Unveiling the Nuances of Visual Perception Verbs: A Corpus-Based Study of English Synonyms “GAZE”, “GLARE”, and “GLIMPSE”
คำสำคัญ:
COCA, Corpus-based Study, Synonyms, Collocation, Genresบทคัดย่อ
This corpus-based study explores the lexical and semantic distinctions among the English verbs gaze, glare, and glimpse, which are commonly perceived as interchangeable by many EFL learners. The research was motivated by recurring confusion observed in university classrooms where Thai and Chinese students frequently misused these verbs in writing and speaking tasks. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the study draws data from the Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA) to analyze the frequency, genre distribution, collocational patterns, and semantic preferences of the three verbs. Quantitative analysis revealed that gaze is predominantly found in fictional and narrative texts, glare in contexts involving media and intensity, and glimpse in academic and abstract discourse. Collocational analysis showed that gaze frequently occurs with facial and spatial nouns, glare with sources of light and public scrutiny, and glimpse with abstract and metaphorical concepts. Semantic preference analysis confirmed that each verb aligns with distinct conceptual domains and prosodic tendencies: gaze reflects introspective observation, glare conveys confrontation or intensity, and glimpse suggests brief or partial insight. These findings highlight the limitations of dictionary-based instruction and underscore the pedagogical value of corpus-informed approaches. By uncovering subtle yet systematic differences, the study provides practical insights for improving vocabulary instruction and enhancing learners’ lexical precision. It also recommends further research into learner corpora and classroom-based applications to promote data-driven vocabulary learning in EFL contexts.
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