Lexicology week 2

We have already mentioned that the inner form of the word (i.e. its meaning) presents a
structure which is called the semantic structure of a word.
Yet, before going deeper into the problem, it is necessary to make a brief survey of
another semantic phenomenon which is closely connected with it. It is the problem of
polysemy, about which we are going to speak.
The semantic structure of a word does not present an indissoluble unity (that is, actually,
why it is referred to as “structure”), nor does it necessarily stand for one concept. It is
generally known that most words convey several concepts and thus possess the
corresponding number of meanings. A word having several meanings is called polysemantic,
and the ability of words to have more than one meaning is described by the term polysemy.
Two somewhat naïve but at the same time frequently asked questions may arise in
connection with polysemy:
1. Is polysemy an anomaly or a general rule in English vocabulary?
2. Is polysemy an advantage or disadvantage so far as communication is concerned?
Let us deal with both these questions together.
Polysemy is certainly not an anomaly. Most English words are polysemantic. It should be
noted that the wealth of expressive resources of a language largely depends on the degree to
which polysemy has developed in the language. Sometimes people who are not very well
informed in linguistic matters claim that a language is lacking in words if the need arises for
the same word to be applied to several different phenomena. In actual fact, it is exactly the
opposite: if each word is found to be capable of conveying, let us say, at least two concepts
instead of one, the expressive potential of the whole vocabulary increases twofold. Therefore,
a well-developed polysemy is not a drawback but a great advantage for a language.
On the other hand, it should be pointed that the number of sound combinations that
human speech organs produce is limited. Therefore at a certain stage of language
development the production of new words by morphological means becomes limited, and
polysemy becomes increasingly important in providing the means for enriching the
vocabulary. From this, it should be clear that the process of enriching the vocabulary does
not consist merely in adding new words to it, but, also, in the constant development of
polysemy.
The system of meanings of any polysemantic word develops gradually, mostly over
centuries, as more and more new meanings are either added to the old ones, or oust some of
them. So the complicated processes of development involve both the appearance of new
meanings and the loss of old ones. Yet, the general tendency with English vocabulary at the
modern stage of its history is to increase the total number of its meanings and in this way to
provide for a quantitative and qualitative growth of the language’s expressive resources.
Without polysemy the alternative is unthinkable: it would mean that we would have to
store in our brains a tremendous stock of words, with separate names for any possible subject
we might wish to talk about; it would also mean that there would be no metaphors and the
language would thus be robbed of much of its expressiveness and flexibility.
The frequency of polysemy in different languages is a variable depending on a number
of factors. The progress of civilization will make it necessary not only to form new words but
to add fresh meanings to old ones. It would be interesting to explore over a wider field the
relation between polysemy and cultural progress.

Consider Your answers to the Following

1. What is lexicology? What does the term “lexicology” stand for? What are the main
problems of lexicology?
2. Speak about the problem of the definition of the word as a linguistic phenomenon.
3. What are the structural aspects of a word?
4.What is the external structure of the word irresistible? What is the internal structure of
this word?
5.Speak about the formal unity of a word. Why is it not quite correct to say that a word is
indivisible?
6.Explain why the word blackboard can be considered a unity and why the combination of
words a black board does not possess such a unity.
7.What is understood by the semantic unity of a word? Which of the following possesses
semantic unity – a bluebell or a blue bell?.
8. Give a brief account of the main characteristics of a word.
9.Explain the term “polysemy”.
10.Is polysemy an anomaly or a general rule in English vocabulary? Is it an advantage or
disadvantage so far as communication is concerned?
11. How does the system of a polysemantic word develop?
12.What are the benefits of polysemy?

II. Define the meanings of the words in the following sentences. Say how many meanings of
the same word are associated one with another.

1. I walked into Hyde Park, fell flat upon the grass and almost immediately fell asleep.
2.a) ‘Hello”, I said, and thrust my hand through the bars, whereon the dog became silent and
licked me.
b)At the end of the long bar, leaning against the long counter was a slim, pale individual
wearing a red bow-tie.
3.a) I began to search the flat, looking in boxes to see if I could find a key.
b)I tumbled with a sort of splash upon the keys of a ghostly piano.
c)Now the orchestra is playing yellow cocktail music and the opera of voices pitches a key
higher.
d)The authority of his voice set the key for the newspaper report next morning.
4.a) Her mouth opened crookedly and she shot a few words at one like pebbles.
b)Would you like me to come to the mouth of the river with you?
5.a)I sat down fer a few minutes with my head in my hands, until I heard the phone taken up
inside.
b)The minute hand of the electric clock jumped on to figure twelve.
6.a)My head felt as if it were on a string and someone were trying to pull it off.
b)He possessed more power than many heads of the state.

III. Explain the different meanings and different usages, giving reasons for your answers.

smart, adj.
smart clothes, a smart answer, a smart house, a smart garden, a smart officer, a smart blow, a
smart punishment
stubborn, adj.
a stubborn child, a stubborn look, a stubborn horse, a stubborn resistance, a stubborn
fighting, a stubborn cough, stubborn depression
sound, adj
sound lungs, a sound scholar, a sound tennis-player, sound views, sound advice, sound
criticism, a sound whipping
root, n.
edible roots, the root of the tooth, the root of the matter, the root of all evil
perform, v.
to perform one’s duty to perform an operation, to perform a dance, to perform a play
kick, v.
to kick the ball, to kick the dog, to kick off one’s slippers, to kick smb downstairs