You, of course, guessed that the boys did not understand each other because they talked about different things, while calling them the same word. This is an example of homonyms. After all, oatmeal is a bird, and oatmeal is also a cereal.
Homonyms- words that are similar in sound and spelling, but different in meaning. The word "homonym" comes from two Greek words: homos- identical, onimo- Name.
Let's look at examples of homonyms, compare the sound, spelling and meaning of words.
Land strip in the sea
It's called a braid
And the girl has a braid
The colors of ripe oats.
There is dew on the grass -
The scythe mows the grass.
I have one question:
How many braids are there in the world?
Rice. 2. Homonyms: braid ()
Scythe- a narrow sandbank running from the shore.
Scythe- braided hair.
Scythe- a tool for cutting grass.
Porridge is ripe in the meadow.
The cow Mashka eats porridge.
Masha likes lunch:
There is nothing tastier!
Porridge- white clover.
Porridge- a dish made from grains boiled in water or milk.
Say "spring" -
And then it arose
Runs in the green thicket
A cheerful babbling key.
And we call the spring a key
(The door key has nothing to do with it).
Rice. 3. Homonyms: Key ()
Key- spring.
Key- device for the lock.
We are foxes
Friendly sisters.
Well, who are you?
We are foxes too!
How, with one paw?
No, still with a hat.
Rice. 4. Homonyms: Chanterelles ()
Chanterelles- mushrooms.
Chanterelles- animals.
Come learn shooting with me
And look for me on the ridge.
I can hit the bird accurately,
I also end up in cabbage soup.
Rice. 5. Homonyms: Onion ()
Onion- plant.
Polysemantic words and homonyms are written the same way. The main difference The difference between them is that polysemantic words have something in common in their lexical meaning (color, shape), while homonyms have completely different lexical meanings.
If you are in doubt about the definition of a polysemantic word or homonym, an explanatory dictionary will come to your aid. Let's look at the difference in recording dictionary entries:
The root is a polysemantic word that has several meanings:
1. The underground part of plants.
2. Inner part of hair, tooth.
3. Beginning, source of something (figurative meaning).
4. Significant part of the word.
In the dictionary, a polysemantic word has each meaning indicated by a number.
Let's look at how homonyms are presented in the dictionary. For example:
A tap is a shut-off device in the form of a tube for releasing liquid or gas.
A crane is a machine for lifting and moving loads over short distances.
In the dictionary, homonyms have a separate dictionary entry.
The meaning of homonyms can be determined only when the word is used in a phrase or sentence.
Let's complete the task.
Let's look at the pictures. Let's make sentences or phrases with homonyms to show their different lexical meanings.
1. Fluffy mink.
2. Deep mink.
Rice. 11. Homonyms: Mink ()
1. We saw a picture of a predatory lynx.
2. The horse was trotting.
Rice. 12. Homonyms: Lynx ()
1. Do not pollute the environment.
2. Grandma will come on Wednesday.
Rice. 13. Homonyms: Wednesday ()
So, we learned that in the Russian language there are words that are written and pronounced the same, but have different lexical meanings. These words are called homonyms.
Homonyms are often used in puzzles and riddles, for example:
What fabric cannot be used to make a shirt?
From the railway.
Which tap can you not drink from?
From the lift.
In which cage are birds and animals not kept?
In the chest.
In which forests is there no game?
In construction.
What kind of belt should you not wear?
- Klimanova L.F., Babushkina T.V. Russian language. 2. - M.: Education, 2012 (http://www.twirpx.com/file/1153023/)
- Buneev R.N., Buneeva E.V., Pronina O.V. Russian language. 2. - M.: Balass.
- Ramzaeva T.G. Russian language. 2. - M.: Bustard.
- Bukina-69.ucoz.ru ().
- Toyskola.ucoz.ru ().
- Festival of pedagogical ideas "Open Lesson" ().
- Klimanova L.F., Babushkina T.V. Russian language. 2. - M.: Education, 2012. Part 2. Do the exercise. 33, 34 P. 25.
