Polysemy

                     Polysemy


A polyseme is a word or phrase with different, but related senses. Since the test for polysemy is the vague concept of relatedness, judgments of polysemy can be difficult to make. Because applying pre-existing words to new situations is a natural process of language change, looking at words' etymology is helpful in determining polysemy but not the only solution; as words become lost in etymology, what once was a useful distinction of meaning may no longer be so. Some apparently unrelated words share a common historical origin, however, so etymology is not an infallible test for polysemy, and dictionary writers also often defer to speakers' intuitions to judge polysemy in cases where it contradicts etymology. English has many words which are polysemous. For example, the verb "to get" can mean "procure" (I'll get the drinks), "become" (she got scared), "understand" (I get it) etc.

In vertical polysemy a word refers to a member of a subcategory (e.g., 'dog' for 'male dog').A closely related idea is metonym, in which a word with one original meaning is used to refer to something else connected to it.

There are several tests for polysemy, but one of them is zeugma: if one word seems to exhibit zeugma when applied in different contexts, it is likely that the contexts bring out different polysemes of the same word. If the two senses of the same word do not seem to fit, yet seem related, then it is likely that they are polysemous. The fact that this test again depends on speakers' judgments about relatedness, however, means that this test for polysemy is not infallible, but is rather merely a helpful conceptual aid.

Polysemy is the association of one word with two or more distinct meanings. A polyseme is a word or phrase with multiple meanings. Adjective: polysemous or polysemic.

In contrast, a one-to-one match between a word and a meaning is called monosemy. According to William Croft, "Monosemy is probably most clearly found in specialized vocabulary dealing with technical topics" (The Handbook of Linguistics, 2003).

When a word or phrase has several meanings, you can describe that word as polysemous. One word that's famously polysemous is "bank."
You can choose a pronunciation for this adjective with stress on the second or third syllable since most dictionaries give both. Polysemous is a word lover's favorite, since it's about the meanings of words — lots of them in this case. Its complementary buddy is monosemous, which describes words that have only one meaning. The Greek root of polysemous is polysemos, "of many senses."


When a word or phrase has several meanings, you can describe that word as polysemous. One word that's famously polysemous is "bank."
You can choose a pronunciation for this adjective with stress on the second or third syllable since most dictionaries give both. Polysemous is a word lover's favorite, since it's about the meanings of words — lots of them in this case. Its complementary buddy is monosemous, which describes words that have only one meaning. The Greek root of polysemous is polysemos, "of many senses."

Examples


I  went walking this morning

We went for a walk last Sunday

Do you walk the dog every day?

I live near Meadow Walk Drive

The wardrobe is too heavy to lift; we’ll have to walk it into the bedroom (move a large object by rocking).

She walks the tower (to haunt a place as a ghost).

The workers threatened to walk (to go on strike).

Walk with God! (to live your life in a particular way)




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