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Reflecting the Bases of Vocabulary Selection for Materials
Production: Towards Reforming Teacher-Education Agenda
Dr. Hamoud M. Kadha Dean of Faculty of Education-Zabid
Hodeidah University, Republic of Yemen Abstract
Students, when first confronted with studying a high level...
subject matter in their new language, are to be provided with a
backup of language assistance, so that they do not feel overwhelmed
and fall back on desperate dictionary searching and mental
translation into the first language. Such a traumatic experience
often hampers language learners considerably in their progress and
destroys their fragile enthusiasm for developing new skills of
natural expression in their new language. Such a backup, or
alternate vocabulary learning strategies, needs to be fostered
during students' initial encounter with the new target language.
Yet, commonsensical ELT knowledge and my experience in training
student-teachers over the last decade and a half compel me to posit
an assumption that teachers ( in school and college-level in Yemeni
context) are not trained adequately or given flexible and proper
ways whereby they could encourage their learners construct such a
backup. The present paper begins an exploration into the
problematized phenomenon- of teachers' vocabulary teaching
competence that would foster autonomous vocabulary learning skills
and looks into the rationalized bases for and/or reflected-upon
approaches to lexical selection for materials production . The
paper would develop the argument that the vocabulary control
movement in ELT has imposed a powerful and
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ideological stance ( reflected, in for example, in choosing
familiar lexical items) vis--vis vocabulary selection and
instruction ; it would posit that creating an awareness through the
reflection among, teachers (trainees or practitioners ) of their
activities before and during the actual instruction might offer a
way of supervening the inhibitive effects of such a stance.
Introduction
The most obvious point to make about this study is that there is
so little importance has been given to vocabulary in modern
language teaching. Both the structural model and the communicative
model, in their different ways, consistently underplay it. In the
recent years, however, research into vocabulary teaching/learning
has been clearly on the increase and its long neglected importance
being brought to our attention by the poineers in the field (for
example, Aebersold and Field , 1997; Carter, 1987; Gairns and
Redman, 1987 and Willis, 1981). Their studies along with
developments in pedagogical lexicography and coursebook design, has
continued to aid the teacher and learner in the work of improving
vocabulary teaching/learning in the classroom.
It is now accepted that it is difficult to have a tight lexical
control over the number of words to be taught, because the items
which can be singled out for teaching are an individual matter
between readers and texts. it is based on the linguistic level of
texts and students , as well as their interest and background
knowledge of the topic area. In any case, language preparation does
not mean that the teacher should explain every possible unknown
word in the text, but that he should ensure that the learners will
be able to deal with the text tasks without being totally
frustrated by language difficulties. As a guideline, Fry (1963)
suggests introducing only one new word in thirty-five words for
foreign/second language learners. In
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addition, the language preparation should be carried out by the
teacher as well as by the learners.
The introduction of newly selected words, however, should be
presented in texts, utterances or sentences. In particular, a good
retention of new words requires that the traces of meaningful
related words be connected in many different ways. Working with
texts can lead to a good retention of the new words, but certain
textual and psychological conditions should be met. With respect to
the textual conditions, it proves to be essential that not all the
new words a text contains are to be learned. A selection should be
made of words which occur in an appropriate context and which,
moreover, belong to the appropriate frequency range for the
learner. There are strong reasons to assume that semanticaly
related words are stored together in the mental lexicon. Several
studies have shown that the occurrence of a particular word tends
to bring into learners minds not only that word but also clusters
of other words closely related to it. This suggests that word
frequency and regency of use are the two most important factors
that affect the storage and retrieval of words in the learners
mental lexicon. Therefore, the teaching of vocabulary related to
concepts and semantic relationships will undoable make the task of
learning easier for the students. This means that at this point of
the activity, the learners have not only activated their productive
vocabulary knowledge but they have also reviewed some of the target
language vocabulary receptively or productively.
On the other hand, the psychological conditions concern the
actions on learning texts which may enhance retention of the
selected target words. A sequence of three actions proves to be
most effective, i.e. guessing the meaning of the unknown word from
the context and from word form clues, verifying this in a
dictionary. So , whether we use the oldest Structural
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Approach where words are presented in vocabulary lists or the
contemporary Communicative Approach which emphasizes language use,
it is necessary that the vocabulary selection for learning should
be based on psychological and didactic principles. Accordingly,
vocabulary should be acquired mainly through reading with certain
textual and psychological conditions.
