International Journal on Studies in English Language and Literature (IJSELL) Volume 3, Issue 3, March 2015, PP 23-29 ISSN 2347-3126 (Print) & ISSN 2347-3134 (Online) www.arcjournals.org ©ARC Page | 23 English Vocabulary Learning Strategies by EFL Learners at University of Sulaimani: A Case Study Zana Mahmood Hassan Dept. of English, School of Languages University of Sulaimani Sulaimani, Iraq Zana.hassan@univsul.edu.iq Soma Nawzad Abubakr Dept. of English, School of Languages University of Sulaimani Sulaimani, Iraq Soma.abubakr@univsul.edu.iq Abstract: Researchers in the area of EFL learning have tried to put the way(s) by which EFL learners learn English vocabulary into some frames and present them as strategies. One can find various strategies that both teachers and/or learners are following for teaching/learning the vocabulary of a foreign language. It might be argued that these strategies are a little prescriptive or impractical. Therefore, various studies could be done on the ‘real’ strategies that EFL learners adapt in different places for learning English vocabulary. Kurdish EFL learners, similar to all other EFL learners around the world, may have their own particular way(s) to learn a new English word. As a region which is located in the North of Iraq and being part of the developing countries, there is no rigorous analysis to study the way(s) that Kurdish learners follow for learning English vocabulary. That is why the aim of this paper is to present the way(s) that Kurdish EFL learners follow to learn English vocabulary and compare them with the current vocabulary learning strategies. The strategy for data collection followed in this paper is a ‘case study’. This is to give a realistic picture of the current situation with regard to learning vocabulary. The data collection tool is a ‘questionnaire’ distributed to collect sufficient data from approximately sixty EFL learners at University of Sulaimani. The hypothesis in this study is that there might be differences between the current available strategies for learning vocabulary and the reality of EFL vocabulary learning in Kurdistan. This paper falls into three major sections. The first section gives an introduction to the meaning of vocabulary and its difference(s) with ‘lexeme’ and ‘lemma’. The second section covers the current available vocabulary learning strategies that are followed around the world. The last section analyzes the way(s) that Kurdish EFL learners use for learning English vocabulary. Finally, the validity of the hypothesis is tested in the conclusion and the references are documented. Keywords: Learning Strategies, Kurdish Learners, English Vocabulary. 1. DEFINITIONS OF VOCABULARY, LEMMA AND LEXEME 1.1. Vocabulary Vocabulary is considered to be a significant part of a language, especially in the process of learning a foreign language because the more vocabulary one knows the more capacities s/he has for uttering the phrases, clauses and sentences. Lessard-Clouston, (2013, 9) argues that vocabulary can be defined as ‘the words of a language, including single items and phrases or chunks of several words which convey a particular meaning, the way individual words do.’ Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (2012) defines vocabulary as ‘the body of words used in a particular language’. Whereas According to Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (2008), vocabulary is ‘all the words which exist in a particular language or subject’. It is worth mentioning that all the parts of speech in English are considered as vocabulary. For instance, the words ‘nation, national, and nationality’ are different parts of speech as well as different vocabulary. Not only single words, but readymade chunks and phrases are considered as vocabulary as well as in ‘look for, stand up, and put off’.