- Choose homonyms for these words. Make up sentences to make the meaning of the words clear.
Castle, foam, cream.
- * Using the knowledge acquired in class, come up with riddles or puzzles where the answers are homonym words.
Lexicology studies two types of homonyms: complete and partial. However, according to the method of formation, homonyms can be simple and derivative. In addition to the listed types, there are also functional homonyms. Therefore, the question “What types of homonyms are there?” is actually not as simple as it might seem at first glance.
Full and partial homonyms
Full homonyms It is also customary to call them absolute. These are words that are completely identical in form. That is
- they sound the same
- their stress falls on the same syllable;
- they refer to the same part of speech;
- they change the same way.
For example, a forge (a wind instrument) and a forge (a blacksmith's). No matter how we spin these two words, they will not be different from each other.
The absolute homonyms include the following (I will list them without meaning): key, scythe, force, month...
If homonyms do not have all the same sound forms of a word, then they are classified into the group partial homonyms.
For example: caress (show of tenderness) and caress (animal). In the plural and genitive case, these words will sound differently: too many caresses - I see a lot of caresses in the cage.
Simple and derived homonyms
When it comes to simple and derived homonyms, it is necessary to remember word formation. Simple homonyms- these are non-derivative words that completely coincide in sound: the factory club is a puff of smoke, the male gender is a parquet floor, and so on.
Derivative homonyms are formed from other words: swim with fat - swim far (both words are formed from the word swim in a prefix way, they sound the same, but mean completely different things).
Functional homonyms
In the Russian language there is another group of words that sound the same, but belong to different parts of speech. Such words are also called homonyms, but are classified as a separate type
For example, the word is exactly a functional homonym, since it can be an adjective, an adverb, a comparative conjunction, and a modal particle:
- measurement is accurate,
- accurately determine;
- as if a storm had passed;
- he was definitely replaced.
Not to be confused with homophones, homoforms and homographs!
Distributing homonyms by type is quite difficult due to the fact that they are easily confused with homophones, homoforms and homographs. They are similar to lexical homonymy, but in essence refer to stylistic homonymy.
Homophones Pronounced the same, but written differently: could - could it get wet, eye - voice.
Omoforms The words sound and are written the same in either one or several forms: dear man - we were driving the wrong way.
Homographs They have the same spelling but sound differently: there was a lock hanging on the door - the lock was visible in the distance.Thanks to stylistic homonymy, you can achieve expressiveness of speech, create jokes and puns. A striking example is Ya. Kozlovsky’s poem about a bear and wasps.
Carried by the bear, walking towards the market
Jar of honey for sale.
Suddenly there’s an attack on Misha! -
The wasps decided to attack.
Teddy bear with an army of aspen
He fought with a torn aspen.
Could he not fly into rage?
If the wasps climbed into the mouth,
They stung anywhere!
They got it for this.
Can such words be considered homonyms or their types? Linguists still distinguish these words into separate groups, because in their initial form such words cannot be classified even as partial homonyms. Agree, aspen and aspen are completely different.
In many languages of the planet there is such a thing as homonymy. It is based on the fact that words and morphemes that are identical in sound and spelling have different meanings. They are called "homonyms". Examples of them are found everywhere. We use them extremely often in ordinary speech.
Homonyms
Examples confirming this phenomenon are known to many. These are the common words:
- “bow” in the meaning of plant and weapon;
- “escape”, in one case denoting a young branch, and in the other - an unauthorized hasty departure.
Out of context, it is difficult to determine in what exact meaning these homonyms are used. Example sentences with words will demonstrate this phenomenon clearly.
- Green onions are especially good in vegetable salads.
- A boy was given a toy bow and arrow for his birthday.
- The apple tree produced a young shoot, but the gardener pruned it in the fall.
- The Count of Monte Cristo escaped from prison in a creative way, replacing the prisoner's corpse with himself.
Examples of phrases will help you understand what homonyms mean:
- “green onions” and “sharp onions”;
- “maiden braid” and “river braid”;
- "three apples" and "three rag stain".
