英語本科畢業(yè)論文：淺談中學(xué)英語教學(xué)活動中同形異義詞和多義詞的區(qū)分問題的學(xué)習(xí)要領(lǐng)

1、 重慶南方翻譯學(xué)院本科畢業(yè)論文中文題目：淺談中學(xué)英語教學(xué)活動中同形異義詞和 多義詞的區(qū)分問題的學(xué)習(xí)要領(lǐng)外文題目：An Analysis on the Learning Principles of Distinctions Between Homonymy and Polysemy in Middle School English Teaching院 系 英語語言學(xué)院 專 業(yè) 英語(教育) 年 級 2007級 學(xué) 號 071500440121 學(xué) 生 嚴元媛 指導(dǎo)教師 王昊燦 結(jié)稿日期 2011年4月30日 四川外語學(xué)院重慶南方翻譯學(xué)院教務(wù)處制2011年 4 月 30日填1淺談中學(xué)英語教學(xué)活動中

2、同形異義詞和多義詞的區(qū)分問題的學(xué)習(xí)要領(lǐng)摘要：人們歷來重視對同形異義詞的研究。但是詞匯演變的情況十分復(fù)雜，同形異義詞在演變過程中與多義詞往往有交叉現(xiàn)象。某些詞兼有同形異義詞和多義詞的內(nèi)容，稍不注意，就可能混淆，因此很有必要掌握二者的區(qū)分問題。同形異義詞和多義詞是語義學(xué)領(lǐng)域里面一對難以分認清楚的概念。特別是在中學(xué)英語教學(xué)活動中，兩者的區(qū)分問題給許多英語學(xué)習(xí)者在理解單詞的確切意思上帶來了麻煩。論文首先從理論的角度闡述了同形異義詞與多義詞的定義。隨后作者談到了同形異義詞與多義詞的來源和區(qū)別。然后，本文分析出中學(xué)英語教學(xué)活動中，學(xué)生對學(xué)習(xí)兩類詞匯所存在的問題。最后，作者針對存在的問題，通過老師和同學(xué)兩個

3、方面，分別提出對策。通過本文的寫作，筆者希望本文的淺析能幫助中學(xué)英語學(xué)習(xí)者解決英語學(xué)習(xí)過程中學(xué)習(xí)和掌握同形異義詞和多義詞的區(qū)分問題，提高學(xué)生學(xué)習(xí)英語的興趣。關(guān)鍵詞：同形異義詞；多義詞；中學(xué)英語教學(xué)；學(xué)習(xí)要領(lǐng)An Analysis on the Learning Principles of Distinctions Between Homonymy and Polysemy in Middle School English TeachingAbstractPeople have always thought highly of researching homonymy. However, the

4、 evolution of vocabulary is extremely complicated. During the procedure of evolution, there are cross connections between homonymy and polysemy. Some words contain contents both with homonymy and polysemy. It is easy for English learners to be confounded through an oversight. Therefore, it is quite

5、essential to master the distinctions between homonymy and polysemy.The concepts of homonymy and polysemy often get muddied in Semantics. In the middle school English teaching, especially, distinctions of the two pose a lot of difficulties to English learners on the understanding of the exact meaning

6、s.In the first part of the paper, the author theoretically elaborates the definitions of homonymy and polysemy. Then, the author explains the origins and distinctions between homonymy and polysemy. After that the author analyses the problems for middle school students in studying the two words in mi

7、ddle schools. Lastly, the author puts forward the related solutions based on the previous problems for teachers and students.In this paper, the author expresses her wish to solve the problems of studying the distinctions between homonymy and polysemy in middle school English studying and foster thes

8、e English learners with interest in learning.Key words: homonymy; polysemy; middle school English teaching; learning principleAcknowledgementsFirst and foremost, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to my supervisor, Lecturer Wang, both for her intellectual guidance and for her warm and co

