Homonym

Definitions

 

Homonyms are two or more words that have the same sound or spelling but differ in meaning. Adjectives: homonymic and homonymous.

Generally, the term homonym refers both to homophones (words that are pronounced the same but have different meanings, such as pair and pear) and to homographs (words that are spelled the same but have different meanings, such as "bow your head" and "tied in a bow").

Note that some dictionaries and textbooks define and distinguish these three terms in different ways. Some equate homonyms only with homophones (words that sound the same). Others equate homonymns only with homographs (words that look the same). See the observations below by Tom McArthur and David Rothwell. Also see Homophones and Homographs: An American Dictionary, 4th ed., by James B. Hobbs (McFarland & Company, 2006).

In linguistics, a homonym is one of a group of words that share the same pronunciation but have different meanings, whether spelled the same or not. A more restrictive definition sees homonyms as words that are simultaneously homographs (words that share the same spelling, regardless of their pronunciation) andhomophones (words that share the same pronunciation, regardless of their spelling). The relationship between a set of homonyms is called homonymy. Examples of homonyms are the pair stalk (part of a plant) and stalk (follow/harass a person) and the pair left (past tense of leave) and left (opposite of right). A distinction is sometimes made between "true" homonyms, which are unrelated in origin, such as skate (glide on ice) and skate (the fish), and polysemous homonyms, or polysemes, which have a shared origin, such as mouth (of a river) and mouth (of an animal).

In non-technical contexts, the term "homonym" may be used (somewhat confusingly) to refer to words that are either homographs or homophones. The words row (propel with oars) and row (argument) and row (a linear arrangement of seating) are considered homographs, while the words read (peruse) and reed (waterside plant) would be considered homophones; under this looser definition, both groups of words represent groups of homonyms.

 

Example Homonym

Homonym	Contoh Kalimat Homonym
bat (noun = kelelawar) bat (noun = pemukul)	Bats may have rabies like dogs or cats. (Kelelawar mungkin rabies seperti anjing atau kucing.)
	The boy hit a thief with an aluminium baseball bat last night. (Anak itu memukul seorang pencuri dengan  tongkat baseball aluminium semalam.)
can (modal = dapat) can (noun = kaleng)	I can‘t make up my mind whether to buy a car or house. (Saya tidak dapat memutuskan membeli mobil atau rumah.)
	That can may made of aluminium. (Kaleng itu mungkin terbuat dari aluminium.)
fine (adjective = bagus) fine (noun = denda)	She looked fine yesterday. (Dia tampak baik kemarin.)
	You should pay the fine or go to the court. (Kamu harus membayar denda atau pergi ke pengadilan.)
left (past tense = meninggalkan) left (adverb = kiri)	He left the room 30 minutes ago. (Dia meninggalkan ruangan 30 menit yang lalu.)
	Turn left at the post office. (Belok kiri di kantor pos.)
light (noun = lampu) light (adjective = terang)	The hurricane damaged many traffic lights. (Angin topan merusak banyak lampu lalu lintas.)
	I prefer a light color for my furniture. (Saya lebih suka warna yang terang untuk mebel.)
match (noun = geretan) match (noun = pertandingan)	He can light a fire with one match. (Dia dapat menyalakan api dengan satu korek.)
	I’ll watch the live match online. (Saya akan menonton pertandingan langsung itu secara online.)
stalk (noun = tangkai, batang) stalk (verb = mengikuti)	This vegetable has grayish-green stalks. (Sayuran ini mempunyai batang hijau keabu-abuan.)
	I’m not interested to stalk him on facebook or twitter. (Saya tidak tertarik untuk mengamatinya di facebook atau twitter.)
tie (verb = mengikat) tie (noun = dasi)	My friend tied the box with a red ribbon. (Teman saya mengikat kotak itu dengan pita merah.)
	He wanted to know how to put a tie on properly. (Dia ingin tau bagaimana memakai dasi dengan benar.)

• Accept (to receive) and Except (excluding)
• Acts (things done) and Ax (chopping tool)
• Ad (advertisement) and Add (short for addition)
• Affect (to influence) and Effect (result)
• Aid (to assist) and Aide (an assistant)
• Air (stuff we breath) and Heir (one who will inherit)
• Aisle (walkway) and Isle (island)
• Allusion (an indirect reference) and Illusion (a misconception)
• Ant (insect) and Aunt (parent's sister)
• Bald (hairless) and Bawled (cried aloud)
• Band (a group) and Banned (forbidden)
• Capital (city) and Capitol (wealth and resources)
• Climactic (great intensity) and Climatic (weather conditions)
• Days (more than one day) and Daze (to bewilder)
• Die (to become dead) and Dye (coloring agent)
• Elicit (to bring out) and Illicit (unlawful)
• Emigrate from (leave one country) and Immigrate to (enter another country)
• Fair (even-handed) and Fare (payment)
• Fairy (imaginary magic person) and Ferry (river-crossing boat)
• Gilt (gold-plated) and Guilt (did wrong)
• Gorilla (large ape) and Guerrilla (military soldier)
• Knead (working bread dough) and Need (must have)
• Mail (postal delivery) and Male (masculine person)
• Principle (a basic truth) and Principal (head of a school/sum of money)
• Scene (visual location) and Seen (past tense of saw)
• Than (a comparison) and then (shows time)
• There (a place) and Their (belongs to them) and They're (they are)
• To (a preposition) and Too (an adverb) and Two (a number)
• Your (possessive pronoun) and You're (you are)

References

http://grammar.about.com/od/fh/g/homonymterm.htm

http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-homonyms.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homonym

http://www.wordsmile.com/pengertian-contoh-kalimat-homonym-inggris

Polysemy

Polysemy

Polysemy is the condition of a single lexical item having multiple meaning.

