Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
Sense Relations and Semantic Field, Student Name: Edgar Sanum - Coggle…
Sense Relations and Semantic Field
Words are arbitrary symbols with independent identities in spelling and pronunciation, but semantically, they are related through sense relations, including polysemy, homonymy, synonymy, antonymy, and hyponymy.
Polysemy
Modern English predominantly has polysemous words with multiple senses, initially monosemic. Over time, the same symbol must be used to convey multiple meanings.
Two Approaches to Polysemy
Diachronic approach & Synchronic approach
Diachronic approach
Polysemy is a result of the semantic structure of a word, which initially had one primary meaning and later derived meanings over time.
Synchronic approach
Polysemy in Modern English refers to the coexistence of various meanings of a word, with the core meaning being the core and derived meanings being secondary.
Homonymy
Homonyms are words with different meanings, either identical in sound and spelling or identical only in sound or spelling.
Homonyms can be classified into three classes based on their degree of similarity: perfect homonyms, homographs, and homophones.
Perfect homonyms are words with identical sound and spelling but different meanings, such as bear (a large animal) and date (a fruit), which can refer to boys or girls.
Homographs are spelling-unrelated words with different sound and meanings. Bow, a greeting, is a bow used for shooting arrows, while sow, a device for scattering seeds, refers to female adult pigs.
Homophones are words with identical sound but different spelling and meaning. Examples include "deer" for an animal, "right" for correctness, "write" for writing, and "rite" for ceremonial procedures.
Perfect homonyms and polysemants
Perfect homonyms and polysemants are identical in spelling and pronunciation, with homonyms coming from different sources and polysemants from the same source.
Synonymy
English, known for its numerous synonyms, has lost many of its original meanings, as seen in Beowulf's use of 'hero' and 'prince'.
Type of Synonyms
Absolute synonyms are identical words, while relative synonyms are similar or nearly the same in denotation, such as stagger, reel, or totter.
Source of Synonyms
The text discusses borrowing, dialects, regional English, figurative and euphemistic usage, and idiomatic expressions in native and foreign English, as well as their usage in various contexts.
Difference in connotation
Some words, like "answer/respond," "handy/manual," "homely/domest," and "storm/tempest," have the same denotation but differ in stylistic appropriateness, like French and Latin.
Difference in application
Synonyms like "allow" and "let" can be used interchangeably, but their usage varies. Empty and vacant are synonyms for "empty" and "vacant," respectively.
Student Name: Edgar Sanum
