POLYSEMY

What is polysemy ? Polysemy is the existence of several meanings for a single word or phrase. In other words it is the capacity for a word, phrase, or sign to have multiple meanings i.e., a large semantic field. Polysemy is a pivotal concept within the humanities, such as media studies and linguistics. Definition polysemy according by :

 

“Polysemy study is of fundamental importance to any inquiry study into the semantic structure of a language” (Herrman, 2003).

“Polysemy as etymology of the word itself suggests, is the ability of linguistic sign to have more meanings synchronically” (Memushaj, 2006).

            There two approaches to study polysemy namely :

1.      Diachronic Approach

If polysemy is viewed diachronically it is understood as the growth and development or as a change in semantic structure of the word. Polysemy in diachronic term implies that a word may retain its previous meaning or meanings and at the same time acquire one or several new ones.  

According to this approach in the semantic structure of a word two types of meaning can be singled out: the primary meaning and the secondary meaning.  

In the course of a diachronic semantic analysis of the polysemantic word table we find that of all the meanings it has in Modern English, the primary meaning is ‘a flat slab of stone or wood’, which is proper to the word in the Old English period; all other meanings are secondary as they are derived from the primary meaning of the word and appeared later.

2.      Synchronic Approach

Synchronically polysemy is understood as the coexistence of various meanings of the same word at a certain historical period of the development of the English language. In the course of a synchronic semantic analysis of the world table all its meanings represent the semantic structure of it. The central (basic) place in the semantic structure occupies the meaning ‘a piece of furniture’. This emerges as the central (basic) meaning of the word, and all other meanings are marginal (minor) meanings.

The central meaning occurs in various and widely different contexts, marginal meanings are observed only in certain contexts. There is a tendency in modern linguistics to interpret the concept of the central meaning in terms of the frequency of occurrence of this meaning. The word table in the meaning of ‘a piece of furniture’ possesses the highest frequency of value and makes up the highest percent of all uses of this word.  

Example of polysemy :

References :

http://www.afv.gr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=161:polysemy-a-homonymy&catid=121:miscellaneous&Itemid=352

https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:K9h1zWXnIfAJ:https://ciu.nstu.ru/kaf/persons/1570/a/file_get/146647%253Fnomenu%253D1+&cd=6&hl=en&ct=clnk