- •Affixation. Classifications of affixes. Productive and non-productive affixes, dead and living affixes.
- •Word-composition. Types of compound words. Criteria for their classification.
- •Shortening. Types of shortening.
- •16. Conversion. Different views on conversion. Semantic relations within converted pairs.
- •18. Semasiological and onomasiological perspectives of the English lexicon.
- •19. Approaches to the definition of word meaning: functional, referential and others.
- •20. Types of word meaning.
- •21. Semantic change and transference of meaning.
- •A theory of semantic field. Thematic groups.
- •Neologisms. Their sources and formation.
- •24. Polysemy. Semantic structure of English words. Diachronic and synchronic approaches to polysemy
- •25. Homonyms. Classifications and sources of homonyms
25. Homonyms. Classifications and sources of homonyms
Homonyms are words which have the same form but are different in meaning. "The same form" implies identity in sound form or spelling, i.e. all the three aspects are taken into account: sound-form, graphic form and meaning.
Both meanings of the form "liver'' are, for instance, intentionally present in the following play upon words; "Is life worth living ? - It depends upon the liver". The most widely accepted classification of homonyms is that recognising homonyms proper, homophones and homographs.
Homonyms proper (or perfect, absolute) are words identical in pronunciation аnd spelling but different in meaning, like back n. "part of the body" - back adv. "away from the front" - back v. "go back"; bear n. "animal" - bear v, "carry, tolerate". Homophones are words of the same sound but of different spelling and meaning: air - heir, buy - by, him - hymn, steel - steal, storey - story.
Homographs are words different in sound and in meaning but accidentally identical in spelling: bow [bou] - bow [bau], lead [li:d] - lead [led].
Homoforms - words identical in some of their grammatical forms. To bound (jump, spring) - bound (past participle of the verb bind); found (establish) -found (past participle of the verb find).