This phenomenon is quite entertaining, therefore it is often used by Russian language teachers as an entertaining technique in studying the subject, a way to expand the vocabulary and horizons of students.
Games with homonyms in lessons and extracurricular activities
To conduct this competition, you should prepare pairs of words that have the same pronunciation and spelling, but completely different meanings. Players are offered only meanings, and the words themselves (you can use the same spelling for both) are hidden under a cardboard picture that will serve as a point token, for example, a template of a tree leaf, an apple, a gold bar. The participant who correctly names the homonyms receives this emblem as a point after the correct answer. At the end of the game, the token points are tallied and a winner is chosen.
Homonyms are suitable for the competition, examples of which can be as follows (it should be recalled that only pictures are presented to participants and spectators, the words themselves are closed):
- “shop” as a piece of furniture and a small retail outlet;
- the word "Lama", appearing in one sense as an animal, and in another - as a Tibetan monk.
During the lesson, you can offer students one or two pairs of words. Completing this task will only take a few minutes, but the benefits will be enormous. Indeed, in addition to the above, this type of activity generates and strengthens interest in learning the Russian language.
Homonymy and polysemy
Many words have more than one meaning. Although they have the same spelling, they differ lexically. It is necessary to distinguish between homonyms and polysemantic words. Examples of polysemy are also quite common. For example, two words pronounced like “key” can act as homonyms in the following way:
- spring and device for opening.
But in the meanings of “violin”, “wrench”, “from a door lock”, “a device for rolling up cans”, “key” is one word. This is an amazing linguistic feature that should already be considered a phenomenon of polysemy. After all, each listed option involves the key’s ability to open something: a line of music or some object. This is one word with different meanings, not different homonyms.
There are a great many examples of such polysemantic words in Russian speech. Sometimes it is quite difficult to separate them from homonyms.
Polysemy sometimes occurs from the transition of a name based on external similarity. This is
- “sleeve” - a separate river bed and part of the shirt;
- “ribbon” is a device for a girl’s hairstyle and a long road, a moving part of a conveyor.
The ambiguity of these words arose from the external similarity of some features. For example, a sleeve in clothing is separated from a common large item. And the branching of the riverbed resembles the same phenomenon. Actually, the word “trouser leg” could have appeared in this version, but for some reason the Russian people chose “sleeve”.
The tape is a narrow, long object. Apparently, the person who invented the conveyor saw the similarity of its moving part with a device for a girl’s hairstyle. This is how the name transition occurred, the phenomenon of polysemy.
Etymological homonymy
A group of words belongs to homonyms unambiguously, since their very origin is already different. Therefore, in the task “Give examples of homonyms that differ etymologically,” you need to select words that came into Russian speech from different languages. To do this, you should look into the etymological dictionary.
These are the word “boron”, which means a chemical element, and its homonym - pine forest. The first noun came into Russian speech from the Persian language, where it sounded like “borax,” that is, boron compounds. The name of the pine forest is of Slavic origin.
Some linguists believe that the existence of the phenomenon of homonymy should be recognized only where the etymology of the words itself differs.
These same linguists do not see homonymy in the noun “ether” as an organic substance and in the meaning of “radio broadcasting and television.” After all, historically both words have a common etymology. They come from the ancient Greek root αἰθήρ, which means “mountain air.” And if the task says: “Give examples of homonyms,” and the answerer uses the word “ether” in two meanings, then these scientists will consider the answer incorrect.
Disputes between linguists about polysemy and homonymy
However, not everyone can determine the historical origin of words offhand. This often requires special dictionaries. Therefore, most people see that the meanings of the word “ether” are completely different and classify them as homonyms. Therefore, some linguists also do not see the polysemy here. The explanatory dictionary classifies them as different words with different meanings.
Examples of homonyms that cause controversy among linguists are:
- “braid” in the meaning of a hairstyle and a tool for mowing, since some argue that there is a transition of the name based on external similarity (thin and long);
- “pen” as a tool for writing, a device for opening, turning on, since some people determine ambiguity by the fact that they have something in common in their method of action (writing and opening with their hand);
- “feather” in the sense of “handle” and as a cutaneous horny formation of birds and some dinosaurs, considering that the first meaning came to the word from the historical method of writing with bird feathers.
