Core VS Fringe Words

Why it is important to teach core and fringe word? What’s the difference?

Core vocabulary includes words such as:

• Verbs (go, play, look, want, go, etc.)
• Pronouns (I, you, we, they)
• Helping verbs (is, am, etc.)
• modifiers (more, all done, that)
• Location words (in, on, up, down, etc.) 

An example of what words/categories fringe vocabulary might include:

• Colors (red, orange, yellow, etc.)
• Toys (ball, blocks, puzzle, etc.)
• Food (water, juice, muffins, apples, etc.)
• Social (hello, goodbye, or custom pre-programmed greetings “How are you?”, etc.)
• Read (book, newspaper, turn the page, etc.)

https://crawlwalkjumprun.com/what-is-core-vocabulary-vs-fringe-vocabulary/

Core Vocabulary

• High frequency words that can be used in a variety of situations and with various communication partners
• Make up about 75-80% of the words we use everyday
• You cannot form a sentence without using core words
• You can create a sentence using only core words
• Often more difficult to visualize
• Usually includes pronouns, helping verbs, prepositions, articles, and common verbs
• Examples include – I, he/she, like, play, have, on, open, help, more, can, do, it
• Sentences using only core vocabulary – “I like to play”, “I need help”, “you can do it”

Fringe Vocabulary

• Words more specific to a situation – mostly nouns
• Cannot be used across a variety of situations
• Cannot form a sentence with only fridge words
• Can visualize the fringe vocabulary words
• Examples include “pig”, “school”, “teacher”, “pizza”, “TV”, “dinosaurs”

https://theautismhelper.com/core-and-fringe-vocabulary-what-it-is-how-to-use-it/

More info:

https://www.beyondwordsslt.co.nz/making-sense-of-core-and-fringe-vocabulary/