39th Annual Student Research Conference
An Investigation of Polysemous English Adjectives: Toward a Model of Meaning
Lauren J. Holsapple
Dr. Darrin Hetrick, Faculty Mentor
This study aims to investigate native speaker perception of English adjectives that exhibit polysemy, which is the quality of having multiple definitions that are related but distinct. In particular, this study investigates the degree to which native speakers perceive meanings of certain polysemous adjectives to be related or unrelated. Participants (all native speakers of English) completed a Google Forms survey containing multiple tasks, including a similarity rating task and a qualitative questionnaire. Results were analyzed using statistical analysis and qualitative tools, and preliminary findings may support a theory of meaning as continuous and context-sensitive, as opposed to discrete and static. The goals of this study are to contribute to the body of research about the continuousness and discreteness of meaning and to encourage future research in the under-studied area of English adjective polysemy.
Keywords: Linguistics, Semantics, Lexical Semantics, Polysemy, English Linguistics, Language Perception
Topic(s):Linguistics
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation
Session: -3
Location: SUB Georgian C
Time: 1:30