Some linguists classify as homonymy all words in which polysemy can be traced. They consider polysemy to be only a special case.
Full homonyms
Linguists divide words that have the same pronunciation and spelling and have different meanings into two groups. Full lexical homonyms belonging to the same grammatical category are divided into one category. Examples of these: “braid”, “tongue”, “escape”, “key” and others. In all their forms, these words are the same in both spelling and pronunciation.
Incomplete or partial homonyms
Words that coincide only in some forms are also highlighted. These are grammatical homonyms. Examples of this phenomenon often refer to different parts of speech:
- “three” is a 2nd person singular verb of the imperative mood with the initial form “to rub” and “three” is a cardinal number;
- “oven” is an infinitive verb and “oven” is a feminine singular noun;
- “saw” is a feminine singular verb in the past tense and “saw” is a feminine singular noun.
Grammatical homonymy is also observed in words belonging to the same part of speech. For example, the 1st person singular verbs of the present tense are “I’m flying.” The first word is defined as an action related to medicine. Already the infinitive will sound like “to treat.” And the second verb has the initial form “fly” and denotes the action of flying.
Partial homonymy is observed in words of the same grammatical category. This occurs when words differ in only one form. For example, the two nouns “caress” - animal and manifestation of tenderness - do not coincide only in the genitive plural. These homonyms in this form will look like “weasel” and “weasel”.
Homonyms and homophones
Some people confuse the phenomenon of homonymy with others. For example, homophones are words that sound alike but have different meanings but are differently spelled. These are not homonyms! Examples of words that are homophones show this feature.
- “Cat” is a pet, and “code” is most often a certain set of symbols or sounds.
Everyone will notice that these words should be written differently. But it is almost impossible to hear the difference by ear. The word “code” must be pronounced with the final consonant stunned. This is where the sound similarity comes from.
Homonymy and homography
There are other linguistic phenomena similar to the one we are considering. For example, homographs are interesting because they have the same spelling, but are pronounced differently, most often due to stress. These are also not homonyms. Examples of homograph words are:
- gate - gate;
- castle - castle;
- smell - smell.
Homographs are also interesting for composing tasks for competitions and games. Using picture riddles in which homographs are encrypted, you can diversify linguistic activities.
You, of course, guessed that the boys did not understand each other because they talked about different things, while calling them the same word. This is an example of homonyms. After all, oatmeal is a bird, and oatmeal is also a cereal.
Homonyms- words that are similar in sound and spelling, but different in meaning. The word "homonym" comes from two Greek words: homos- identical, onimo- Name.
Let's look at examples of homonyms, compare the sound, spelling and meaning of words.
Land strip in the sea
It's called a braid
And the girl has a braid
The colors of ripe oats.
There is dew on the grass -
The scythe mows the grass.
I have one question:
How many braids are there in the world?
Rice. 2. Homonyms: braid ()
Scythe- a narrow sandbank running from the shore.
Scythe- braided hair.
Scythe- a tool for cutting grass.
Porridge is ripe in the meadow.
The cow Mashka eats porridge.
Masha likes lunch:
There is nothing tastier!
Porridge- white clover.
Porridge- a dish made from grains boiled in water or milk.
Say "spring" -
And then it arose
Runs in the green thicket
A cheerful babbling key.
And we call the spring a key
(The door key has nothing to do with it).
Rice. 3. Homonyms: Key ()
Key- spring.
Key- device for the lock.
We are foxes
Friendly sisters.
Well, who are you?
We are foxes too!
How, with one paw?
No, still with a hat.
Rice. 4. Homonyms: Chanterelles ()
Chanterelles- mushrooms.
Chanterelles- animals.
Come learn shooting with me
And look for me on the ridge.
I can hit the bird accurately,
I also end up in cabbage soup.
Rice. 5. Homonyms: Onion ()
Onion- plant.
