| Author: | Nuo, Min |
| Title: | Polysemes in vocabulary learning of Chinese as a second language : from the perspectives of semantic transparency |
| Advisors: | Chan, Shui Duen (CBS) Liu, Yi (CBS) |
| Degree: | DALS |
| Year: | 2022 |
| Subject: | Chinese language -- Study and teaching -- Foreign speakers Chinese language -- Vocabulary Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations |
| Department: | Faculty of Humanities |
| Pages: | ix, 183 pages : color illustrations |
| Language: | English |
| Abstract: | Polysemy is a noteworthy and problematic feature in the study of Chinese as a second language (CSL), which especially affects vocabulary learning and reading comprehension. The phenomena of polysemy get even more complicated when there is not enough semantic transparency in the relations among the word senses and in the reading context. It will then hinder CSL learners’ grasp of the multiple meanings, negatively affecting their textual comprehension and the effectiveness of language acquisition. Learners often acquire the most common meaning of a polyseme much better than other meanings, which are obviously important for enhancing learners’ vocabulary size and reading comprehension. However, teachers need to familiarize students with all the major senses of a polyseme, even though the senses may be common in classical Chinese but not in modern Chinese. For a better understanding of the meanings of polysemes in CSL textbooks, the present study focuses on the “semantic transparency” of the frequently used polysemes. It also examines the distribution of polysemes within the framework of “Schema Theory” while paying attention to the influence of linguistic and cultural contexts on the transparency of polysemes in Chinese textbooks. In modern Chinese, there are many polysemes the senses of which extend from their original meanings. Some of these senses may be closer, but others may be very different from the original meaning of the polyseme, including the figurative and symbolic meanings. Most words in classical Chinese were monosyllabic morphemes used independently, while in modern Chinese morphemes are bound together to form a lot of compound words. To explore the relations between monosyllabic polysemes and compound words, the present study analyzes their semantic transparency by qualitative and quantitative research methods including textual analysis and surveys. Different from most existing research on CSL vocabulary, which is at higher proficiency levels (Xu, 2014; Ma, 2017; Zhang, 2019), the present study analyzes examples from textbooks at the elementary and intermediate levels. Based on the word lists of New HSK 3 and 4, the majority of intermediate-level vocabulary is the basic 2500 words with the most frequently used characters in everyday communication. Furthermore, in terms of textual content, it is essential to cultivate learners’ background knowledge to provide the cultural “schemata” for reading. By asking students at the elementary and intermediate levels to complete a questionnaire testing reading comprehension of basic morphemes and understanding of polysemes in the textbooks, this research explores questions such as: How well do students acquire morphemes by learning radicals of the relevant Chinese characters when phono-semantic characters are introduced? How well do they acquire Chinese morphemes when topic words or contexts are introduced first? The present study evaluates Chinese texts by semantic transparency both for teaching and learning purposes, thereby facilitating the selection or compilation of appropriate texts for CSL reading. This research will also contribute to the learning and teaching of CSL vocabulary, and also shed light on the influence of contexts and “schemata” on CSL reading. |
| Rights: | All rights reserved |
| Access: | restricted access |
Files in This Item:
| File | Description | Size | Format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7064.pdf | For All Users (off-campus access for PolyU Staff & Students only) | 2.6 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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