Final answer:
The 5,000 most common words in English are crucial for daily communication; even with over 600,000 words in the language, these common words are a foundation for understanding texts. The importance of having a core vocabulary is also seen in the rapid vocabulary expansion during early childhood.
Step-by-step explanation:
The 5,000 most common words in English play a significant role in our daily communication and understanding of the language. Even with over 600,000 recognized words in the English language, these common words appear to be foundational and frequently used in texts of all kinds. While the exact percentage of text those 5,000 words comprise was not provided, it's well-known that a small subset of a language's vocabulary is often enough to understand the majority of everyday communication.
The significance of a core vocabulary is evident in the fact that they dominate most conversations and writings, similar to vocabulary spurt seen in early childhood development. For instance, by the age of 3, a child's vocabulary expands to about 1,000 words which they use to communicate effectively. Vocabulary size further grows as children age, demonstrating the usefulness of even a limited set of words in effectively conveying a wide range of ideas and information.