Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Volume 14. Number 2 June 2023 Pp. 19-29
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol14no2.2
The Inclusion of Polysemes in Non-native English Textbooks: A Corpus-based Study
Hicham Lahlou
English Language Studies, School of Humanities,
Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia
Corresponding Author: hlahlou2003@hotmail.com
Hajar Abdul Rahim
English Language Studies, School of Humanities,
Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia
Received:01/26/2023 Accepted:05/09/2023 Published: 06/24/2023
Abstract:
Despite the large number of studies conducted on polysemy, they mostly compare the different methods and techniques to learn a language and establish the extent to which particular sense relations facilitate the learning of second language vocabulary. To our best knowledge, no research has been conducted to determine whether or not polysemy is emphasized in non-native English textbooks. The objective of the present research was to determine the degree to which polysemy is incorporated in English textbooks. Thus, the research question guiding the current study is: To what extent is polysemy incorporated in non-native English textbooks? The study is a corpus-based research that used a data set of 500 words, i.e., 250 words from each of the two books, utilizing the Sketch Engine word list tool and concordance. The polysemy of the resulting words in the concordance lines generated was semantically annotated manually using WordNet and English dictionaries. The results indicated that polysemy is barely stressed in the textbooks under investigation. The study’s results have substantial implications for polysemy in particular and second or foreign language teaching in general.
Keywords: Corpora, English textbooks, polysemy, second language, vocabulary
Cite as: Lahlou, H. , & Abdul Rahim, H. (2023). The Inclusion of Polysemes in Non-native English Textbooks: A Corpus-based Study. Arab World English Journal, 14 (2) 19-29.
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol14no2.2
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