Statement of the Problem
Knowledge of vocabulary is a prerequisite for understanding any
language text. In my experience as a teacher in school and college
for about 15 years, it has been found that most learners are very
concerned about the difficulty of learning and remembering new
words in English. This reflects a real problem which both learners
and teachers are constantly trying to solve. One important step
toward better vocabulary learning is to identify the
learner/learning strategies and teacher/teaching techniques for
good vocabulary acquisition , as it has been established that
successful language teachers and learners vary their teaching
techniques and learning strategies , evaluate their performance and
adapt their strategies accordingly.
Aims of the Research: The aims of the present research are of
twofold:
1- To develop teachers awareness and knowledge (in pre-service
and in-service) of relevant and recent approaches in ELT.
2- To develop teachers practical ability (trainees and
practitioners) with relation to the criteria of selection and
classroom techniques of teaching and learning vocabulary.
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Research Questions
The present research attempts to answer three open-ended
questions related to vocabulary teaching/learning:
1- What are the words to pre-teach? 2 - What are the reasons for
selection?
3- How are they taught?
Methodology To achieve the aims of this study and answer the
three questions
mentioned above, an extensive pilot study was undertaken at the
Faculty of Education Hodeidah and Zabid, Hodeidah University,
Republic of Yemen, where a number of a random set of
student-teachers (about 80 fourth year pre-service trainees)
alongside with their teachers (about 15 teachers holding MAs and
PhDs with several years of experience in language teaching)
specialized in English were given two prose texts of appropriate
length (from 600 words to 1100 words in length) drawn from
different disciplines on the basis of their presumed interest value
and readability. Both teachers and learners were informed that the
materials were intended to be presented to the students of second
year English majors in the College. Because, the choice of words to
be taught, the reasons for choosing them , and the techniques
employed would all depend greatly on the level of students at which
the texts were intended to be taught. Both teachers and
student-teachers were asked to answer the inquiry stated above in
order to ensure an equal share of responsibility and commitment.
The choice of texts was based on intuition and experience. The
fourth year students were used for conducting the work because, at
this stage, it is assumed that the student-teachers have reached
the necessary level of theoretical and practical experience in
teaching English after four
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years of study in the College of Education. In the context of
this research, the results were analysed using some descriptive
statistics and the data obtained from the analysis were considered
for their implications in the classroom.
Results and Analysis
In response to question 1, Table 1 shows that the number of
words selected for teaching - the text entitled "Doctor in the
House" (623 words in length , Appendix 1 ) ranged from 15- 50 words
by the teachers and ranged from 8-30 words by the students and for
the fable entitled The Crystal Ball (1069 words in length, Appendix
2), the words selected for teaching ranged from 10 -50 words by
teachers, and ranged from 10-40 by students. The dichtonomy between
teachers and students concerning the type and number of words
chosen for teaching might be due to the lack of enough experiences
on the part of student-teachers and consequently they overestimated
the level of the second year students whom the texts were supposed
to be presented while a more realistic estimate was probably
reflected in responses of teachers. However, samples of the
students and teachers' words selection are mentioned in Appendices
1 and 2. The students' choices are underlined while those of the
teachers are italized.
TABLE 1 NUMBER OF WORDS SELECTED
FOR TEACHING
Range of Number of Words Selected for Teaching Title of the
passage
Students Teachers
8-30 15-50 Doctor in the House 10-40 10-50 The Crystal Ball
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This means that there is no restrictive rule regarding the
number of words to be taught in a lesson or a lecture. The
selection of words, as mentioned earlier, depends on the difficulty
level of the text, usefulness and availability of lexical items and
the needs and interests of the learners. In other words, allow the
students more autonomy in lexical decision-making through
self-selection vocabulary approach. In this view, there is a need
for texts which are in use in real- life transactions. These can be
called authentic texts i.e texts which are not doctored or
simplified. In most cases, the topics of these texts are related to
the learners own world, culture, background and experience. Thus,
helping the learners use whatever communicative resources available
to them to make meaning. Moreover, the students can be asked to
recall or anticipate some words related to the topic with the help
of the title of the text. The idea is that the area or frame of
reference suggested by the title will constrain the number and the
kind of selection of likely words. This is likely to enable the
students to recognise and remember other words and concepts
associated with the subject area being read.
Having said that, pre-teaching is time-consuming; it will
sustain students interest and curiosity. Furthermore, in the Yemeni
context, where there are limited resources and exposure to the
language outside the classroom is not available, pre-teaching is an
effective way in tackling text vocabulary.
