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This study measures the extent to which Arabic-speaking EFL learners are aware of polysemy in English. It also investigates whether the English proficiency level of Arabic-speaking EFL learners plays a role in their ability to distinguish between the various meanings of English polysemous words, and whether they face problems when they encounter th...
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... In most cases, core meanings are acquired prior to the periphery meanings, so L2 learners tend to be more proficient in acquiring the core meanings (Schmitt, 1998), and quite weak in learning the periphery meanings. The core meanings have been put much emphasis in the previous researches, which suggested that the core meaning is a key factor in helping learners acquire periphery meanings (Morimoto and Loewen, 2007;Mark, 2016;Abdul and Alnamer, 2017). However, from the perspective of classroom second language teaching and learning, the function of the core meanings is very likely to be overestimated. ...
... /fpsyg. . and productive communications (Abdul and Alnamer, 2017). Thus it is a tough task for learners to get full mastery of a polysemous word with both core meanings and periphery meanings. ...
... The results of Wei and Lou (2015) showed that providing core meaning cues can help learners guess the periphery meanings of unfamiliar polysemous words, but only providing them with periphery meanings had little effect in helping them guess the extended meanings of the same words. Abdul and Alnamer (2017) tested the awareness of Arabic learners toward polysemous words with an English-Arabic translation task of three words: open, run and make. The results suggested that learners could get the core and basic meaning of the polysemous word according to the context, and encounter some difficulties when guessing the extended meanings in some particular contexts. ...
The current research investigated the influencing factors of the full mastery of L2 (English) polysemous words with a Chinese-English translation test. The concepts of “meaning” and “L2 equivalent” were strictly distinguished when designing the test. The manipulation of variables came to a mixed design of 2 (semantic types: core meaning, periphery meaning) × 2 (types of L1 translation equivalents: dominant L1 translation equivalent, non-dominant L1 translation equivalent) × 2 (language proficiency: low proficiency, high proficiency). The results showed that: (1) The semantic types and L1 translation equivalents had significant influence on the production of polysemous words in that the core meanings and the dominant L1 translation equivalent helped the learners access the words quickly and produce them more efficiently; The dominant L1 translation equivalents could facilitate the production of the words presented with their periphery meanings; (2) On the whole, there was no significant difference of the productive competence between the two groups of participants. Comparatively, the high proficiency learners performed better in the production of words presented in their periphery meanings corresponding to non-dominant L1 translation equivalents. And they showed a less degree of dependence on L1 translation equivalents in the process of language production.
... of English words have multiple meanings (e.g., Durkin & Manning, 1989;Abou-Khalil, et al. (2019); Shahbazi & Byun, 2020). Importantly, these polysemous lexical units are among the three thousand most frequently used lexical items in English (e.g., Makni, 2013;Ferrer-i-Cancho, 2014;Alnamer, 2017). Polysemy is a crucial aspect of vocabulary, and so it needs to be taken into account in research on vocabulary. ...
Despite the considerable number of studies on vocabulary and sense relations such as polysemy, they are confined to comparing vocabulary learning methods and strategies and examining the usefulness of certain sense relations in acquiring L2 vocabulary. Until now, no attempt has been made to analyse polysemy in English textbooks used in non-native English contexts. The aim of the current article was to explore the high usage of the most frequently used words from the selected English textbooks in real-life English and to determine the extent to which polysemy is incorporated in the selected English textbooks. The data was collected from two textbooks: _Close-up_ (Intermediate Secondary) and _Full Blast Plus 4_ (Upper Secondary). The _Sketch Engine_ word list tool was used to determine the top 100 most frequently used words in the first sub-corpus, _Close-up_ (Intermediate Secondary), and the top 100 most frequently used words in the second sub-corpus, _Full Blast Plus 4_ (Upper Secondary). The use of the chosen words in the _British National Corpus_ (BNC) was explored using the _Sketch Engine_ to determine whether they are the most commonly used in English. _WordNet_ was also used to determine the polysemy and frequency of the words under study. The findings revealed the top 100 most frequently used words in _Close-up_ and _Full Blast Plus 4_ have high frequency levels (ranks) in the _BNC_, yet 65 of the top 100 most frequently used words in both Close-up and Full Blast Plus 4 overlapped despite the level difference. Furthermore, polysemy is only lightly emphasised in the textbooks concerned. The results of the present study have important implications for second and foreign language learning research and education.
