语言学论文 The study of synonymy

The study of synonymy

Definitions: The word“synonym”means a word or expression that has the same or nearly the same meaning as another in the same language. The word “synonymous” means having the same, or nearly the same meaning. The word “synonymy’means the fact of two or more words or expressions having the same meaning. Introduction：English is rich in synonyms for historical reasons. In the English, vocabularies there are two categories of words: native words and borrowed words. “Synonym” originated from the Greek, “Syn “is a word equivalent to the English preposition" with". In addition, with the English in the world to be popularized widely and has been used by more and more people, and American English influence in near-synonym is more and more obvious. But American English and British English in spelling are not only different, but also stylistic differences. For example, in British English elevator, petrol, tube, corresponds respectively to American English in lift, gasoline, subway. But there are also some vocabulary experts believe that, because of the etymology of the word spelling, pronunciation, and other differences, there is no absolute synonyms.

1 semantic differential

Synonyms are divided into absolute synonyms and relative synonyms. For example, detach, dismantle and dismember are" open" meaning, in another words, they have the common center of semantic features, but its expression semantics is not exactly the same. Detach means from the big things took a small part or the part and whole separately, such as" detach a link from a chain". Dismantle means something or machine is split into a separate parts, such as" dismantle a faulty motor"; dismember refers to remove a part, especially the harm caused by the segmentation, such as" He was dismembered by a pack of wolves."

2 emotional differentials

We use words not only because convey information but also express our emotion. According to the emotion, we can divide the words into three parts, complimentary words, pejorative words, neuter words.

There is a common representation of the human form of synonyms. Such as someone want to express the meaning of “thin". The words slender, thin, skinny, but these three words in the expression of emotion is different. Slender is a commendatory term, suggesting that the" thin" give a person a kind of be good to hear or see feeling, containing praise meaning, can be translated as “slender". Skinny and slender instead,

also means that although the" thin", this" thin" not become beautiful, but can let a person associate to pitiable, not health and the like, can be translated as " skinny" become as emaciated as a fowl". “Thin” between slender and skinny, a neutral word, neither means that also does not represent a disgraced. Under this circumstance, we must first distinguish with the different words, and then according to the context of the tips to make correct judgment.

3. Collocation differential

Some synonyms differ in their collocation, i.e. in the words they go together with. This is a matter of usage. For example, when we want to say that someone has done something wrong or even criminal, we can use accuse, charge, rebuke, but they are followed by different prepositions---accuse of, charge with, rebuke of. Mastering the usage of synonyms can help us choose the right answers according to their prepositions.

In our daily life, when we describe “a group of something", we use: a flock of…, a herd of…, a school of…, a pride of…, a pack of… but these phrases describe different animals, that is flock of sheep , a herd of cows ∕buffalo , a school of whales , a pride of lions , a pack of wolves ∕dogs.