Verb based approximations in Polish as a first language: acquiring and structuring the verbal lexicon
Verb based approximations in Polish as a first language: acquiring and structuring the verbal lexicon

Summary/Abstract: The article provides a study of two elements involved in the acquisition of Polish as a first language. The first element is lexical hierarchy of verbs. We observe that, when acquiring the verbal lexicon of a first language, learners use a large number of generic verbs, such as 'kroić' ('to cut') or '(roz)bić', '(z)łamać and '(po)psuć' ('to break'). These verbs may be used in non-conventional statements. The second element is non-conventional statements based on verbs, such as 'Rozbiera drewno' ("She undresses the wood'). These statements are considered as errors, over-extentions or metaphors. But we assert that these statements reflect a semantic flexibility which is essential to the acquisition of the (verbal) lexicon when learning a first language. We believe that verbal lexicon is organized through semantic proximity. This is in agreement with several other authors' works.

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