Jonas Salk

6 3.8

A scientist who developed the first successful polio vaccine

proper noun
/ˈdʒoʊnəs sɔk/

: Jonas Salk

The famous scientist Jonas Salk developed the first polio vaccine.

Examples

Jonas Salk was celebrated worldwide for his groundbreaking work on the polio vaccine.
Many medical students study the achievements of Jonas Salk in their coursework.
After creating the vaccine, Jonas Salk became an advocate for public health initiatives.
Jonas Salk was born in 1914.
Jonas Salk was celebrated worldwide for his groundbreaking work on the polio vaccine.
Many medical students study the achievements of Jonas Salk in their coursework.
After creating the vaccine, Jonas Salk became an advocate for public health initiatives.

Surface Forms

Jonas Salk main

Morphology

Jonas + Salk

This is a proper name referring to a specific person; the individual lexical items 'Jonas' and 'Salk' are personal names with no compositional semantic content that would indicate 'developer of the polio vaccine.' Knowing the constituent names does not let a B1 learner infer the biographical or professional meaning, so this item requires world knowledge rather than transparent composition.

Etymology

Jonas Salk was an American doctor who developed the 'first successful polio vaccine' in the 1950s. Because he helped stop a very dangerous childhood disease, his name is now known for that scientist and his life-saving vaccine.