STUDENTS’ MISINTERPRETATION OF POLYSEMOUSOCABULARY IN LEGAL ENGLISH READING COMPREHENSION
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63506/jilc.1002.518Keywords:
Legal English; misinterpretation; polysemous vocabulary; reading comprehensionAbstract
This study investigates final-year university students’ self-reported experiences of misinterpreting polysemous vocabulary in legal English reading comprehension. Using a descriptive mixed-methods approach, the study found that that students reported a tendency to select familiar everyday meanings, in which they perceived as contributing to legally inaccurate interpretations. Key perceived difficulties included limited legal domain knowledge, the complexity of legal texts, and reliance on AI translation tools and general dictionaries. While students attempt to use re-reading and legal verification as coping mechanisms, these strategies are often inconsistently applied or perceived as insufficient against the dominance of general language habits. The findings ultimately advocate for explicit pedagogical instruction to help students prioritize legal-semantic reasoning over everyday intuition. Notably, the study emphasizes that true comprehension in this field requires a systematic integration of both linguistic proficiency and specialized legal concepts.
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