Polysemantic words and homonyms are written the same way. The main difference The difference between them is that polysemantic words have something in common in their lexical meaning (color, shape), while homonyms have completely different lexical meanings.
If you are in doubt about the definition of a polysemantic word or homonym, an explanatory dictionary will come to your aid. Let's look at the difference in recording dictionary entries:
The root is a polysemantic word that has several meanings:
1. The underground part of plants.
2. Inner part of hair, tooth.
3. Beginning, source of something (figurative meaning).
4. Significant part of the word.
In the dictionary, a polysemantic word has each meaning indicated by a number.
Let's look at how homonyms are presented in the dictionary. For example:
A tap is a shut-off device in the form of a tube for releasing liquid or gas.
A crane is a machine for lifting and moving loads over short distances.
In the dictionary, homonyms have a separate dictionary entry.
The meaning of homonyms can be determined only when the word is used in a phrase or sentence.
Let's complete the task.
Let's look at the pictures. Let's make sentences or phrases with homonyms to show their different lexical meanings.
1. Fluffy mink.
2. Deep mink.
Rice. 11. Homonyms: Mink ()
1. We saw a picture of a predatory lynx.
2. The horse was trotting.
Rice. 12. Homonyms: Lynx ()
1. Do not pollute the environment.
2. Grandma will come on Wednesday.
Rice. 13. Homonyms: Wednesday ()
So, we learned that in the Russian language there are words that are written and pronounced the same, but have different lexical meanings. These words are called homonyms.
Homonyms are often used in puzzles and riddles, for example:
What fabric cannot be used to make a shirt?
From the railway.
Which tap can you not drink from?
From the lift.
In which cage are birds and animals not kept?
In the chest.
In which forests is there no game?
In construction.
What kind of belt should you not wear?
- Klimanova L.F., Babushkina T.V. Russian language. 2. - M.: Education, 2012 (http://www.twirpx.com/file/1153023/)
- Buneev R.N., Buneeva E.V., Pronina O.V. Russian language. 2. - M.: Balass.
- Ramzaeva T.G. Russian language. 2. - M.: Bustard.
- Bukina-69.ucoz.ru ().
- Toyskola.ucoz.ru ().
- Festival of pedagogical ideas "Open Lesson" ().
- Klimanova L.F., Babushkina T.V. Russian language. 2. - M.: Education, 2012. Part 2. Do the exercise. 33, 34 P. 25.
- Choose homonyms for these words. Make up sentences to make the meaning of the words clear.
Castle, foam, cream.
- * Using the knowledge acquired in class, come up with riddles or puzzles where the answers are homonym words.
There are many words in the Russian language that sound the same, but have nothing in common in meaning. For example: a bow is a plant and a bow is a weapon for throwing arrows.
This phenomenon is called homonymy. Let us give several definitions of this phenomenon according to different authors.
Homonymy is:
- Similarity of words in terms of sound but different meanings.
- Sound coincidence of words with different meanings.
- Coincidence in sound of words that have different meanings.
The phenomenon of homonymy is found in many languages; in the Russian language it was studied most deeply by Abaev V.I., Vinogradov V.V., Shvedova N.Yu.
Homonyms are called:
- The science that studies the phenomenon of homonymy
- A set of homonyms of a language.
- The branch of lexicology that studies homonyms.
- Sound coincidence of words with different meanings.
The connection between different lexical-semantic variants of the same word, synonymy, antonymy - all these are types of semantic connections between lexical units based on the commonality, coincidence or opposition of meanings of lexical units. But there is another type of connection between them, which is based not on the similarity or opposition of the meanings of different words, but on the coincidence of their external form. This type of connection is homonymy, and words connected by such a connection are called homonyms.
The term homonym goes back to the Greek elements: “omos” - identical, and “onima” - name. There are many homonyms in the Russian language, for example: a scythe is an agricultural tool, a braid is hair woven into one strand, a braid is a narrow strip of land running from the shore, a sandbank; a key is a source gushing out of the ground and a key is a metal rod that is used to lock and unlock a lock.
