Polysemantic words and homonyms. Classification of homonyms

Polysemy is an ability of a word to have more than one meaning. The most of words in English are polysemantic.

Homonyms are words which are spelled and pronounced in the same way but have different meanings that are not connescted with each other. Sources of homonyms:

1) Phonetic changes in the course of time: knight – night;

2) Borrowing: write – right – rite;

3) Types of word-building:

a) Onomatopoeia: bang – челка, ударять;

b) Contraction: rep – ткань, репертуар, репетиция;

c) Conversion (by some linguists)

4) Split polysemy – the words used to have something in common, but lost their connection: board – доска, стол, совет директоров.

Homonyms are subdivided into: homonyms proper (plant – завод, цветок), homophones (made - maid) and homographs (bow – 1. кланяться, 2. лук).

Another classification was suggested by Smirnitskiy A.I.:

1) Full homonyms (spelling, pronunciation, part of speech);

2) Partial homonyms:

a) Simple lexico-grammatical homonyms belong to the same part of speech and coincide only in one not corresponding form (to found [V1] – found [V2,3]);

b) Complex lexico-grammatical homonyms belong to different parts of speech and coincide only in one form (rose [n] – rose [V2]);

c) homonyms belong to the same part of speech but coincide only in their corresponding forms (to can).

20. Synonyms and antonyms. Euphemisms

Synonyms are words with the same or close meaning. Criteria: 1) conceptual – the same concept but different shades of meaning; 2) semantic – the same denotative but different connotative meanings; 3) interchangeability – should be able to substitute each other at least in the same context.

Classification of Vinogradov V.V.

1) Ideographic – the same concept but different shades of meaning;

2) Stylistic – the same meaning but different stylistic characteristics;

3) Absolute – fully coincide.

Dominant synonym is the main word in the group of synonyms that has no connotations.

Antonyms are words with opposite meanings.

Euphemism is a word or expression used to substitute rude or forbidden expression.