The analysis of the results given by teachers and
student-teachers of questions 2 and 3 is summarised in Table 2. The
responses provide some suggestions regarding the bases of selection
and the techniques of instruction. The similarity of some answers
shown in the table indicates that both students and teachers have
the same awareness in respect of the criteria for selection and the
use for instructional techniques. However, in some other aspects,
the table shows that the learners are more
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sophisticated in realizing the vocabulary teaching principles.
This might be due to the number of the sample of students involved
in the study is more than the teachers. Most important, the
students are expected to become qualified teachers as they study so
many courses related to teaching and education in the college,
whereas some of the teachers participated in the study did not have
necessary educational qualifications or formal training in teaching
the language . The analysis of the results, however, is by no means
exhaustive.
TABLE 2 REASONS FOR SELECTION AND
TEACHING TECHNIQUES
STUDENT TEACHERS RESPONSES TEACHERS RESPONSES Reasons for
Selection Teaching
Techniques Reasons for
Selection Teaching
Techniques -related to the text - unfamiliar words - important
archaic words - key words-familiar - difficult context -
self-selection voc - related to backg - related to context/
experience - theme main idea - compound words
- depend on the level of Ss - synonyms - visual aids - gestures
- translation - group work - miming - level-age - examples -
pictures - meaningful context - context - direct method - real
objects - guesting from context - elicitation - explanation -
antonyms - using title to check meaning - using Arabic - definition
- illustration - glossary - drawing - pronounce - dictionary -
words in sent
- target words - lexical field - content word - core meaning -
thematic reasons - difficult key words - message - awareness of
concepts - important significant - grouping words - general mood
acquainted with words - everyday com - high frequency - active
vocab - related voc expansion - necessary for com but not part of
active vocabulary
- meaningful context - examples on bb - eliciting - definition -
clues pictures - synonyms acting - illustration - mime-action -
explaining - translating meaningful sent - parts of speech - word
formation - connotation - guessing from cont. - examples - using
title - pictures - familiar real context - group work - pair work -
ss personal experience - dictionary - everyday situation
Note: The information in the table is not listed according to
priorities.
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The fact is that students cannot make any sense of texts, if
they are linguistically deficient. Without having sufficient
vocabulary knowledge, access to information will be vague and
uncertain. This implies that teachers need to prepare themselves to
help students develop their skills to deal with unknown words, and
also guide students to learn how to take responsibility for their
own vocabulary development.
It has become quite apparent that vocabulary and new words
should always be offered in context and not in isolation, or else
the rate of retention will be quite low. A context provides the
learner with cognitive and contextual clues as it relates situation
to word-recognition and meaning. When a text is read it is
therefore necessary to concentrate on all the words essential to
understand the text, and not on irrelevant, exceptional and minor
words. The teacher should encourage the learner to search for clues
and to try and come to a solution himself. Some words may initially
seem to be unknown, but with a little help, the learner-reader may
discover clues in the context or in the word itself, or in his own
knowledge that trigger off an answer or a step in the right
direction.
Therefore, the learners should be provided with practical
strategies of learning to help them deal with new vocabulary of
different texts properly if they are to become effective
independent learners. Within this context, the teachers have also
to reflect on, evaluate and improve their professional practice as
to become advanced skilled teachers.(Ray, 2008).
Table 2 also shows that teachers and students under
investigation have an eclectic approach to teaching vocabulary.
They do not subscribe to any one school of thought. At this point,
they need to be more critical of the assumptions about learning
that underline the techniques they choose to
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use. Therefore, trainers and trainees involved in this study,
need to make a close examination of techniques they use when
handling a text. Such an approach can enhance teachers and learners
understanding of useful and actual techniques and thus provide a
critical basis for selection or rejection.
In addition, it is clear from Table 2 that the responses to
questions 2 and 3 are interrelated. This raises the question, "Are
words selected for techniques or techniques selected for
words?"
It seems that it is not a matter of a choice but togetherness,
involving a conjoined activity, a balancing
act-encouraged/engendered through reflection on selection and
teaching. Teaching Implications
The theory is not questioned here, but its relevance to contexts
such as Yemen where teachers have to choose the most economical
means of enabling learners to learn English.
As we have aleady pointed out in the preceding paragraphs, there
are a number of variables to be taken into account in selecting the
most effective procedures for teaching and learning vocabulary in a
foreign language situation like Yemen. It is impossible to single
out any procedure for vocabulary teaching/learning which will be
optimal in all teaching situations. Some of the obvious factors
which will have to be considered are the motivation of the
learners; aspects of the actual teaching situations, such as the
characteristics of the teacher and his expertive skills, some
characteristics of the material to be learned and learner/learning
styles.
