|
THE PROBLEM OF POLYSEMY IN THE FIRST THOUSAND WORDS OF THE GENERAL SERVICE LIST: A CORPUS STUDY OF SECONDARY CHEMISTRY TEXTS
|
|
|
|
 |
| Title | THE PROBLEM OF POLYSEMY IN THE FIRST THOUSAND WORDS OF THE GENERAL SERVICE LIST: A CORPUS STUDY OF SECONDARY CHEMISTRY TEXTS |
| Author | Clemmons, Karina
|
| Keywords | corpus linguistics
General Service List
polysemy
English Language Learners
vocabulary lists
chemistry textbooks
|
| Abstract | Vocabulary in a second language is an indispensable building block of all comprehension (Folse, 2006; Nation, 2006). Teachers in content area classes such as science, math, and social studies frequently teach content specific vocabulary, but are not aware of the obstacles that can occur when students do not know the basic words. Word lists such as the General Service List (GSL) were created to assist students and teachers (West, 1953). The GSL does not adequately take into account the high level of polysemy of many common English words, nor has it been updated by genre to reflect specific content domains encountered by secondary science students in today's high stakes classes such as chemistry. This study examines how many words of the first 1000 words of the GSL occurred in the secondary chemistry textbooks sampled, how often the first 1000 words of the GSL were polysemous, and specifically which multiple meanings occurred. A discussion of results includes word tables that list multiple meanings present, example phrases that illustrate the context surrounding the target words, suggestions for a GSL that is genre specific to secondary chemistry textbooks and that is ranked by meaning as well as type, and implications for both vocabulary materials and classroom instruction for ELLs in secondary chemistry classes. Findings are essential to second language (L2) researchers, materials developers, publishers, and teachers. |
| Adviser | Sivo, Stephen
|
| Publisher | University of Central Florida |
| Degree | Ed.D.
|
| Degree Discipline | Department of Educational Studies
|
| Degree Grantor | Education
|
| Degree Program | Curriculum and Instruction EdD
|
| Graduation Date | 2008-01-01 |
| Type | Doctoral dissertation
|
| Access Level | Public - Allow Worldwide Access
|
| Release Date | 2008-06-03 |
| Repository | University Archives
|
| Repository Collection | Electronic Theses and Dissertations
|
| Identifier | CFE0002034 |
| Access Link | http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/CFE0002034 |
|
|
|
|
|