10. Synonymy. Paronymy. Antonymy

1. Synonymy and its sourсes

2. Classification of synonyms

3. Paronyms

4. Antonyms

Synonymy. Synonyms.

alone – lonely

they are killed, they are slain

clever, bright, brainy, intelligent, dever-clever

experience, undergo, sustain, suffer

hope, expectation, anticipation

Synonymic dominants. Piece: slice, lump, morsel; look at: to stare, to glance, to peep; red: purple, scarlet, crimson.

1) a fresh metaphor – fresh, original, novel, striking; 2) to begin a fresh paragraph – fresh, another, different, new; 3) fresh air – fresh, pure, invigorating; 4) a freshman – fresh, inexperienced, green, raw; 5) to be fresh with smb – fresh, impertinent, rude.

Distributional difference between synonyms: bare – naked; alone, solutary, lonely; to answer a question, but to reply to a question; anxious, uneasy + about, concerned + about, for, at. Win, gain: to win a victory, to gain a victory; but: to win a war.

Interchangeability and substitution: strange, odd, queer. Strange feeling (glance, business), queer feeling (glance, business), odd feeling (glance, business).

Ch. Bally: firm, hard. Firm – loose, flabby (firm ground :: loose ground; firm chin :: flabby chin), hard – soft (hard ground :: soft ground).

Sources of synonymy.

1) borrowings from other languages. O. Jespersen

freedom (native) – liberty (French), heaven (native) – sky (Scandinavian). To ask (native) – to question (French) – to interrogate (Latin); to end (native) – to finish (French) – to complete (Latin); teaching (native) – guidance (French) – instruction (Latin).

2) dialects: gimmick – trick; radio – wireless.

3) set expressions (a verb with a postpositive): to choose – to pick out; to abandon – to give up; to enter – to come in.

4) shortening: memorandum – memo, vegetables – vegs, popular – pop.

5) conversion: commandment – command; laughter – laugh.

6) euphemisms: drunk – merry; pregnant – in the family way; dead – the late, to sweat – to perspire, to die – to pass away.

Classification of synonyms

V.V. Vinogradov: 1. Absolute synonyms. 2. Ideographic synonyms: to ascent – to mount – to climb; to happen – to occur – to befall – to chance; look – appearance – complexion – countenance. 3. Stylistic synonyms: child (neutral), infant (elevated), kid (colloquial); to die – to kick the bucket.

1) Synonyms belonging to the sphere of language.

Английский синонимический ряд с доминантой “beauty”: литературные синонимы: goddess, Venus; belle, sensation; литературные коллоквиализмы: dazzler, good-looker; pin-up; низкие коллоквиализмы: smasher; общие сленгизмы: dream, flavor, nymph; dreamboat, honey, lovely, peach; biscuit, bunny, cake, looker, poundcake; okay; специальные жаргонизмы: военный жаргонизм: charmer; молодежный жаргонизм: nectar; афро-американский жаргонизм: tender; кэнтизм: mouse.

Русский синонимический ряд с доминантой «красавица»: литературные синонимы: Афродита, гурия, краса ненаглядная; литературные коллоквиализмы: Венера; куколка; красотка, раскрасавица; специальные жаргонизмы: военные жаргонизмы: экземплярчик; кантюша, ясочка; коза, лялька, фря, чувиха; молодежные жаргонизмы: аленушка, булка, канашечка, канашка, капуста; кадра, кадришка, казебака, краля, модель, петрушка; арготизмы: бутон; аида, багира, персик; балерина, булочка, зажигалка, кукленочек, мордашка, пампушечка, пампушка, симпампушечка; цыпа.

2) Contextual synonyms (speech)

Контекстуальные синонимические ряды с доминантами “to win” / «выиграть». Win: литературные синонимы: to beat, to overcome, to overpower, to outplay, to topple; литературные коллоквиализмы: to beat up; to clinch the victory; общие сленгизмы: to pip. Выиграть: литературные синонимы: обыграть, разгромить; литературные коллоквиализмы: больно побить, взлететь до небес, обскакать, раздеть короля; разделаться; низкие коллоквиализмы: прибить; общие сленгизмы: поджарить, съесть; разделать под орех; разорвать, разорвать в клочья, рвать.

1) dialectical synonyms: lift – elevator, autumn – fall.

2) cognitive synonyms

3) terminological synonyms

4) phraseological synonyms: these to be late for a lecture, but: to miss the train, to visit museums, but: to attend lectures. A.V. Koonin: to bear / show a resemblance; cast (fling or throw) smth in smb’s teeth.

5) synonymic condensation: safe and sound, lord and master, first and foremost.

Paronyms: proscribe – prescribe; ingenious (an ingenious device, an ingenious craftsman) – ingenuous; to affect – to effect: Rain affects plant growth. Repairs to the road were effected during summer.

Malapromism – (after Mrs Malaprop, a character in Sheridan’s comedy “The Rivals”); mal a propos. To illiterate instead of to obliterate.

Antonyms

V.N. Comissarov: 1) absolute or root antonyms (late – early); 2) derivational antonyms (to please – to displease, honest – dishonest) – un-, dis-, non-; -ful, -less.

Successful – unsuccessful, selfless – selfish.

Active – inactive (contradictory notions); ugly – plain – good-looking – pretty – beautiful (contrary notions).

Leonard Lipka «Outline of English Lexicology»

a) complementary, e.g. male – female; John is not married – John is single

b) antonyms, e.g. big – small, good – bad: John is good – John is not bad; John is not good ≠ John is bad. Hot – warm – tepid – cold.

c) converseness, e.g. to buy – to sell, husband – wife, pupil – teacher, preceed – follow, above – below, before – after. John bought the car from Bill – Bill sold the car to John. Also in the comparative form: Y is smaller than X, then X is larger than Y.

Directional opposition: up – down, consiquence opposition: learn – know, antipodal opposition: North – South, East – West. Come – go, arrive – depart.

Many-member lexical sets: hot, warm, tepid, cool, cold; black, grey, white; marshal, general, colonel, major, captain; excellent, good, average, fair, poor; spring, summer, autumn, winter.

1) Beautiful – ugly, to beautify – to uglify, beauty – ugliness; 2) respect – scorn, to respect – to scorn, respectful – scornful, to live – to die, alive – dead, life – death; 3) here – there, up – down, now – never, before – after, day – night, early – late.

Polysemantic word: bright – dim, dull, sad. Criticism – praise; criticism (essay) – no antonym.

Far and near, form first to last, play fast and loose. By accident – on purpose; up to par and below par.

Antonymic pairs: above – below, absent – present, alike – different. Broad / wide – narrow.