In this way, it is important to mention that the research
available so far has not indicated a clear cut superiority of one
approach over another. In other words, language teaching as Hubbard
et al (1988) points out, has always been subject to change, but the
process of change has not resulted from the steady accumulation of
knowledge about the most effective ways
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of teaching language. It has been the production of changing
fashion. This means that, though teachers have tended to leap from
one method to another as each new fashion turns up, they do not
seem to have become any wiser. For instance, if you ask this
question, "How many of you have learned with the Structural
Approach?" and see how proficient they are in the language and by
the same token, "How many of you have learned with the
Communicative Approach" and see how deficient they are in the
language ? In this view, the problem is not in the approach or
method that we use rather than in the circumstances which make
things learnable. So which should we adopt and which we reject? The
answer is simple: adopt those techniques which result in successful
learning: if they work, use them without any hesitation, bearing in
mind the following observations and recommendations:
Typical Vocabulary Teaching:
Most vocabulary teaching is not from context Haphazard selection
of materials Different vocabulary topic in each unit Too many words
at once Rare words are favoured over common words Focus on single
words not lexical chunks All students learn the same words word
teaching = definition and spelling Teachers translate meanings Low
recycling of vocabulary in coursebooks Low recycling of vocabulary
by teachers Teachers leave vocabulary learning to learners
Vocabulary learning strategies are rarely taught Vocabulary
learning techniques are rarely taught Vocabulary learning goals are
rarely set
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Dictionary skills are rarely taught Vocabulary notebooks are not
encouraged Words are kept in lists Vocabulary exercises test not
taught Teachers trust the coursebook to deal with vocabulary
When Selecting Vocabulary to Teach
Perform a needs analysis Teach students something they are going
to meet again soon Teach words found in a wide range of texts
(range)
before specialized vocabulary Teach words with a wide meaning
(coverage) Teach words that will be easy to learn building the
start-up vocabulary and empower the learner Teach
culture-specific vocabulary Teach the classroom vocabulary
Teach instructions vocabulary Teach the base meaning first Work
hard on common words with many meanings
The Most Important Things for Teachers Use a systematic approach
(set realistic goals) Select the vocabulary carefully Single words
as well as phrases and collocations Give students opportunities to
meet new words Focus on concept check understanding Recycle,
re-visit, review, recapitulate, reiterate,
reconsider, repeat, revise, re-examineetc. Plan the recycling of
repetition in various contexts Connect old learning to new learning
Give opportunities for incidental learning
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Give opportunities for developing fluency an automaticity Give
opportunities for guessing words from context Initial meetings are
followed by deep thinking processing Give opportunities for
elaborating word knowledge Let students experiment
(individual/pair/group work) Understand the vocabulary exercises in
your textbooks Teach students to use a dictionary properly Teach
students word learning strategies When Looking at Vocabulary
Activities Look for what the activity is trying to do Single words
or phrases Work with collocation Emphasise natural context Is the
meaning clear and unambiguous? Are the words too similar
(interference)? Are illustrations (e.g. pictures) clear and
unambiguous? Is the vocabulary relevant for the learners? Is the
exercise just a test? What new connections can learners make? Do
definitions fit smoothly into the context? Conclusion
In Conclusion, one would say that both students (in pre-service)
and teachers (in-service) should be made well aware of the effects
of the theoretical and practical principles underlying lexical
selection and instruction for materials production, and critical
awareness will in someway help provide better insights into this
area through the close analysis of the different features of
written texts. More importantly, in the era of a learner-centered
approach, teacher-education should include skills that aim to
develop the confidence , awareness, self-reliance and self-
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esteem of practicing teachers (teacher development) and the
learner has to take over part of the responsibility for what, why
and how he /she is learning (teacher training). In this educational
context, we may enable student-teachers and teacher-trainers to
develop skills, knowledge and understanding which will be
practical, relevant and applicable to their current role or career
aspiration.
References Aebersold, J. and Field, M. (1997). From Reader to
Reading Teacher
Cambridge: Cambridge University press Carter, R. (1987).
Vocabulary. London: Allen and Unwin. Fry, E. (1963). Teaching
Faster Reading: A Manual. Cambridge: Cambridge
Press. Gairns, R. and Redman, S. (1990) . Working with Words.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Hubbard, P. Jones, H. Thorunton, B and Wheeler, R. (1985). A
Training Course for TEFL . Oxford: Oxford University Press.
