9.5. Interchangeability

The interchangeability of Syns is tested by substitution. Syns have certain common ground within which they are interchangeable without alteration of meaning. Ask & inquire may be used indiscriminately when not followed by any object: “& where do you live now, Mr. Gillespie?” Mrs. Pearson inquired.

Substitution in different contexts → probing interchangeability & bringing into relief the difference in intellectual, emotional & stylistic value of each W. An additional procedure (Ch. Bally): assigning to the Ws suitable Ants. The difference between firm & hard → firm contrasts with lose & flabby, the opposite of hard is soft.

The meaning of a W is conditioned by the meaning of other Ws forming the same vocabulary system, especially of those in semantic proximity. High & tall are defined by their valency (tall about people) & in relation to each other (how far they are interchangeable & what their respective Ants are). A building may be high & tall. High is a relative term ‘greatly raised above the surface / the base’: a table is high if it exceeds 75 cm; a hill of 100 meters is not high. The same relativity is characteristic of low. Tall is used about objects whose height is greatly in excess of their breadth / diameter & whose actual height is great for an object of its kind: a tall man, a tall tree. The Antm is short.

The area where substitution is possible is very limited. Outside it all replacement destroys the beauty & precision / makes the utterance vague, ungrammatical & unintelligible. → The knowledge of where each Syn differs from another is of paramount importance for correctness of speech.

The distinctions between Ws similar in meaning are often very fine & elusive → some special instruction is necessary even for native speakers → the great number of books of synonyms.

TEFL. It is convenient to explain the meaning of a new W through its previously learned Syn: additional associations in, no necessity of a native W. Discrimination of Syns which may be confused is more important. Translation ≠ a criterion of synonymy. Several English Ws of different distribution & valency are translated into Russian by 1 & the same W (also, too, as well).

Contextual Syns are similar in meaning only under some specific distributional conditions. Bear, suffer, stand are only interchangeable in the negative form.

Total synonymy, where the members of a Syn group can replace each other in any context, without alteration in denotative / emotional meaning & connotations, is an extremely rare occurrence: terms (N & substantive, functional affix, flections & inflection). No connotations, stylistic characterization does not vary, no ideographic / stylistic oppositions. The interchangeability is theoretical & cannot be materialized in an actual text.

Misunderstood interchangeability: different dialect names for the same plant, animal / agricultural implement ≠ total (absolute) Syns.