9、nstant encouragement during the process of writing this paper. With patience and prudence, she labored through drafts of this paper and pointed out defects in my theorizing. Therefore, I owe all the merits in this paper, if any, to her, though I am fully aware that the paper might still contain some

10、 mistakes, for which I bear the whole responsibility.My cordial and sincere thanks go to all the teachers in the Department of English, whos interesting and informative courses have benefited me a lot during my college years. The profit that I gained from their profound knowledge, remarkable experti

11、se and intellectual ingenuity will be of everlasting significance to my future life and career.I am also very grateful to my classmates, who have given me a lot of help and courage during my stay in the college and throughout the process of writing this paper. Last but not the least，big thanks go to

12、 my family who have shared with me my worries, frustrations, and hopefully my ultimate happiness in eventually finishing this paper.Contents中文摘要.AbstractAcknowledgements. .Introduction.1. Understandings of Homonymy and Polysemy2A. Definitions of Homonymy and Polysemy.2B. Origins of Homonymy and Poly

13、semy.4C. Distinctions between Homonymy and Polysemy.5. Problems of Studying the Two Types of Words in Middle School English8A. Problem of Pronunciation.8B. Problem of Remembrance.9C. Problem of Knowing the Cultural Differences10. Solutions of Studying the Two Types of Words in Middle School English.

14、12A. Amelioration in Teaching Methods of Teachers.12B. Enhancement in Abilities of Students.17Conclusion.23Notes24 Bibliography25An Analysis on the Learning Principles of Distinctions Between Homonymy and Polysemy in Middle School English Teaching IntroductionIn our country, English study is always

15、the problem for middle school students. And the vocabulary is one of the three core elements of English and foundation of English learning. With the higher requirement of English learning ability for students, they may find that English is become more and more difficult to learn. It is also a hard n

16、ut to crack for the English vocabulary of homonymy and polysemy. And the concepts of homonymy and polysemy often get muddied in Semantics. In the middle school English teaching, especially, distinctions of the two pose a lot of difficulties to English learners on the understanding of the exact meani

17、ngs. This paper is aimed at putting forward some learning principles of distinctions between homonymy and polysemy in middle school English teaching.In order to analyze the learning principles of the two type words, the first and foremost step is to have an all-round understanding of homonymy and po

18、lysemy. With the knowledge of the definitions, origins and differences of homonymy and polysemy, the next step is to find out the problems in learning English. Then, it is easier for readers to get familiar with the exact present problems in middle school English learning. And after that, the reader

19、 can look for the correct solutions put forward in the third part. The roles of learning the homonymy and polysemy are essential in English study. These solutions which mentioned in this paper is aimed at making the distinctions clear, helping middle school students in English learning and assisting

20、 teachers in English teaching. Understandings of Homonymy and PolysemyA. Definitions of Homonymy and PolysemyThe study of polysemy and homonymy has a long history on the philosophy of language, linguistics, psychology, and literature. The complex relation between meanings and words were first noted

21、by Stoics. They observed that one word could carry different meanings. Through the subsequent research into the issue of polysemy and homonymy, it is found that there is an extensive grey area between them. How to distinguish the two is an important issue lying in front of the researchers. Polysemy

22、and homonymy are rarely a problem in language use because of the adoption of contextual cues. They are sometimes used as a source of puns to achieve stylistic value such as humor and irony and to heighten dramatic power, which embody the richness and coincidence of language.Homonymy refers to the ph

23、enomenon that words having different meanings have the same form, i.e., different words are identical in sound or spelling, or in both.Homonymy is usually viewed to hold between words forms whose senses are completely unrelated. A word with at least two entirely distinct meanings yet sharing a lexic

24、al form is said to be homonymous. One of the most commonly cited examples of homonymous words is “bank”, which has a financial institution sense and an edge of a river sense. These senses seem clearly unrelated, and the fact that they are associated with the same word form seems purely accidental. H

25、omonyms can be categorized into three types： When two words are identical in sound, they are homophones. When two words are identical in spelling, they are homographs. When two words are identical in both sound and spelling, they are complete homonyms. Below are examples of each kind:Homophones: rai