McEldowney, P. (1988). The Process of Communication: A Model for
Teachers. School of Education: University of Manchester.
Nuttal, C. (1987). Teaching Reading Skills in a Foreign Language
. London : Heinemann. Ray, H. (2008). "Defining and Achieving
Standards of Excellence in Higher
Education: A Paper Presented in the Higher Education Conference
in the Arab World: Past, Present and Future" . Qatar University:
Doha.
Sinclair, J. (1986). Collocation: A Progress Report. Birmingham
: University of Birmingham.
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Smith, F. (1990). Reading . Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press.
Statman, S. (1981). "The activation of semantic memory". ELT
Journal. Vol. 35, No. 3, 232-235.
Wallace, M. (1982). Teaching Vocabulary. London: Heinemann
Widdowson, H. (1978). Teaching Language as Communication .
Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Willis, D. (1990). The Lexical Syllabus. London: Collins
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Appendix 1
DOCTORS IN THE HOUSE
Society has changed and what expected of doctors has changed
with it. So said the General Medical Council in a far-reaching
report on what is expected of the training that equips doctors for
a medical career in the twenty-first century.
It is a viewpoint Richard Hobbs, head of the Department of
General Practice, not only endorses but has been involved in
implementing when similar establishments may have been more
cautious.
The GMC - the body responsible for standards at medical schools
identified in its 1980 report the need for student doctors to
acquire more than facts and a set of practical skills... important
though they are. It called on medical schools to rethink
fundamentally their teaching approach.In its 1991 report the GMC
declared that it was 'more convinced than ever' of the general
principles laid down ten years previously, said Professor Hobbs.
Tomorrow's medics, he believes have to be geared up now for a
changing world of health.
'The plan is to introduce a problem-solving approach and create
a lifelong desire for education and learning among doctors. Courses
were too demandingand students expected to digest too much
information. Some courses were so full they may have suffocated
students' ability to think critically,' said Professor Hobbs.
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Innovative changes, particulary in creating primary care
opportunities for students, have made Birmingham's Medical School a
poineer in teaching approach.
In a move that would have actors in Doctor in the House
spluttering into their kidney bowls, the school has pioneered
pre-clinical patient attachments.'In the first year students
"adopt" a family... it could be a conventional family, a single
parent or even alone elderly person. The common factor is that all
have a condition, say pregnancy or a long-term disability, which
affects them and those around them,' said Professor Hobbs.
Students see the patient in the community over twelve months. It
exposesthem to a range of experiences in learning how health
problems affect the patient, their careers and the health services.
It enables them to think about why a patient becomes ill; they have
to take into account non-medical factors such as unemployment,
housing, the environment, etc. There is more opportunity in primary
care to explore these issues.
The newly-qualified doctor is contending with a shifting
emphasis in medicine. With the introduction of National Health
Service hospitals, general practitioners getting real purchasing
power for patient services and health authorities negotiating
contracts on what and how much will be provided. 'We've been
looking at this for the past decade and our curriculum review
working party is continually evaluating the medical course and
finding ways of doing things better', said Professor Hobbs.
'There is still a tremendous amount of fact-giving in the course
but we also make more use of the skills students already have.
Students come to Birmingham articulate and with a range of
experiences which they bring to their course. It is important not
to delate them.'
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The next stage may bring even more emphasis on community-based
teaching, with support from specially trained general
practitioners. A pilot scheme will put some student medics on
attachment with a GP in year three as well as in the final year. If
it works well, all students will eventually participate in this
extra community teaching. Such innovations like this will make
Birmingham popular with potential students. The 160 places on offer
last year had more than 1,600 applicants.
In July 1992 the Government brought out its Health of Nation
White Paper,a document which sets targets for improvements with the
aim of a national health not sickness service. With it has evolved
pressures on all doctors to respond to a broader spectrum of
patient needs.
'We're the single medical school in the largest regional health
authority in the country--- around 10 percent of the population
live within our region,' said Professor Hobbs. 'Many hospitals
participate in teaching, so students see a range of patients. The
hospital teaching linked with their community experience should
offer students the best of both worlds.'
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Appendix 2
THE CRYSTAL BALL
There was once an enchantress, who had three sons who loved each
other as brothers, but the old woman did not trust them, and
thought they wanted to steal power from her. So she changed the
eldest into an eagle which was forced to dwell in the Rocky
Mountains and was often seen sweeping in great circles in the sky.
