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A corpus-based analysis of the near-synonyms complex, complicated, and intricate |
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| รหัสดีโอไอ | |
| Title | A corpus-based analysis of the near-synonyms complex, complicated, and intricate |
| Creator | Sirada Harnchuwongsakul |
| Contributor | Rangsiya Chaengchenkit, Advisor |
| Publisher | Thammasat University |
| Publication Year | 2568 |
| Keyword | Corpus-based study, Near-synonyms, Collocation, Semantic preference, Formality, COCA (Corpus of Contemporary American English) |
| Abstract | This corpus-based study examines the English near-synonymous adjectives ‘complex’, ‘complicated’, and ‘intricate’ in terms of their noun collocates, semantic preferences, and degrees of formality. Data were collected from the Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA). The top thirty noun collocates of each adjective were selected using frequency and Mutual Information (MI) scores, while concordance lines were used to examine contextual meanings. Although the three adjectives share the meaning of non-simplicity, their usage differs. ‘Complex’ was associated with structures, and scientific contexts, ‘complicated’ with problems and processes, and ‘intricate’ with patterns, artistry, and detailed structures. Semantically, ‘complex’ emphasized analytical complexity, ‘complicated’ highlighted difficulty, and confusion. ‘intricate’ focused on precision and elaborate detail. Regarding formality, ‘complex’ was most frequent in academic writing, ‘complicated’ occurred across spoken and written genres, and ‘intricate’ appeared more often in descriptive writing. The findings suggest that these adjectives are not completely interchangeable and show the value of corpus-based analysis for vocabulary learning and accurate word choice. |
