Novel dynamics in semantic ambiguity processing: insights from a Semitic language

Abstract

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.