The Counts of "Dracula" and "Monte Cristo": Homonym Frequencies in Graded Readers

Autor/inn/en	Parent, Kevin; McLean, Stuart; Kramer, Brandon; Kim, Young Ae
Titel	The Counts of "Dracula" and "Monte Cristo": Homonym Frequencies in Graded Readers
Quelle	In: Reading in a Foreign Language, 35 (2023) 1, S.48-71 (24 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
Schlagwörter	Reading Materials; Vocabulary Development; Definitions; Etymology; Computational Linguistics; Second Language Learning; Second Language Instruction; Word Lists; Word Frequency; Language Processing; Native Language; Electronic Publishing; English; English (Second Language); Language Variation; Foreign Countries; Publishing Industry; United Kingdom + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Wortschatzarbeit; Begriffsbestimmung; Etymologie; Linguistics; Computerlinguistik; Zweitsprachenerwerb; Fremdsprachenunterricht; Wortliste; Word analysis; Frequency; Wortanalyse; Häufigkeit; Sprachverarbeitung; Elektronisches Publizieren; English language; Englisch; English as second language; English; Second Language; Englisch als Zweitsprache; Sprachenvielfalt; Ausland; Großbritannien
Abstract	Graded readers are a great asset to learners acquiring the vocabulary of another language. Homonyms, on the other hand, are a recognized source of trouble for students with that same goal. Publishers of graded readers control the presentation of old and new words, but does this control extend to homonyms? Are only the word forms controlled for--in which case, the unrelated meanings of "match" ("a pairing" and "a stick for starting fire") would together constitute two uses of the word? Or would these tally as separate words which, semantically and etymologically, they are? A comparison of a 4.2 million-word corpus of graded readers with previous research on the distributions of homonymic meanings in general English reveals that the meanings presented to learners are frequently quite different to those in general-purpose texts. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	National Foreign Language Resource Center at University of Hawaii. 1859 East-West Road #106, Honolulu, HI 96822. e-mail: readfl@hawaii.edu; Web site: https://nflrc.hawaii.edu/rfl/
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01