NewArchive / 34 - Synchronic and diachronic approach to polysemy

34. - Synchronic and diachronic approach to polysemy

Semantic structure of a word is not stable and may be different at different periods of language development. That’s why a word’s semantic structure is studied either synchronically, at a certain period of time, or diachronically, in the process of its historical development.

Synchronic approach

The synchronic approach to a word’s semantic structure aims to register various meanings of polysemantic words, their value and character of their relations.

The meaning that first comes to our mind or is understood without special context , the one that can be representative of the whole semantic structure of a word, is called the basic, central or major meaning; it is placed first in the synchronical dictionaries. Other meanings are called peripheral or minor.

Synchronically, polysemy is

1. T coexistence of various Ms of T same W at a certain historical period of T development of T Eng L

2. T arrangement of these Ms in T semantic structure of a W

3. T order in which Ms are enumerated in the dictionary is not arbitrary

T 1^st M is basic/central, all other Ms are minor/marginal in comparison

 table – a piece of furniture

Minor Ms are only observed in certain contexts

 to keep T table amused

4. T frequency of occurrence in speech of individual Ms is an objective criterion of their value

 table – a piece of furniture – possesses T highest frequency value

5. ! T stylistic stratification of Ms of a polisemantic W – they may differ in their stylistic reference

 yellow ‘colour’ – neuteral ; ‘sensational’ – both slang & American

Stylistically neuteral Ms are more frequent

Diachronic approach

If semantic structure is viewed diachronically, then its historical development, change of meaning becomes central.

The meaning first registered in the language is called primary and is placed first in the historical dictionaries. Other meanings are secondary, derived and are placed after the primary one.

Due to historical changeability of semantic structure, the primary meaning of a word may disappear in the course of time or may not be the most representative for the whole structure or one of the secondary meanings may become major\ central. For example, the primary meaning of the adjective sweet was “pleasant to the taste” and the meaning “one of the four basic sensations, like that of sugar” was its derivative, while in modern English the latter has become central and now is placed first in dictionaries

Diachronically, polysemy is a historical change in T semantic structure of T W resulting in

1. disappearance of some Ms or/& in new Ms being added to T ones already existing

2. T rearrangement of these Ms in its semantic structure

The semantic structure is never static, the relationship between the diachronic and synchronic evaluation of individual meanings may be different in different periods of the historical development of language.

The actual arrangement of meanings in the semantic structure of any word in any historical period is the result of the semantic development of this word within the system of the given language.