Let's look at various definitions of homonyms.
Homonym in linguistics:
1. A word that is similar to another, but different in meaning. For example: “edge” - fur trim and “edge” - edge of the forest.
2. A word that has the same sound as another word, but different in meaning. For example: “tank” is the bow of a ship’s deck and “tank” is a vessel.
3. A word that coincides with another word in sound and spelling, but diverges in meaning and system of forms. For example: “course” is the direction of movement of the ship and “course” is a completed training cycle.
4. A word that has the same pronunciation as another, but a different meaning. For example: “nose” is a part of the body, part of a ship, a geographical term.
Types of homonyms
Homonyms, homophones, homographs, homoforms - all these are different manifestations of homonymy in language. We bring
1. Lexical homonyms are two or more words with different meanings that coincide in spelling, pronunciation and grammatical format. For example, “bloc” is an alliance, an agreement of states, and “bloc” is the simplest machine for lifting weights.
In lexicology, two types of homonym words are distinguished - complete and incomplete.
Full lexical homonyms include those words of the same part of speech in which the entire system of forms coincides.
Incomplete lexical homonyms include words of the same part of speech, which do not have the same entire system of forms. For example, the word plant is an industrial enterprise and plant is a device for operating a mechanism; peace - the totality of all forms of matter in earthly and outer space and peace - concordant relations, tranquility, absence of hostility, war, quarrels.
2. Homophones, – ov; pl. ling. Words that are different in meaning and spelling but have the same pronunciation. For example, fruit and raft.
3. Omoforms. Among homophones there are many pairs that do not coincide in all their forms. Really; As soon as you start changing the words pond and rod according to cases and numbers, the difference in their sound will immediately become apparent: at the pond, to the pond - two rods, hit with a rod.
If you say: “Three!”, then this can be understood both as a numeral and as a verb. But not all forms of these words coincide: rub, rub - three, three. Identical forms of different words are called homoforms.
Homoforms, – forms; pl. ling. words that have the same sound in individual forms.
4. Homographs, - ov; pl. ; words of different meaning and pronunciation, identical in spelling... For example, flour is a product and flour is torment, depending on the emphasis.
Most often, homonyms are found among nouns. But there are many of them among the verbs, for example, to drown - to maintain a fire in something, to drown - by heating, to melt and drown - to make one drown. There are homonyms among adjectives, for example, glorious - worthy of fame and glorious - good.
The emergence of homonyms
Homonyms arise in a language for various reasons. Sometimes a borrowed word and a native Russian word have the same sound. Thus, the word club in the meaning of “organization, society,” coming to us from the English language, coincided in sound with the old Russian word club.
In other cases, two words come from different languages with different meanings but the same sound. This is how the words raid - raid and raid - water space appeared in the Russian language; trick and trick - trick and others. In some cases, both words come from the same language: mina and mina are both words from French.
Many homonyms arose in the Russian language as a result of disintegration, splitting of a polysemantic word. If two meanings of one word diverge in meaning so much that they become different words, homonyms arise. For example, dashing is bad, causing grief, dashing is brave, brave. There are other ways in which homonyms arise.
So, homonyms in the language appear as a result of:
- borrowing words from other languages;
- transforming one of the lexical meanings of a polysemantic word into an independent word;
- word formation.
The difference between homonyms and other types of words
Homonyms should be distinguished from other types of words. The main thing is not to confuse them with ambiguous words.
Polysemous words are words that have several lexical meanings. In a polysemantic word, one meaning is related to another in meaning.
The word satellite in modern Russian has several meanings related to each other:
- A person who travels with someone else
- Something that accompanies something
- Celestial body orbiting a planet
Polysemantic words occur among all independent parts of speech, except numerals.
Homonyms should also be distinguished from polysemantic words that are used in their figurative meaning.
Girl's hat, nail head.
Golden rye and golden hands.
The figurative meaning is one of the meanings of a polysemantic word. When the name of one object is transferred as a name for another object, the word forms a new lexical meaning, which is called figurative. The transfer of names occurs on the basis of the similarity of objects in some way.