... In the UAE, Alnamer (2017) investigated the extent to which Arabic-speaking EFL college students are aware of polysemy in English and whether their English proficiency level plays a role in their ability to distinguish the various meanings of English polysemous words, and whether they have problems with polysemous words in unusual contexts especially the extended meanings of the target polysemous words. Results of a translation test containing fifteen English sentences containing the polysemous words "open," "run," and "make" showed that EFL Arab students have little awareness of polysemy in English, and their English proficiency level did play a role in their ability to distinguish the different meanings of English polysemous words. ...
Polysemes are words that have multiple meanings. They exist in all languages as in Arabic جناح عين صوت جدول and English base, plant, system, present, left. A sample of Arabic and English polyseme translation errors was collected from homework-assignments and exams to explore the difficulties that student-translators have in translating English and Arabic polysemes. Data analysis showed that the students made more errors in translating Arabic polysemes to English than English polysemes to Arabic. They made more errors in translation polysemous compounds than single-word polysemes and the equivalent compounds had collocation errors. The students utilized different faulty strategies in translating polysemes, especially in source texts which have one-to-many equivalents (system, affairs). They tend to overgeneralize the equivalent they know to all contexts (develop, system), not the one suitable for a particular context/domain (*chemical plants; under president). They resorted to literal translation, i.e., word for word translation rather than using fixed formulaic equivalents that are dissimilar in structure to the source polyseme. They also overgeneralized the same equivalent to all contexts (develop, system; association), although each shade of meaning has a different equivalent. Faulty translation of polysemic words may be due to inadequate L1 competence such as the availability of different regional Arabic designations for ‘parliament’ and the different designations used in American and British English for (وكيل وزارة الخارجية الامريكي); lack of proficiency in EFL, i.e. limited vocabulary knowledge; unfamiliarity with specialized meanings (*chemical plants) and commonly used equivalents for ‘affairs; resources’; lack of world knowledge (exchange programs; الاتحاد الأوروبي) and others. The study recommends that translation instructors develop students’ vocabulary knowledge, word knowledge accuracy, schemata and world knowledge, metacognitive skills, i.e., thinking processes while translating, word and context analysis skills, i.e., using semantic and structural contextual clues to figure out the meaning of polysemes; and identifying the domain in which a polyseme is used.
... Polysemy was the second semantic feature that was contrasted in provided translations. Polysemy relates to the ability of the word or phrase to represent multiple meanings (Alnamer, 2017). In the Qur'anic verse, Yusuf, Malik, and Mustafa rendered the noun " ِكِ ٰل ـ َ م ِين ّ ٱلد ِ م َوْ ي "as "Master of the Day of Judgment" employing cultural equivalence, using "comma" and "full stop" or different punctuation marks to discuss the semantic meaning of the term for the readers. ...
This study analyzed the linguistic features in Qur'anic translation in the Al Fatihah Surah. It compares five different translations, namely, Asad Quran Translation, Malik Quran Translation, Yusuf Ali Quran Translation, and Piktal Quran Translation. The analysis uses both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The theoretical framework of the study is based on Newmark's (1988) multidisciplinary method of translation. Results of the study showed that varied translation versions of Qur'an verses should be analyzed to transfer and reduce original meaning to non-native speakers of the Arabic language since Qur'an includes stylish features in both form and content. In addition, findings revealed that translation of linguistic features postures challenges translators while interpreting meaning. This study concludes that most of the linguistic features under scrutiny have been rendered into English that is often erroneous. However, the conceptualization of linguistic features in Qur'anic translation is often lost.
... As Hulstijn and Laufer (2001) notice, even the advanced learners rarely knew all the meanings of a polysemous word. The results of the present case study are also similar to the results of Alnamer's (2017) study, which shows that the learners had no problems guessing the primary meaning of the English polysemous words, but they faced difficulty guessing the extended meanings of polysemous words in unusual contexts. ...