Polysemy is the ability of words to have more than one meaning. Polysemy or "many meaning" is the name given to this phenomenon, which is not necessarily restricted only to words, but can also be found in morphemes and phrases.

When a word or phrase has several meanings, you can describe that word as polysemous. One word that’s famously polysemous is “bank”.

A polyseme the phenomenon of having or being open to several or many meanings. When a word has several very closely related senses or meanings. Polysemous word is a word having two or more meanings. For example, foot in : - He hurt his foot ; - She stood at the foot of the stairs.

Two Approaches Of Polysemy

Polysemy in diachronic terms implies that a word may retain its previous meaning and at the same time acquire one or several new ones. The main question of diachronic approach is which meaning came first, e.g. table, n. ‘a flat slab of stone or wood’ (primary meaning); ‘a piece of furniture’, ‘the food put on the table’, ‘people seated at a table’ (secondary meanings).

Synchronically polysemy is understood as co-existence of various meanings of the same word at a certain historical period and the arrangement of these meanings in the semantic structure of a word. Synchronic typology of meaning is concerned with the opposition of main and derived meanings.

Examples:

Man

1.      The human species (i.e., man vs. animal)

2.      Males of the human species (i.e., man vs. woman)

3.      Adult males of the human species (i.e., man vs. boy)

Mole

1.      a small burrowing mammal

2.      consequently, there are several different entities called moles

Newspaper

1.      a company that publishes written news.

2.      a single physical item published by the company.

3.      the newspaper as an edited work in a specific format (e.g. "They changed the layout of the newspaper's front page").

Wood

1.      a piece of a tree

2.      a geographical area with many trees

Crane

1.      a bird

2.      a type of construction equipment

3.      to strain out one's neck

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polysemy

http://www.hznu.cn/jpkc/yychx/uploadfiles/CAI/web/unit14.htm

http://mybiblioteka.su/tom2/3-98023.html

https://ciu.nstu.ru/.../146647%3Fnomenu%3D1

http://learningcommunity-akbar.blogspot.co.id/2009/11/homonimy-polysemy-and-hyponymy.html

Hyperbole

HYPERBOLE

Hyperbole Definition

Hyperbole, derived from a Greek word meaning “over-casting” is a figure of speech, which involves an exaggeration of ideas for the sake of emphasis.

It is a device that we employ in our day-to-day speech. For instance, when you meet a friend after a long time, you say, “Ages have passed since I last saw you”. You may not have met him for three or four hours or a day, but the use of the word “ages” exaggerates this statement to add emphasis to your wait.  Therefore, a hyperbole is an unreal exaggeration to emphasize the real situation. Some other common Hyperbole examples are given below.

Common Examples of Hyperbole

• My grandmother is as old as the hills.
• Your suitcase weighs a ton!
• She is as heavy as an elephant!
• I am dying of shame.
• I am trying to solve a million issues these days.

It is important not to confuse hyperbole with simile and metaphor. It does make a comparison but unlike simile and metaphor, hyperbole has a humorous effect created by an overstatement.

Hyperbole is a figure of speech that uses an exaggerated or extravagant statement to create a strong emotional response. As a figure of speech it is not intended to be taken literally. Hyperbole is frequently used for humour. Examples of hyperbole are:

• They ran like greased lightning.
• He's got tons of money.
• Her brain is the size of a pea.
• He is older than the hills.
• I will die if she asks me to dance.
• She is as big as an elephant!
• I'm so hungry I could eat a horse.
• I have told you a million times not to lie!

The media and the advertising industry often use hyperbole (which may then be described as hype or media hype).

Hyperboles Add Excitement and Fun

A boring story can come to life or become comical with the use of a hyperbole. Some examples of hyperboles include:

• “I’ve told you a million times”
• “It was so cold, I saw polar bears wearing jackets”
• “She is so dumb, she thinks Taco Bell is a Mexican phone company”

Here are some common examples of hyperboles:

• I am so hungry I could eat a horse.
• I have a million things to do.
• I had to walk 15 miles to school in the snow, uphill.
• I had a ton of homework.
• If I can’t buy that new game, I will die.
• He is as skinny as a toothpick.
• This car goes faster than the speed of light.
• That new car costs a bazillion dollars.
• We are so poor; we don’t have two cents to rub together.
• That joke is so old, the last time I heard it I was riding on a dinosaur.
• They ran like greased lightning.
• He's got tons of money.
• You could have knocked me over with a feather.
• Her brain is the size of a pea.
• He is older than the hills.

References

http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-hyperboles.html

https://www.englishclub.com/vocabulary/figures-hyperbole.html

www.literarydevices.net/hyperbole/