9.6. Sources of synonymy

The distinction between synchronic & diachronic treatment is fundamental, but the 2 aspects are interdependent & cannot be understood without 1 another. In the past: the majority focused on the prominent part of foreign loan Ws in English synonymy: freedom :: liberty / heaven :: sky.

From Lat.: to interrogate, abdomen, to collect, vacuous, to complete, to ascend, instruction. Native English Ws: to ask, belly, to gather, empty, to end, to raise, teaching. Stylistically neutral simple native Ws, literary Ws borrowed from French & Ws of Greco-Latin origin are learned Ws.

Native English words	Words borrowed from French	Words borrowed from Latin
to ask	to question	to interrogate
belly	stomach	abdomen
to gather	to assemble	to collect
empty	devoid	vacuous
to end	to finish	to complete
to rise	to mount	to ascend
teaching	guidance	instruction

Semantic & stylistic properties may change → stylistic Syns may become ideographic, & vice versa.

The introduction of a borrowed W starts some alteration in the newcomer & in the semantic structure of existing Ws. Many Ws marked in the dictionaries as archaic / obsolete have dropped out in the competition of Syns; others survived with a meaning more / less removed from the original one. → Syn differentiation, an inherent law of language development.

Syns influence each other semantically in 2 ways: dissimilation, assimilation.

Assimilation = parallel development. H. Treble & G. Villains: the pejorative meanings acquired by wench, knave & churl (originally ‘girl’, ‘boy’ & ‘laborer’) ← many Syn terms to hand.

There are Ws that come from dialects, in the last 150 years, from AmE in particular. → BrE speakers use both elements: gimmick :: trick, dues :: subscription, long distance (telephone) call :: trunk call, radio :: wireless. Synonyms from other dialects: clover:: shamrock, liquor :: whiske (Irish), girl :: lass, lassie / charm :: glamour (Scottish).

Syns are created by means of all W-forming processes productive in the language at a given time. The already existing Ws develop new meanings. New Ws are formed by affixation / loss of affixes, conversion, compounding, shortening, & being coined, form Syns to those already in use. Of special importance: shift of meaning, new combinations of Vs with postpositives & compound Ns formed from them, shortenings, set expressions & conversion.

Set expressions of a V with a postpositive are widely used in ME & are 1 of its characteristic features. Many verbal Syn groups contain such combinations: to choose :: to pick out; to abandon :: to give up; to continue :: to go on; to enter :: to come in; to lift :: to pick up; to postpone :: to put off; to quarrel :: to fall out; to return :: to bring back.

Many compound Ns denoting abstract notions, persons & events are correlated with them: arrangement :: layout; conscription :: call-up; regeneration :: feedback; reproduction :: playback; resistance :: fight; treachery :: sell-out.

Frequently Syns, mostly stylistic, but sometimes ideographic as well, are due to shortening: memorandum :: memo; vegetables :: vegs; margarine :: merge; microphone :: mike; popular (song) :: pop (song).

Conversion: laughter :: laugh.

Different affixation: anxiety :: anxiousness, effectively :: effectiveness; loss of affixes: amongst :: among, await :: wait.