Szókincs

Szókincs is the Hungarian term for vocabulary. It refers to the set of words and related lexical items that a person knows and uses, or to the complete lexicon of a language. In linguistic and educational contexts, szókincs encompasses lemmas (core word meanings), word forms produced by inflection and derivation, and common collocations or phrases. It is often divided into receptive (passive) vocabulary, which is understood in listening or reading, and productive (active) vocabulary, which is used in speech and writing.

For an individual, szókincs varies with age, education, reading exposure, and language experience. Estimates of vocabulary size are typically given as the number of lemmas or word forms a person knows. Active vocabulary tends to be smaller than receptive vocabulary. In language learning, vocabulary knowledge is a major factor in communicative ability and reading comprehension, sometimes more directly tied to success than grammar alone.

At the level of a language, the szókincs comprises the language’s entire inventory of lexemes, including borrowings and neologisms, and changes over time with cultural and technological developments. Dictionaries and large corpora document a language’s szókincs and support lexicographic and linguistic research. High-frequency word lists are commonly used in teaching and assessment to prioritize vocabulary acquisition.

Assessment of szókincs can involve size estimation tests, receptive and productive tasks, and corpus-based analyses. Strategies to expand vocabulary typically include extensive reading and listening, deliberate vocabulary study, and spaced repetition, all aimed at increasing both depth and breadth of lexical knowledge.