A Pragmatic Study of Multiple Meanings of Some Nouns in Jordanian Arabic

This study investigates the multiple meanings of some nouns in Jordanian Arabic (JA). The study focuses on the multiple meanings of these nouns as acquired recently, and the context of their use. The sample of the study consists of thirty-eight nouns commonly used in everyday conversations in Al-Mafraq City, Jordan. The findings provide information about the spread of multiple meanings of nouns in JA. The meanings of nouns are divided into two types: dictionary meaning and other possible meanings, which are of four categories, namely opposite meaning, polysemy, sarcasm, and metaphor. The findings of the study show that multiple meanings of nouns are widespread in JA, and Jordanians use these meanings frequently in daily life conversations, thereby illustrating once again the flexibility of human language and its ability to become adapted to new situations. Keywords: Jordanian Arabic; None, Multiple meaning, Al-Mafraq city

The Problem Of Polysemy In The First Thousand Words Of The General Service List: A Corpus Study Of Secondary Chemistry Texts

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\u27s 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