A lexico-semantic variant (LSV), its notion

Members of a word structure related in their meanings are called LSVs (Pr. Smirnitsky’s term): signs which are identical in all features but their lexical meanings. The extent of their semantic difference is confined to variation only, the idea of variation suggests the presence of a certain common component of meaning (invariant part) in all LSVs of a word.

Linguistic analysis shows that the invariant part of meanings may be presented as:

1. The whole content of the basic direct LSV;

2. part of the basic meaning in either the centre of the other or on their periphery;

3. a certain common part of meaning contained by all LSVs of the same polysemantic word;

4. The common semantic part may be latent or implied.

3. Types of relations b/w LSVs

The interconnection b/w the members of the polysemantic structure falls into 3 types:

1. Subordination reveals the hierarchical arrangement of a number of units which are dependent due to the semantic component on the basic direct nominative LSV as derived and figurative. It expresses itself in 2 types:

- Irradiation when all the units depend on the basic one,

- Concatenation which means the chain coexistence of meanings, the dependence of each on the preceeding one.

2. Coordination means the semantic equalityof the units, their relative autonomy and independence of each other.

3. Mixed type which is characterized by the presence of both S and C.

Among the notional classes P is most typical of the verb. The adjective ranks the second, the noun is least of all polysemantic.

1. Types of LSVs

1. the way of naming – direct/ figurative

2. the dependence of one on the other – basic/ derived

3. etymologically – primary/ secondary, modern/ archaic

4. abstract/ concrete

5.logical/ emotional

6.general/particular

7.frequent/ rare

8.neutral/ stylistically marked

9.common/ dialectal

Types of Modern English Homonymy

The definition of homonyms

Homonyms (homos “the same” and onoma “name”) are words which are identical in sound and spelling, or, at least, in one of these aspects, but different in their meaning.

As for their stylistic function they are accidental creations, and therefore purposeless. In the process of communication they lead sometimes to confusion and misunderstanding and are one of the most important sources of popular humour. From the point of view of their morphological structure they are mostly one-morpheme words.

2. The origin of homonyms: phonetic changes, borrowings, word-building (conversion, shortening, sound-imitation), split polysemy.

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