Research On Application Of Prototype Theory To English Polysemy

This paper made an explanation for the existence of polysemy by adopting the view of prototype theory, and analyzed the reasons and devices of polysemy phenomenon. According to prototype theory, several meaning items of a word evolved from prototype item, and shows degrees of family resemblance and degrees of membership to the prototype. Explanation of polysemy can make students realize the inherent and substaintial connection among different meanings, and know the rule of words development. With the knowledge of metaphor and metonymy, students can know about the cause and devices of word development, which lay a solid foundation for them. English vocabulary teaching based on prototype theory can change the former way on the basis of boring memory, thereby stimulate students'interest to improve English vocabulary learning.