A study on Thai students’ use of the polysemic Korean verb '놓다/Nohda/

Abstract

This research seeks to investigate the importance of acquiring and utilizing polysemic verbs in Korean among Thai students. The study, involving 86 Thai students, revealed that 97.7% acknowledged the significance and necessity of learning polysemic verbs. They expressed a desire to acquire knowledge of polysemic Korean verbs during their classes to employ them appropriately in diverse contexts. Furthermore, 88.3% of students expressed an interest in understanding the Thai meanings of these verbs for use in various contexts.

Regarding the proficiency in using the polysemic verb '놓다' both objective and subjective tests, comprising 30 items across 26 meanings with a passing criterion of 60%, indicated that Thai students could accurately translate the meanings of '놓다' into Thai in 16 questions. These accurate translations primarily pertained to the fundamental meanings of the verb, resembling the Thai concepts of "placing" or "releasing" various objects, both abstract and concrete. Students demonstrated the ability to discern and anticipate meanings based on context.

However, 1 4 questions were consistently answered incorrectly. The analysis revealed that questions answered incorrectly by over 60% of students often involved extended meanings of '놓다,' which Thai students struggled to translate accurately. Conversely, they correctly answered over 60% of the objective test questions, indicating their ability to distinguish the primary meanings of '놓다' and use them appropriately in various contexts.

Nevertheless, they found it challenging to discern and predict extended meanings, even when provided with example situations or specific contexts.