摘要
This article presents an effective approach to polysemous-word acquisition based on cognitive linguistics. Although it may be true that most vocabulary is acquired through incidental learning, acquiring words through inferring from context is not necessarily the most effective or efficient method in instructional setting. Results of a series of vocabulary tests involving Chinese learners of English show that providing a core sense leads to better guessing and long-term retention of figurative senses of polysemous words. In this article, some practical implications are suggested for reference.
在外语词汇认知教学中,许多教学法专家主张的上策是附带词汇习得法(incidental vocabulary acquisition),如根据语境推测词义的学习策略。然而,实验研究表明,对于大量的多义词的学习,推测词义对目标词的习得未必是最有效的方法。Nation指出多义词认知过程的有效策略是用一个能贯穿于所有意义的词义来定义目标词,这样可以减少所需认知的词汇量,因为任何一次目标词的出现都是该词的复现。以认知语言学为基础的实验表明:当给学习者提供目标词的核心意义(core sense)作为提示时,学习者能更有效快捷地推测出目标词的衍射意义(peripheral senses),因为核心意义能帮助学习者建立语义网络(semanticnet work)的准确添加(precise elaboration),从而使学习者更好地推测词义并能促进词汇的长时记忆。
