Abstract
This paper explores the role of verb frames in semantic difficulty. We built a textbook corpus based on textbooks in primary schools, and the grades of the textbooks were treated as semantic difficulty levels. The difficulty levels were furthered mapped onto the performance of verb frames. The study found that the verb-frame diversity is highly correlated with semantic difficulty level with statistical significance and that the distribution of verb frames may correspond to the skill theory (Fischer & Corrigan, 1981) in cognitive language development. The skill theory could be used to group verb frames by tiers and roughly predict their distributional trends. Thus, verb frames could be helpful as a semantic reference for textbook planning and readability assessment.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | ExLing 2021 |
| Subtitle of host publication | Proceedings of 12th International Conference of Experimental Linguistics |
| Editors | Antonis Botinis |
| Place of Publication | Athens, Greece |
| Publisher | International Society of Experimental Linguistics |
| Pages | 153-156 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Oct 2021 |
| Event | 12th International Conference of Experimental Linguistics (ExLing 2021) - University of Athens, Athens, Greece Duration: 11 Oct 2021 → 13 Oct 2021 https://exlingsociety.com/past-proceedings/#2021 https://exlingsociety.com/past-conferences/ |
Publication series
| Name | ExLing Proceedings |
|---|---|
| ISSN (Electronic) | 2529-1092 |
Conference
| Conference | 12th International Conference of Experimental Linguistics (ExLing 2021) |
|---|---|
| Place | Greece |
| City | Athens |
| Period | 11/10/21 → 13/10/21 |
| Internet address |
Research Keywords
- verb frames
- semantic difficulty
- textbooks
- readability
- skill theory
RGC Funding Information
- RGC-funded