Determining where there are different meanings of the same word and where are homonyms is sometimes difficult even for scientists. Therefore, in doubtful cases, you should consult a dictionary.
Use of homonyms
The use of homonyms of different types can enhance the effectiveness of speech, since the collision of “same but different words” attracts special attention to them.
Homonyms give special poignancy to both proverbs and aphorisms. Homonymy lies at the heart of many mysteries. For example: Which bulls have neither tails nor horns? . What cats don't catch mice? They cut down in battle, and after the battle they entertain. Weapons, fruits, gemstones, one name - different objects. I drive everyone away from the road if I run away. And I’m stuck on the roof, not moving. I cut the ice on the river lengthwise and crosswise, but at the bottom of the sea I’m tiny... Who?
Some riddles play on homophones: The old man ate dry bread... Where did the fish bones come from? .
The phenomenon of homonymy is used in jokes and anecdotes to create paradoxical meaning.
However, homonyms can not only delight and entertain us, giving speech bright expressive colors. In special cases, homonymy is the cause of annoying misunderstandings and speech errors. Homonyms require us to be careful when handling words. We cannot ignore the possibility of erroneous or ambiguous understanding of what we are talking about. For example, the meaning of the sentence: “Able students are transferred” is unclear, because the verb here can mean transfer to the next grade, and can be perceived as meaning “disappearing, there are fewer and fewer of them.” How to interpret the remark of a woman who holds a frightened boy by the hand and excitedly says: “He’s not mine, I don’t know anything about him...”
Accidental homonymy can lead to inappropriate comedy. For example, a sports observer writes: “The football players left the field today without goals,” “The goalkeeper couldn’t hold the ball, but there was no one to finish it off...”.
Homonym dictionaries
Homonymy is quite fully represented in modern explanatory dictionaries. However, not all cases of homonymization of words are given equally consistently and clearly, which is explained by the lack of development of many theoretical issues of homonymy and the lack of generally accepted criteria for distinguishing between homonymy and polysemy.
In 1974, the first in Russian lexicographic practice, “Dictionary of Homonyms of the Russian Language,” compiled by O. S. Akhmanova, was published. The dictionary includes over 2000 dictionary entries containing pairs of homonyms. Each article contains:
- an indication of one of the three main types of formation and its types: derived homonymy of words with a pronounced morphological structure, originally different words, divergent polysemy;
- grammatical information about words;
- stylistic characteristics;
- etymological data;
- translation of each homonymous word into three languages: English, French, German;
- examples of the use of homonyms in phrases or sentences.
The dictionary contains a large amount of interesting material, for the first time a translation of homonymous words into other languages is given, an attempt is made to distinguish between the phenomena of homonymy proper and functional homonymy, etc. It is supplemented by an “Index of the attribution of homonyms to various types of homonymy” and two appendices. The first appendix provides a dictionary of so-called functional homonymy, i.e., words whose homonymization occurs during their functioning in speech. The second appendix provides a dictionary of homographs.
In 1976, the “Dictionary of Homonyms of the Russian Language” was published in Tbilisi, compiled by N.P. Kolesnikon, containing four thousand homonym words. N.P. Kolesnikov understands the phenomenon of homonymy somewhat more broadly and includes all words “with different lexical and/or grammatical meanings, but with the same spelling and/or pronunciation”, i.e. lexical homonyms, homoforms, homophones and homographs. The dictionary identifies various groups of absolute and relative homonyms, which take into account the homonymy of significant and function words. All given words are provided with an interpretation of the meaning, etymological marks, and stresses. There are no examples of their use in the text or phrases. There are also no stylistic marks.
In 1978, the 2nd edition of this dictionary was published, which differs significantly from the previous one. Homoforms like oblique and oblique have been excluded from the dictionary, but many new homonym words have been introduced. Interpretations of the meanings of words are clarified, emphasis is placed in homographs, and stylistic notes are given. The new edition of the dictionary will be very useful to everyone who is actively mastering and creatively using the lexical riches of the Russian language.
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