|
In linguistics, a homonym is one of a group of words that share the same spelling or pronunciation (or both) but have different meanings. The state of being a homonym is called homonymy. Examples of homonyms are stalk (which can mean either part of a plant or to follow someone around) and the trio of words to, too and two (actually, to, to, too, too and two, being "for the purpose of" as in "to make it easier", the opposite of "from", also, excessively, and "2", respectively). Some sources state that homonym meanings must be unrelated in origin (rather than just different). Thus right (correct) and right (opposed to left) would be polysemous (see below) and not be homonyms. In botanical nomenclature, a homonym is a botanical name that is identical in spelling to another botanical name, when these names apply to different taxa. ...
In zoological nomenclature, a homonym is a zoological name that is identical in spelling to another such name, that belongs to a different taxon. ...
Note that some sources define homonyms as words that are spelled and pronounced alike. There is a similar confusion about the definition of some of the related terms described below. This article explains what appear to be the "standard" meanings, and variant definitions are then summarised under "Terminological confusion".
The word "homonym" comes from the conjunction of the Greek prefix homo- (meaning same) and suffix -onym (meaning name). Thus, it refers to two or more distinct words sharing the "same name". Words in English with the suffix -onym (from the Greek onoma which means name) refer to words with a particular property. ...
Related terms Several similar linguistic concepts are related to homonymy, and some are considered sub-types of homonyms. This variety stems in part from the fact that the term 'homonym' is ambiguous, as there are a number of ways that two meanings can share the 'same name'. Related terms include: - Homography. Homographs are homonyms that share the same spelling. Homographs may be pronounced the same, in which case they are also homophones – for example, bark (the sound of a dog) and bark (the skin of a tree). Alternatively they may be pronounced differently, in which case they are also heteronyms – for example, row (argument) and row (propel with oars). ("Homograph" also has a specialised meaning in typography, where it may be used as a synonym for homoglyph.)
- Homophony. Homophones are homonyms that share the same pronunciation. Homophones may be spelled the same (in which case they are also homographs) or spelled differently (in which case they are heterographs). Homographic examples include desert (to abandon) and desert (a thing deserved). Heterographic examples include to, too, two, and there, their, they’re.
- Heteronymy. Heteronyms are homonyms that share the same spelling but have different pronunciations. That is, they are homographs which are not homophones. Such words include desert (to abandon) and desert (arid region). Heteronyms are also sometimes called heterophones. ("Heteronym" also has a specialized meaning in poetry; see Heteronym (literature).)
- Polysemy. Polysemes are words with the same spelling and distinct but related meanings. The distinction between polysemy and homonymy is often subtle and subjective, and not all sources consider polysemous words to be homonyms. Words such as "mouth", meaning either the orifice on one's face, or the opening of a cave or river, are polysemous and may or may not be considered homonyms.
- Capitonymy. Capitonyms are homonyms that share the same spelling but have different meanings when capitalized (and may or may not have different pronunciations). Such words include polish (to make shiny) and Polish (from Poland).
In derivation, homograph means "same writing", homophone means "same sound", heteronym (somewhat confusingly) means "different name", and heterophone means "different sound". Look up homograph in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...
This article is about the term in linguistics. ...
In linguistics, heteronyms (also known as heterophones) are words with identical spellings but different pronunciations and meanings. ...
In typography, a homoglyph is one of a pair of characters with shapes that are visually identical or nearly identical. ...
This article is about the term in linguistics. ...
In linguistics, heteronyms (also known as heterophones) are words with identical spellings but different pronunciations and meanings. ...
Look up heterophone in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...
In poetry, a heteronym is one or more imaginary character(s) created by a poet, to write in different styles. ...
Polysemy (from the Greek πολυσημεία = multiple meaning) is the capacity for a sign to have multiple meanings. ...
For other uses, see Cave (disambiguation). ...
For other uses, see River (disambiguation). ...
A capitonym is a word that changes its meaning (and sometimes pronunciation) when it is capitalized, and usually applies to capitalization due to proper nouns or eponyms. ...
Terminological confusion There is considerable confusion and contradiction in published sources about the distinction between homonyms, homographs, homophones and heteronyms. Significant variant interpretations include: - Chambers 21st Century Dictionary [1] defines a homonym as "a word with the same sound and spelling as another, but with a different meaning" (italics added). Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary [2] also says that a homonym is "one of two or more words spelled and pronounced alike but different in meaning" (italics added), but appears to also give homonym as a synonym for either homophone or homograph.
