Ex.:
- - family - She lost both of her parents.
- - parent - Envy is the parent of all evils.
- My family comes from Scotland.
- The cat family includes lions & tigers. (семейство кошачьих)
- A family of languages, etc.
There are monosemantic words:
Ex.:
- a lorry
- a loudspeaker
In case of polysemy, we deal with modification of the content plane.
Different meanings of one & the same word are closely interrelated.
Polysemy is a result of:
1. Shifts in application (сдвиг в употреблении)
Ex.: adj. red (red ink (is really red), red hair, red deer, red cabbage, red Indian)
2. Specialization
Ex.: partner
Basic meaning; a type of relationship between 2 or more people.
- business partner
- marriage partner
- partner in crime
3. Metaphorical extension (a fundamental feature of any language)
Ex.:
leaf of a tree – leaf of a book
hands of a person – hands of a clock
Polysemy has been complicated by the tendency of words to pick up the meanings from other dialects, languages & slang.
Ex.: executive
BrE – one who acts under the direction of somebody – исполнитель
AmE – a manager
now: AmE meaning is more widely used.
New & old meanings become interrelated, form a hierarchy.
They have some common semantic features, which preserve the integrity of the word.
