Novel dynamics in semantic ambiguity processing

Insights from a Semitic language

Bibliographic Data

ID14810694
AuthorsSami Boudelaa (0000-0002-1870-7202, United Arab Emirates University, corresponding author), Noha Fathi (Pharos University in Alexandria), Sameh Al Ansary (Pharos University in Alexandria)
Year2026
Volume146
Pages104709
Publication date2026-02-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Memory and Language (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0749-596X • E-ISSN: 1096-0821
PublisherElsevier BV (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1016/j.jml.2025.104709
OpenAlexW4416797036
LanguageEN
References cited54

This study investigates the effects of semantic ambiguity in Arabic, a Semitic language with a unique root–pattern morphological structure, using lexical decision and semantic categorization tasks. Across five experiments, the study contrasted the processing of polysemous and homonymous words with that of unambiguous controls, examining how task demands modulate ambiguity effects. These findings reveal an early-stage processing advantage for both polysemes and homonyms during morphological decomposition, facilitated by shared root activation. In tasks emphasizing deeper semantic processing or the recombination of morphological components, polysemes demonstrate a robust advantage owing to cooperative dynamics among related senses, whereas homonyms show a processing disadvantage. Task specificity further shapes outcomes: smaller, well-defined categories minimize homonym competition, whereas broader categories amplify it. These results highlight the interplay between morphological decomposition and recombination in shaping lexical access and clarifies how cross-linguistic structure affects ambiguity processing

Ambiguity · Semitic languages · Language and cultural evolution · Neurobiology of Language and Bilingualism · Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation

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