- Cambridge Dictionary of American English [3] defines homonym as "a word that is spelled the same as another word but that does not have the same meaning" (the same as what above is called a homograph).
- The entry for homonym in The Encyclopaedia Britannica (14th Edition) states that homographs are "words spelt but not sounded alike", and homophones are "words alike only in sound [i.e. not alike in spelling]" (italics and comment added).
- Homographs are defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as words that are spelled and pronounced the same as another but with a different meaning, thus excluding pairs such as desert (abandon) and desert (arid region).
- The Encarta dictionary [4] defines heteronym as "each of two or more words that are spelled the same, but differ in meaning and often in pronunciation" (italics added).
- The "Fun with Words" website [5] says that a heteronym is "One of two (or more) words that have the same spelling, but different meaning, and sometimes different pronunciation too" (in other words, what is called a homograph above).
Further examples A further example of a homonym which is both a homophone and a homograph is fluke. Fluke can mean: All four are separate lexemes with separate etymologies, but share the one form, fluke*[6]. Classes Monogenea Trematoda Cestoda Turbellaria Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Platyhelminthes Wikispecies has information related to: Platyhelminthes The flatworms (Phylum Platyhelminthes from the Greek platy, meaning flat and helminth, meaning worm) are a phylum of relatively simple soft-bodied invertebrate animals. ...
For other uses, see Anchor (disambiguation). ...
This article is about the animal. ...
This article is about fortune. ...
Definition A lexeme is an abstract unit of morphological analysis in linguistics, that roughly corresponds to a set of words that are the same in basic meaning. ...
Not to be confused with Entomology, the scientific study of insects. ...
Similarly, a river bank, a savings bank, a bank of switches, and a bank shot in pool share only a common spelling and pronunciation, but not meaning.
The words bow and bough are interesting because there are two meanings associated with a single pronunciation and spelling (the weapon and the knot); there are two meanings with two different pronunciations (the knot and the act of bending at the waist), and there are two distinct meanings sharing the same sound but different spellings: (bow, the act of bending at the waist, and bough, the branch of a tree). In addition, it has several related but distinct meanings - a bent line is sometimes called a 'bowed' line, reflecting its similarity to the weapon. Thus, even according to the most restrictive definitions, various pairs of sounds and meanings of bow and bough are homonyms, homographs, homophones, heterophones, heterographs, and are polysemous.
- bow - To bend forward at the waist in respect (e.g. "bow down")
- bow - the front of the ship (e.g. "bow and stern")
- bow - the weapon which fires arrows (e.g. "bow and arrow")
- bow - a kind of tied ribbon (e.g. bow on a present, a bowtie)
- bow - to bend outward at the sides (e.g. a "bow-legged" cowboy)
- bough - a branch on a tree. (e.g. "when the bough breaks...")
Homonymy in historical linguistics Homonymy can lead to communicative conflicts and thus trigger lexical (onomasiological) change[1]. This is known as homonymic conflict. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...
External links This article
has been illustrated as part of WikiProject WikiWorld. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...
Wiktionary (a portmanteau of wiki and dictionary) is a multilingual, Web-based project to create a free content dictionary, available in over 150 languages. ...
Image File history File links Size of this preview: 490 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (600 × 734 pixel, file size: 477 KB, MIME type: image/png) This file was previously uploaded as Image:Buffalo buffalo comic. ...
Image File history File links Size of this preview: 490 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (600 × 734 pixel, file size: 477 KB, MIME type: image/png) This file was previously uploaded as Image:Buffalo buffalo comic. ...
(Click image for full size version.)
References - ^ On this phenomenon see Williams, Edna R. (1944), The Conflict of Homonyms in English, [Yale Studies in English 100], New Haven: Yale University Press, Grzega, Joachim (2004), Bezeichnungswandel: Wie, Warum, Wozu? Ein Beitrag zur englischen und allgemeinen Onomasiologie, Heidelberg: Winter, p. 216ff., and Grzega, Joachim (2001d), “Über Homonymenkonflikt als Auslöser von Wortuntergang”, in: Grzega, Joachim (2001c), Sprachwissenschaft ohne Fachchinesisch: 7 aktuelle Studien für alle Sprachinteressierten, Aachen: Shaker, p. 81-98.
|
Feeds |
Contact