26、n/ reign, night/ knight, piece/ peace, leak/ leekHomographs: bow (v.) / bow (n.) tear (v.) / tear (n.), lead (v.) / lead (n.)Complete homonyms: fast (adj.) / fast (v.), scale (n.) / scale (v.)1 At this stage a question that readily comes to mind is that when two forms are identical both in sound and

27、 spelling, how can we tell whether they are two meanings of the same polysemic word, or two complete homonyms? This is an interesting question but difficult to answer. What we can depend on is the etymology of the words in question. A polysemic word, i.e., a word with several meanings, is the result

28、 of the evolution of the primary meaning of the word, such as the word “table”. The various meanings of the word are related to some degree. Complete homonyms are often brought into being by coincidence. For instance, “ball” meaning “a round object used in games” and “ball” meaning “a large formal s

29、ocial event at which people dance” are complete homonyms. The word “ball” bearing the first meaning is a native English word. It so happened that in French there is a word, spelt in the same way, bearing the second meaning. And this word somehow found its way into the English language. The result is

30、 that in English today we have two complete homonyms “ball” and “ball”.The coexistence of several meanings in a word is called polysemy. The word polysemy comes from Neo- Latin polysemia (polymany, sema-sign), that is, having or characterized by many meanings for a single word or phrase. Polysemy se

31、ems to be motivated by metaphoric thought, that is, the relation between two polysemies seems to be the result of a certain underlying metaphor for shape, size, position, outward appearance, function and so on:While different words may have the same or similar meaning, the same one word may have mor

32、e than one meaning. This is what we call Polysemy, and such a word is called a polysemic word. There are many polysemic words in English. The fact is the more commonly used a word is, the more likely it has acquired more than one meaning. Take the word “table” for example. It is a very common word i

33、n English. If we look it up in any dictionary, we will find that it has at least the following seven meanings:A piece of furnitureAll the people seated at a tableThe food that is put on a tableA thin flat piece of stone, metal, wood, etc.Orderly arrangement of facts, figures, etc.Part of a machine-t

34、ool on which the work is put to be operated onA level area, a plateau2Historically, Polysemy can be understood as the growth and development of, or change in, the meaning of words. We assume that the original meaning of “table” had only one meaning referred to as a thin piece of stone, or wood. This

35、 is called its primary meaning. Later on it gradually came to acquire the other meanings it now represents. We can probably guess that when people learned to make a piece of furniture with wood, the furniture thus made was given the name “table”. This is the sense in which the word “table” is used m

36、ost often while its primary meaning has become less common.B. Origins of Homonymy and PolysemyThere are various sources of homonyms: change in sound and spelling, borrowing, etc.:Change in sound and spelling. Some homonyms are native by origin, derived from different earlier forms in Old English. Th

37、e change in sound and spelling gradually made them identical in modern English.Borrowing As a result of heavy borrowing from other languages, many words of foreign origin coincide in sound and/or spelling with those of native origin or with those of other foreign origin.Shortening many shortened for

38、ms of words happen to be identical with other words in spelling or sound.3Based on the sources of homonyms, the origins of homonymy can be divided into seven parts:“ one, the converging sound-development; two, the diverging sense-development; three, the foreign influence; four, the zero derivation;

39、five, the abbreviation of words; six, the use of euphemism; seven, the different dialects and varieties.”4The origins of polysemy are sum up into six big parts: one, shift in application; two, specialization in a social milieu; three, homonyms reinterpreted; four, Radiation; five, Concatenation; six

40、, Foreign influence.C. Distinctions Between Homonymy and PolysemyIn fact, polysemy is very similar to homonymy. Two words can be polysemous when their senses are somehow related, as long as they are not equal while homonymy is usually viewed to hold between word forms whose senses are completely unr

41、elated. Given that we have a written form with different meanings, are we to say it is one word with different meanings (polysemy) or two different words with the same shape (homonymy)? What are the criteria that enable us to distinguish between polysemy and homonymy? There are some possible ways of