... As it can be seen from the above, the results obtained in this case study do concur with the findings of the previous research by Bensoussan and Laufer (1984), Laufer (1997), Alnamer (2017), White (2016), as well as Cassels & Johnstone (1985) and Johnstone (1991). ...
... It can be seen from the results that our respondents vary in their knowledge of polysemy, however, the first conclusion we make, which is also the answer to our first research question, is that the answers produced by our respondents regarding core and non-core (extended) meanings of polysemous words differ but they are very similar to the results of the previous studies (Bensoussan & Laufer, 1984;Laufer, 1997;Alnamer, 2017;White, 2016;Cassels & Johnstone, 1985;Johnstone, 1991). This is confirmed by their better results or higher percentage of correct answers related to core meanings (except in the case of noun servant). ...
Detected as a problem in foreign language learning, polysemy has been a subject of many various studies and from many various aspects. The problem of polysemy is particularly important in English for Specific Purposes, or in our case English for Police Purposes, since it very often gets unnoticed by learners. Having learnt one meaning in a General English course, learners are usually unaware that the same word can have a new meaning in technical texts. The aim of the case study is to examine to what extent the students can recognize the senses of polysemous words in different contexts and if the level the particular meaning is associated with (according to the CEFR) influences the percentage of correct/incorrect answers. We used a questionnaire and a self-designed vocabulary test to collect the data both about the participants and their practical knowledge of polysemy. The study was conducted with a group of I-year students of Forensic Engineering at the University of Criminal Investigation and Police Studies. The results obtained should help improve the course of English for Police Purposes.
... Gaining awareness of the polysemous nature of words is known to be a "metalinguistic skill that improves students' ability to derive meaning" (Ford-Connors & Paratore, 2015, p. 72), and mastery of the core meaning of a polyseme can allow students to more easily infer a word's extended meanings (Boers, 2013). Alnamer (2017) found that when 50 Arabic-speaking ESL learners took a test assessing their knowledge of five different meanings associated with English polysemes, they were able to guess core meanings more easily, and had more difficulty guessing the meanings of the words in contexts that employed their extended meanings. Similarly, Crossley et al. (2010) tracked the development of six adult English language learners' polysemous word use over one year in an English-use setting, finding that learners began extending the core meanings of polysemes after they had first acquired the core meanings of such words. ...
This ethnography examines how teachers interpret and enact language-in-education policies in an adult ESL classroom in the United States, where students simultaneously received job training as Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs). We draw on postmodern and interpretive lenses from the ethnography of communication, considering how workforce-oriented language policies impact teachers’ agency during speech events when classroom participants discuss the meanings of unknown words. We assert that during talk about word meanings (semantics), models of social identity formed, sometimes in conflict with the sociocognitive complexities of second language acquisition. Findings indicate that the meanings of polysemous words were narrowed solely to the immediate healthcare context, and that instructional time often focused on teaching lexis common on multiple-choice tests, preparing students for their final CNA examination. Implications for teachers and policy makers are discussed, including the potentially equalizing applications of polysemic research within workforce language instructional models.
... scourge); but if the word has a third different meaning, the lexeme will go up to layer 3 (e.g. plant).This argument goes in accordance with Alnamer (2017), Mason, Kniseley, and Kendall (1979) who postulated that words with multiple semantic contexts cannot be processed at a single layer at the semantic level. ...
... They were all enrolled in one of the mandatory university modules called Effective Communication Skills in English 2 (English 2). The participants were considered advanced learners of English, all having achieved IELTS scores higher than 6 (this classification of learners into levels by their IELTS scores is consistent with the practice of other researchers see, for example, Alnamer, 2017;Altakhaineh & Rahrouh, 2015;Altakhaineh & Zibin, 2017;Khan & Al-Namer, 2017). Advanced students were expected to be able to infer the hidden funny message behind the test puns. ...
... Type 2: Look-alike punny jokes Arabic-speaking EFL learners find type 2, look-alike punny jokes, more difficult than the other types of punny jokes (see Table 3 and 4). It is not surprising that Arabic-speaking EFL learners find problems with this type of punny jokes because those learners have little awareness of polysemy in English (Alnamer, 2017). This minimal awareness may divert their attention away from the punch-line of the joke, leading to a misunderstanding or delayed understanding of it. ...
