Polysemy Is the plurality of meanings A word that has more than one meaning is called polysemantic
Polysemy Monosemantic words (words having only one meaning) are few in number (mainly, scientific termsPolysemy Monosemantic words (words having only one meaning) are few in number (mainly, scientific terms ) The majority of English words are polysemantic (the number of meanings ranging from 5 to over 100) The commoner the word, the more meanings it has
Polysemy is typical of English due to the monosyllabic character of the English vocabularyPolysemy is typical of English due to the monosyllabic character of the English vocabulary due to the predominance of root words
Polysemy Exists in the language, not in speech Any word used actually has only one meaningPolysemy Exists in the language, not in speech Any word used actually has only one meaning which is referred to as contextual
Polysemy The sum total of many contexts in which the word may occur permits to observePolysemy The sum total of many contexts in which the word may occur permits to observe and record cases of identical meaning and cases that differ in meaning The analysis of the word’s recurrent meanings enables to make up its semantic structurePolysemy Is the plurality of meanings A word that has more than one meaning is called polysemantic
POLYSEMY
Written by: Baiduisennova Zhansaya
Polysemy
1. POLYSEMY
2. HISTORICAL CHANGEABILITY OF
SEMANTIC STRUCTURE
3. POLYSEMY AND CONTEXT. TYPES OF
CONTEXT.
POLYSEMY
• Polysemy – is the ability of a word to
possess several meanings or lexicosemantic
variants (LSV), e.g. bright means “shining”
and “intelligent”.
• Monosemantic word a word having only
one meaning;
• Polysemantic word a word having several
meanings is called
Defenition of Polysemy
is a word or phrase with
multiple meanings
Polysem
y
The relationship between
a word with two or more
different meanings
HISTORICAL CHANGEABILITY OF SEMANTIC
STRUCTURE
• The semantic structure is never static, the
relationship between the diachronic and
synchronic evaluation of individual
meanings may be different in different
periods of the historical development of
language.
• The primary meaning of the word may
become synchronically one of its marginal
meanings and diachronically a secondary
meaning may become the central
meaning of the word.
POLYSEMY AND CONTEXT
• Context is the minimum stretch of
speech determining each individual
meaning of the word.
• Context can be linguistic (verbal) or
extra-linguistic (non-verbal).
Linguistic context can be subdivided
into lexical and grammatical.
•
•
In the grammatical context it is the
grammatical (syntactic) structure of the
context that serves to determine various
individual meanings of a polysemantic word.
The meaning of the verb to make – ‘to force,
to induce’ is found only in the grammatical
context possessing the syntactic structure
‘to make+pronoun+verb (to make sb laugh,
work, dance).
observed in the context of a different
syntactic structure –
to make+adj+noun (to make a good wife,
good teacher).
Another meaning of this verb – ‘to become’ is
Extralinguistic context
• When the meaning of a word is ultimately
determined by the actual speech situation
in which the word is used, i.e. by the
extra-linguistic context (or context of
situation), e.g. John was looking for the
glasses, -
the meaning of word glasses has two
readings ‘spectacles’ or to ‘drinking
vessels’ .
It is possible to state the meaning of the
word glasses only through the extended
context or situation
The Example
of Polysemy :
Rahma, why is your
head swollen?
swelling due to hit the
wall when I was happy
to hear my father was
appointed as
headmaster
Head
1. why is your head swollen?
Meaning => Part of Body
2. I was happy to hear my father was
appointed as headmaster
Meaning => Leader the school
The related is Location
position both above
Vina, why do you
look this book so
serious?
Nothing,, I just
think that the spine
of book is similar
hard to our spine.
Spine
Nothing,, I just think that the spine of book is
similar hard to our spine.
1. The spine of book
Meaning => the back of the book is
used as a paper holder
2. our spine
Meaning => spine behind the holder
the body
The related is location and function
Location : both are located behind
Function : buffer, holder
Nella,, what's wrong
with you, why do you
look so upset?
because I'm tired
and my eyes were
tired as it
continues to try to
put the thread into
the eye of the
needle, but have
not been
successful.
eye
Because I'm tired and my eyes were tired as it
continues
to try to put the thread into the eye of the needle, but
have not been successful.
1. my eyes
Meaning => Part of body
2. the eye of the needle
Meaning => there is a small hole on one
end of the needle
The related is Structure
both small and oval
Guys, Have you
already take the
lavender flowers
at the foot of the
mountain to your
girlfriend?
not yet, maybe
tomorrow
because my the
right foot still
hurt
Foot
1. Guys, Have you already take the lavender flowers
at the foot of the mountain to your girlfriend?
Meaning => most parts of the mountain under
the
brush with land
2. not yet, maybe tomorrow because my the right
foot still hurt
Meaning => part of body and used to walk
The related is Location
The position both under
polysemy.pptx
