The Connections between Spanish, Catalan, and English: The Teaching of Greco-Latin Prefixes and Suffixes in EFL through Educational Games

Abstract

[eng] Vocabulary development is thought to be one of the most essential aspects when learning a language. However, the current Spanish educational system seems to be more focused on the teaching of grammar than on the teaching of vocabulary. This is clearly reflected in the students’ language performance, which is proved to be one of the poorest across Europe. A possible measure aimed at helping EFL students increase their vocabulary would be the teaching of Greco-Latin prefixes and suffixes. Taking into account that in the Balearic Islands Spanish and Catalan are spoken, it is imperative to analyse the benefits that teaching this grammar strategy in these two languages would have for EFL learners. This paper reveals the lack of coordination that exists in the three language curricula of the Obligatory Secondary Education, which is mirrored in the lack of coordination among the departments of the IES Son Ferrer, a high school on the island of Mallorca in Spain. Teaching Greco-Latin prefixes and suffixes may draw a lukewarm response from students. For this reason, the best approach to the teaching of this grammar strategy is to introduce educational games in the classroom. The main aim of this paper, therefore, is to present a didactic proposal aimed at teaching Greco-Latin affixes to EFL students through educational games in order to increase their motivation and help them expand their vocabulary in a dynamic way.