Resolving Polysemy Complexity

Defined by dictionary.com as “diversity of meanings“, Polysemes give second language learners of English a complete headache. To illustrate the polysemous nature of English, let’s pick two words in English and explore the different shades of meaning represented by all its polysemes:

Dictionary compilers wonder how many definitions to include in their word collection- an absolute semantic challenge. How will learners overcome this problem? What does it mean to know a word? How extensive should our knowledge of a word to consider our vocabulary wide?

AJ Hoge of Effortless English Online course suggested useful rules in learning English. First of these rules is “Learn Phrases”. Not individual words but phrases. Research by Dr. James Asher proves that learning with phrases is 4-5 times faster than studying individual words. 4-5 Times Faster.

Also, students who learn phrases have much better grammar. So, let’s follow this rule: “Always Study and Review Phrases, Not Individual Words.” Never study a single, individual word. Never.

When you find a new word, always write down The Phrase it is in. Always. When you review, always review all of the phrase,.. not the word. When you write, write in phrases.

This post has the same context as one in aspiring linguist's blog.