04.03.2013 antonyms

It’s very seldom that one synonym may be substiututed with another one without the change in the meaning of the whole utterance, norm, style and here we come across the phenomenon of word valency. Such words as to ask, to question and to interrogate are typical synonyms. To establish the difference between them, we should take into account their typical situations of functioning, their most frequent combinations with other words. “the teacher questions the pupils, the judge interrogates the witnesses, ” while to ask is the dominant. High and tall are synonyms but in some combinations, like a tall man, their substitution is impossible. Words also, too, as well mean the same, but they can’t be interchanged as their positions in the sentence are different. We may say that too and either are synonyms, but they become such within appropriate contexts only. (I can swim too. I can’t swim either.) According to the character of interchangeability, there are several groups of synonyms:

1. Contextual

Showing synonymy only in appropriate contexts. I can’t stand it. I can’t bear it.

2. Relative

Talent-gift, love-adore/ The treatment of such words is a debatable question, because they denote different notions, but not different degrees of the same notion. In the majority of cases relative synonyms can’t substitute each other

3. Total

Complete interchangeability without the slightest alteration in denotative or emotional meanings or connotations. Examples can be found in special literature among terms. Flexion-inflexion.

Every writer in science normally uses only this or that word in his research to avoid confusion in terminology – interchangeability of terms is morea theoretical problem which can hardly be actualized in a non-scientific texts.

Sources of synonymy.

Not only diachronical or synchronical approaches, their combination.

1. The most important- the borrowing process from other languages. Otto Yasperson noted that English is rich in synonyms because in the course of history the speech of the community was influenced by Britons, Romans< Saxons and Normans. From the stylistic point of view we may note that simple-native words within a synonymic group are usually neutral. French are literary, from Greek – learned. To ask – native, to question – French, to interrogate- Latin. Belly-native, stomach-French, abdomen- Latin. Empty-native, French – devoid of, Latin – vacuus. To end-native, to finish-French, to complete- Latin

2. Words coming from dialects, language variants, which occupy middle position between borrowed words and not borrowed ones. The most active was the process of borrowing from American English. Br.E. a trunk call – long-distance call, a lorry- a truck, a lift –an elevator, trick –gimmick, the line is engaged – the line is busy. English girl-Scottish lassie, charm-glamour,Englih-Irish liquor-whiskey, clover – St. Patrick’s flower, shammock

3. Development of new meaning by the existing words. Synonymy of drug names – pot, grass, dope, shit, cannabis, monkey (1 kilo of drugs).

4. New words form synonyms to the existing ones by the way of affixation, conversion, compounding, shortening. Content, contents; amongst- among; effectivity-effectiveness, laugh-laughter.

5. Appearance of phrasal verbs being a very strong process in Modern English, functioning with the existing ones: to choose and pick out, to abandon, to return – to come back, to return – to give back, to postpone-to put off.’

6. Development of phraseology

7. Euphemisation of speech to die-to be no more, to pass away, to breathe one’s last, to go the way of all flesh, to join the silent majority.

ANTONYMS.

2 or more words of the same language belonging to the same part of speech and semantical field, identical in style, associated and used together but having contradictory of contrary denotative meanings. There are absolute antonyms of different rules – right-wrong, derivational antonyms only with negative affixes. As a rule, a pair of derivational antonyms forms a binary opposition which permits no elements in between. Absolute antonyms represent 2 members of a gradual opposition with possibility of some intermediary elements between them.

Beautiful pretty good-looking plain ugly. Pretty and plain are antonyms. Besides, there are complementary antonyms which don’t permit any intermediary elements. Male-female, war-peace, wealth-poverty, almost every word in the languahe has one or nore synonyms, but few have t synonys. Antonymy is especially characteristic of qualitative adjectives. Antonymy is manifested in the words derived Unlike synonyms, antonyms make pairs. But there are cases when the language offer 3 or more words showing antonymivc reletion eiyh eacs o’’sot arm c999l, cold)

Polysemantic words may find antonyms only in some of their meanings, a short story-long story, short man-tall man, to be short with someone – to be polite with someone, to be civil with someone. Though antonyms are known as words of opposite meanings, their drmanti cstructures show some civil features, to be ashamed of-to be proud of. Linguists also notea special class which is named of conversives. Pairs of conversives may denote one and the same question and situation, Purchase and sll, buy and sell, father and child. It should also be noted thatconversive realtions, that’s those of ntonymy is quite possible within the structure of the same word. Marry marry Mary-JKonh; It is of special importance to show antonumic relation between language forms while compiling vocabularu, especially theseaurus.