42、 answering these questions. Firstly, dictionary usually bases their decision upon etymology. If it is known that identical forms have one origin, even if they have different meanings, they are treated as polysemic and given a single entry in a dictionary. If it is know that they have different origi

43、ns, they are treated as homonymous and given separate entries. Thus, on the ground of a shared etymological knowledge, table (furniture) and table (arrangement of data) are polysemic, while pupil (student) and pupil (the round opening in the middle of eye) are homonymous. Secondly, it is reasonable

44、to suggest that where the differences are regular and to some degree predictable, we have polysemy rather than homonymy. One of the most familiar kinds of regular relationship between meanings is that of metaphor where a word appears to have both a literal meaning and transferred meaning. A good exa

45、mple is the words for part of body, such as “foot in his foot” and “the foot of the mountain”. Thus, “foot” is more likely to be regarded as a polysemic word with literal meaning and transferred meaning. Thirdly, another different way of attempting to establish polysemy rather than homonymy is to lo

46、ok for a central meaning. Around the central meaning are radiations of other meanings. The word “table” as a polysemic word is a good illustration. The core of meaning is a piece of furniture, and then appears other ones extending from it, such as a dish and people sitting at table. Fourthly, it is

47、tempted to say that where the antonym is the same we have polysemy, and the difference of antonym implies homonymy. For example: “The same word black can refer to a kind of heavy color and also black people Negro. Its antonym white correspondingly has two meanings: a light kind of color; people of E

48、uropean descent.” Thus “black” belongs to polysemic word. While the word “l(fā)ight” is concerned, it has different autonyms: light- heavy, light- dark. So they are usually seen as homonyms.Its easy to distinguish homophones and homographs with polysemy for homophones have different spellings and phonog

49、raphs have different sounds. But Perfect homonyms and polysemy are fully identical regarded to spelling and pronunciation.Homonyms refer to different words, which happen to share the same forms. Polysemy is the one and same word, which has several meanings: One important criterion is to see their et

50、ymology. Homonyms are from different sources. A polysemy is from the same source, which has acquired different meaning in the course of development. The second principle is semantic relatedness. The various meanings of a polysemy are correlated and connected to some central meaning to a greater or l

51、ess degree. Meanings of different homonyms have nothing to do with one another. The third principle is to check the entry in the dictionary. A Polysemic word is under one same entry in the dictionary, while homonyms are under different entries. Polysemy and homonymy, as important concepts in lexical

52、 semantics, explore the relation between different senses. The distinction between polysemy and homonymy is important because it separates the principled from the accidental. Their pragmatic functions are noticeable, for they are stylistically useful to achieve such contextual effects as humor, iron

53、y, and heightened dramatic power. Due to the ingenious employment of polysemy and homonymy, people are impressed with their semantic power and the richness of language. Problems of Studying the Two Types of Words in Middle School EnglishVocabulary is one of the three core elements of English and fou

54、ndation of English learning. The British famous linguists, D.A. Wilkins held a view: “Without grammar, lots of things cannot be expressed; without vocabulary, nothing can be expressed.”5 Learning a new language, only accumulating a large vocabulary can only be mutual communication running smoothly.

55、For this reason, in English teaching, vocabulary teaching is very significant.However, at present, this is not hard to find that in China vocabulary teaching is a point and difficulty for both English teachers and students in middle schools. Aiming at the difficulty of learning English vocabulary, t

56、hen, take effective measures and carry on the effective teaching can get twice the result with half the effort. The primary task of putting forward solutions is to find out existing problems. That, in turn, could come up with more and better solutions.The problems of studying the two types of words

57、in middle school English can be divided into three main parts: the problem of pronouncing the English words, the problem of remembering the English words, the problem of understanding the cultural differences between western countries and our own country.A. Problem of PronunciationAs a foreign language, English is completely different from our mother tongue, whether the spelling and the pronunciation of l