Polysemous Verbs Break, Run, and Draw Within Prototype Theory From the Perspective of Saudi Learners of English

Abstract

This paper attempts to explore the nature of polysemous verbs using a cognitive linguistic framework from the perspective of second-language (L2) users: specifically, English as a foreign language (EFL) students in a Saudi Arabian university context. Drawing on Pulman (1983), this analysis examines multiple senses of the verbs break, run, and draw using prototype theory and seeks to identify any semantic patterns in the priority accorded to the polysemous senses attached to each verb by the learner. A questionnaire with sentences as placeholders embodying different senses of each verb and a 4-point goodness-of-fit scale were prepared. The results of this study show that non-native learners of English (EFL learners) are aware that there is a semantic network of meanings for polysemous verbs, and that these meanings exist on a continuum from more central (about three to four senses for each verb, which could be considered core/generic meanings) to more peripheral (between one to three senses, which could be considered more specific meanings). Correlation analyses between learners’ perceptions of a verb’s polysemy and vocabulary size and years of learning English were performed, yielding few positive relationships, and those only weakly significant.