Vocabulary Bridge-building: A Book Review of Norbert Schmitt (2010), I. S. Paul Nation and Stuart Webb (2011), and Paul Meara and Imma Miralpeix (2016)

‘Vocabulary specialists in different fields do not talk to one another’ (Schmitt 2010, p. 42). As vocabulary researchers working in the areas of reading and vocabulary, frequency and incidental vocabulary acquisition, and phraseology, we aimed to bridge this gap by collaborating on the reviews for three books that offer timely contributions to the field of L2 vocabulary acquisition. By distilling and synthesizing a vast and complex body of research findings into readable and approachable volumes, these three books have become standard references for many L2 vocabulary researchers. Additionally, these contributions have the potential to assist with breaking new ground in L2 vocabulary research through the authors’ efforts at making the field more accessible. The first book (Schmitt, Researching Vocabulary: A Vocabulary Research Manual) focuses on providing guidance for conducting applied linguistics vocabulary research, which is beneficial for heightening awareness of vocabulary research, teaching, and assessment. The second book (Nation and Webb, Researching and Analyzing Vocabulary) provides direct implications for teaching and learning L2 vocabulary, with a focus on intentional learning, incidental learning, and the measurement of vocabulary knowledge. It is intended to guide junior researchers in critical analysis of published studies as well as intended methodologies of their own studies. The third book (Meara and Miralpeix, Tools for Researching Vocabulary), in contrast to the previous two, presents a set of computer programs that can aid, simplify, and quicken analysis and data collection for L2 vocabulary research.