The second, she changed into a whale, which lived in the deep sea,
and all that was seen of it was that it sometimes spouted up a
great jet of water in the air. Each of them only bore his human
form for only two hours daily. The third son, who was afraid she
might change him into a raging wild beast a bear perhaps, or a
wolf, went secertly away. He had heard that a king's daughter who
was bewitched, was imprisoned in the Castle of the Golden Sun, and
was waiting for deliverance. Those , however, who tried to free her
risked their lives; three-and-twenty youths had already died a
miserable death, and now only one other might make the attempt ,
after which no more must come. And as his heart was without fear,
he caught at the idea of seeking out the Castle of the Golden Sun.
He had already travelled about for a long time without being able
to find it, when he came by chance into a great forest and did not
know the way out of it. All at once he saw in the distance two
giants, who made a sign to him with their hands , and when he came
to them they said, "We are quarrelling about a cap , and which of
us it is to belong to , and as we are equally strong, neither of us
can get the better of the other. The small men are cleverer than we
are, so we will leave the decision to thee." "How can you dispute
about an old cap?" said the youth. "Thou dost not know what
properties it has! It is a wishing-cap; whosoever puts it on, can
wish himself away wherever he likes,
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and in an istant he will be there". "Give me the cap," said the
youth, "I will go a short distance off and when I call you, you
must run a race, and the cap shall belong to the one who gets first
to me." He put it on and went away, and thought of the king's
daughter, forgot the giants and walked continually onward. At
length he sighed from the very bottom of his heart, and cried, "Ah,
if I were but at the Castle of the Golden Sun," and hardly had the
words passed his lips than he was standing on a high mountain
before the gate of the castle.
He entered and went through all the rooms, until in the last he
found the king's daughter. But how shocked he was when he saw her.
She had an ashen-gray Face full of wrinkles, blear eyes, and red
hair. "Are you the King's daughter whose beauty the whole world
praises? cried he. "Ah" she answered, "this is not my form; human
eyes can only see me in this state of ugliness, but that thou mayst
know what I am like, look in the mirror it does not let itself be
misled it will show thee my image as it is in truth." She gave him
the mirror in his hand, and he saw therein the likeness of the most
beautiful maiden on earth, and saw, too, how the tears were rolling
down her cheeks with grief. Then said he, "How canst thou be set
free? I fear no danger." She said, "He who gets the crystall ball,
and holds it before the enchanter, will destroy his power with it,
and I shall resume my true shape. "Ah," she added, "so many have
already gone to meet death for this, and thou are so young; I
grieve that thou shouldst encounter such great danger." "Nothing
can keep me from doing it," said he, "but tell me what I must do."
"Thou shalt know everything," said the King's daughter, "when thou
descendest the mountain on which the stands , a wild bull will
stand below by a spring , and thou must fight with it , and if thou
hast the luck to kill it , a fiery bird will spring out of it ,
which bears in its body a burning egg , and in the egg the crystall
ball lies like a yolk. The bird will not, however, let the egg fall
until forced to do so, and if it falls on the ground , it will
flame up and burn everything that is near , and
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melt even ice itself, and with it the crystal ball, and then all
thy trouble will have been in vain."
The youth went down to the spring, where the bull snorted and
bellowed at him. After a long struggle he plunged his sword in the
animal's body, and it fell down. Instantly a fiery bird arose from
it, and was about to fly away, but the young man's brother, the
eagle, who was passing between the clouds, swooped down, hunted it
away to the sea, and struck it with his beak until, in its
extremity, it let the egg fall. The egg did not , however, fall
into the sea , but on a fisherman's hut which stood on the shore
and the hut began at once to smoke and was about to break out in
flames. Then arose in the sea waves as high as a house, they
streamed over the hut, and subduced the fire. The other brother,
the whale, had come swimming to them, and had driven the water up
on high. When the fire was extinguished, the youth sought for the
egg and happily found it; it was not yet melted, but the shell was
broken by being so suddenly cooled with the water, and he could
take out the crystal ball unhurt.
When the youth went to the enchanter and held it before him, the
latter said, "My power is destroyed, and from this time forth thou
art the king of theCastle of the Golden Sun. With this canst thou
likewise give back to thy brothers their human form." Then the
youth hastened to the king's daughter, and when he entered the
room, she was standing there in the full splendour of her beauty,
and joyfully they exchanged rings with each other.