VI. Semasiology
Synonyms
Synonyms are two or more words belonging to the same part of speech and possessing one or more identical or nearly identical denotational meaning and interchangeable in some context. In a synonymic group there is a word which is called dominant member. It is characterized by the highest frequency in usage compared with other words of the group. It represents a kind of centre in synonymic group holding it together.
The only existing classification system for synonyms was established by academician V. V. Vinogradov.
According to the difference in conotational and denotational meaning we distinquish:
Ideographic (which he defined as words conveying the same notion but differing in shades of meaning). Among them are those that:
very close in meaning: nice – good-looking; excellently- perfectly;
denote the same thing but differ in their emotional colouring: decidedly- obviously, apparently, clearly, evidently.
differ in manner of action: to learn- to study;
pairs of synonyms when one expresses continuity of the action or state, another expresses elementary action: to say- to talk- to speak- to conversate.
differ in volume of concept they express: well-good- excellent-perfect;
differ in the degree of quality, in intensity of an action: to wish- to desire.
There are so many different classifacations of synonyms. Accordingly some of the synonyms belong to child talk. In our text the author used the word “father”. But it is possible to say “daddy”.
Antonyms
Antonyms are two or rarely more words at the same language belonging to the same part of speech, identical in style and nearly identical in distribution, associated and used together so that their denotative meanings render contrary or contradictory notions.
V. N. Komissarov in his dictionary of antonyms classified them into two groups (morphological classification):
1. good – ill;bad; weak; nasty; sour; inferior; deplorable; naughty (absolute or root antonym);
2. usual- unusual;uncommon; transcendental; portentous; outlandish; offbeat; non-conventional; king-size; unaccustomed; uncivil; out-of-the-way (derivational);
3. to please - to displease (derivational);
4. consistent – inconsistent (derivational);
5. poor – rich; rich; abundant; wealthy; plentiful; ample; profuse; ; well-off; opulent; moneyed; oofy; superb; redundant; pinguid; bounteous; affluent; pursy; rife; plenteous; copious (absolute or root antonym);
6. wise – unwise; foolish; silly; unreasonable; irrational; brute; ill-judged; crack-brained; insensate; footling; witless (derivational);
7. pretty – ugly; monstrous; frightful; miscreated; malformed (absolute or root antonym);
8. young – old; aged; ancient; decrepit; age-old; old-aged; gray-headed; hoary; ole; advanced; superannuated; moth-eaten; dilapidated; auld; olden (absolute or root antonym);
9. frequently – rarely; seldom; uncommonly (absolute or root antonym);
10. gentle – rude; tactless; tasteless; impolite; uncivil; clumsy; gauche (absolute or root antonym).
Homonymy:
Homophonous:
plain [pleɪn] звичайний (про людину, характер); - plane [pleɪn] площина;
know [nəu] знати; - no [nəu] ні;
some [sʌm] дехто, деякі; - sum [sʌm] сума;
see [siː] бачити, дивитися; - sea [siː] море;
for [fɔː] для; four [fɔː] чотири;
made [ meid] – зробив; зроблений; maid [meid] – покоївка;
hour [auə] година - our ['auə] наш, наша, наше, наші;
Homographs:
Absolute homonyms:
quick (швидко; швидкий); - quick (живопліт);
young (молодий); - young (молодь);
shine (світло; світити); - shine (скандал);
edge (повільно просуватися); - edge (лезо); - edge (ребро);
point (крапка; бал) – point (робити паузи); - point (пожвавлювати);
Paronyms :
bean [bi:n] – квасоля, біб; been [bi:n] – Past Form of to be.
graceful ['greɪsf(ə)l] граціозний; елегантний; - grateful (вдячний);
most [məust] (найбільш); - mist [mɪst] – туман.