... This minimal awareness may divert their attention away from the punch-line of the joke, leading to a misunderstanding or delayed understanding of it. Some participants indicated that they did not think of extended meanings (and this is consistent with other research findings, see for example, Alnamer, 2017;Liu, 2013). For example, they did not think of cold as a seasonal illness in item 5 in the test. ...
The study reported in this paper measured the extent to which Arabic-speaking EFL learners appreciate English punny jokes. It aimed to identify the challenges those students face with certain types of such jokes and identify explanations for these challenges. For the purpose of the study, a test of 16 punny jokes from four types of punny jokes, namely, look-alike, sound-alike, close-sounding, and texting was developed and distributed to 60 Arabic-speaking EFL learners. Generally, the results show that Arabic-speaking EFL learners have little appreciation of English punny jokes. This paper discusses the challenges that Arabic-speaking EFL learners face when they encounter any of the four types of punny jokes. Finally, the paper concludes with pedagogical implications and with some suggestions for further studies.
... Finally, the study will highlight how the semantic differences between the Qur'ānic near-synonyms األسفار al-asfār and الكتب al-kutub (books) are reflected in the English translation and how the various meanings of the polysemous lexical item الكتب (the books) are considered while translating the Holy Qur'ān into English language. POLYSEMY Polysemy is a compound noun which comes from Greek poly 'many' and semy 'to do with meaning as in semantics' (Alnamer 2017). This term was first introduced by the French semanticist Michel Bréal in the Essai de Sémantique in 1897 (ibid). ...
This study investigates the meanings of the near-synonyms al-asfār and alkutub (the books) and their English translations. It aims at identifying the contextual meanings of the Qur'ānic near-synonyms based on different exegeses of the Holy Qur'ān. Then, it explains the semantic differences that exist between the Qur'ānic pair and how such semantic differences are reflected in two English translations of the Holy Qur'ān. Besides, it highlights the meanings of the polysemous lexical item alkutub (the books) in different Qur'ānic contexts and how the various senses of this lexical item are transferred to English. The study adopts the RC-S approach as a theoretical framework for data analysis. It also employs the qualitative approach for collecting and analyzing the data of the study. The exegeses of the Holy Qur'ān are consulted to identify the semantic differences between the Qur'ānic near-synonyms as well as the meanings of the polysemous lexical item alkutub (the books). The findings reveal that there are some semantic differences between the selected Qur'ānic near-synonyms and that such semantic differences are not reflected in the English translations. The findings also show that the polysemous lexical item alkutub (the books) and its singular formal-kitāb (the book) are literally translated in some Qur'ānic contexts. The study provides recommendations for readers as well as translators especially the translators of the Holy Qur'ān.
... In fact, no language in the world is completely free of 'loanwords', and this is why this phenomenon has been an attractive field for investigation for researchers (Uffmann, 2006;Haspelmath & Tadmor, 2009;Alahmadi, 2015 among others). Language can never perish; vocabulary is always enriched by the production of new words by different means, i.e., by morphological means or by the development of polysemy (Alnamer, 2017). Morphologically, some words are no longer used while new words are added to the language in different ways, among which is borrowing words from other languages (Al-Saidat, 2011). ...
This study aims at identifying the loanwords commonly used in Emirati Arabic (EA), determining their origins and identifying the reasons behind using them. It also investigates the impact of gender, education, and age of speakers of EA on the use of loanwords. To meet these ends, a questionnaire was designed and distributed among 90 speakers of EA who were then classified into three groups: 1) gender; females and males, 2) education; educated and uneducated, and 3) age; young and old. The results show that female EA speakers, educated EA speakers, and young EA speakers use loanwords more than their counterparts in their specific groups. Moreover, the results show that EA speakers use loanwords of different origins like English, Persian, Hindi, and Turkish in addition to a few words of French, Italian, German, and Spanish. The study discusses the possible reasons for these results and concludes with some recommendations for further research.
