Definition of synonyms and their classification

Synonyms are 2 or more worlds of the same meaning, belonging to the same part of speech, possessing 1 or more identical meaning, interchangeable at least in some context, but, differing, in morphemic composition, phonemic shape shades of meaning, connotation, affective value, style, and emotional coloring peculiar to one of the elements in a synonymic group.

Classification

The only existing codification of synonyms was establish by Vinogradov. He classify synonyms into 3 big groups.

1. Ideographic words conveying the sane notion but different in shades of meaning (battle/fight)

2. Stylistic synonyms – words differing in stylistic characteristics ( put off/ to postpone)

3. Absolute synonyms – words coinciding in all their shades of meaning and stylistic characteristics (pilot – airman-flyer – flyingman)

However the following aspects of Vingradov’s classification are open to desiccation due to the vagueness of the suggested terms and definitions. A more affective approach to the classification of synonyms was suggested by Antrushina’s.

This classification besides on curtain differences in connotation:

1. connotation of intensity ( to shout – to yell – to bellow – to roar)

2. emotive connotation ( alone – single – lonely – solitary)

3. evaluative ( sparkle – to shine with amusement – good humor and happiness)

4. stylistic connotation ( snack – refreshment – feast)

5. the connotation of duration (shudder – brief action – to shiver – lasting action)

6. causative (blush – from modesty, shame, embarrassment, to redden, - from indignation)

7. of manner ( to stroll-to trot to-peace – to – stumble)

8. connotation of attended circumstances ( to pip – to pear)

9. connotation of attended features (beautiful – pretty)

After considering the sets of synonyms words we shall see that each synonymic groups comprises a dominant element:

Expresses notion common to all synonyms of the group in the most general way without contributing any additional information to the manner or intensity of the referent (to look – synonymic domination of ‘pip, peer, stare).

We can underline the following characteristic of the dominant:

1. high frequency of usage

2. broad combinability – ability to be used in combinations with various classes of words

3. broad general meaning

4. lack of connotation

Definition of antonyms and their classification

Antonyms are 2 or more words of the same language belonging to the same part of speech and to the semantic field identical in style and nearly identical in distribution associated and used together so that their denotative meaning renders opposite notions.

Classification

The first possible way of classify antonyms is by grouping them according to the type of notion they express into:

1. contradictory antonyms (внутренне противоречивые) express mutually opposed and denying one another action ( male – not female)

2. Contrary antonyms (противоречащие) – so opposed to each other that the language admits possibilities between and beyond them. (old – young)

By John Lyons:

1. Antonyms proper. They are regularly gradable. (love – attachment – liking- dislike – antipathy – hate)

2. Complementary antonyms imply self – denial (prose – poetry)

3. Conversives denote one and the same referent as viewed from different angles that of the subject and that of the object ( to teach – to learn)

4. Revesives designate the reverse or the undoing of the action expressed by one of them (to tie – to untie)