progress of vocabulary size. While it is fair to say that words are the main units of vocabulary, Carter (1987) argues that a set of words does not constitute the entire vocabulary story of a language. Therefore, several attempts have been made to explore the process of vocabulary learning, including the notion of conceptualization which Carter defines as the creation of new concepts based on already existing concepts and words. Furthermore, Cruse (2000) believes that the most effective way to understand meaning is to maintain the idea that meaning is conceptual in nature. Therefore, after a brief description on the importance and current situation of vocabulary teaching and learning, this article aims to have a better understanding of language processing by exploring three key terms (c...... half of the document .......255Milton, J., Wade, J., & Hopkins, N. (2010). Aural word recognition and oral proficiency in English as a foreign language. In R. Chacon-Beltran, C. Abello-Contesse and MM Torreblanca-Lopez (eds.), Insights into teaching and learning non-native vocabulary (pp. 83-98) GBR: Multilingual Matters.Nation, P. (2001). another language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Pavičic, V. (2008). Schneider, S. (2011). Kozulin, A. (1986).Thinking and language.Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press.Williams, M., & Burden, R.L. (1997). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.