Лекции по лексикологии английского языка. Гусева Г.В. - 37 стр.

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language. However, there are some absolute synonyms in the language, which

have exactly the same meaning and belong to the same style: to moan, to groan;

homeland, motherland. In cases of desynonymization one of the absolute

synonyms can specialize in its meaning and we get semantic synonyms: city

(borrowed) – town (native). The French borrowing city is specialized in its

meaning.

Sometimes one of the absolute synonyms is specialized in its usage and we

get stylistic synonyms: to begin (native) – to commence (borrowing). Here the

French word is specialized.

Stylistic synonyms can also appear by means of abbreviation: exam

(colloquial), examination (neutral).

Among stylistic synonyms we can point out euphemisms: the late (dead), to

perspire (to sweat).

On the other hand, there are slang synonyms. They are expressive, mostly

ironical words serving to create fresh names for some things that are frequently

used.: mad – daft, potty, balmy, loony, bonkers, touched, nutty.

There are also phraseological synonyms, these words are identical in their

meanings and styles but different in their combinability with other words in the

sentence: to visit museums but to attend lectures; teachers question their pupils,

judges interrogate witnesses.

There are also contextual synonyms which are similar in meaning only under

some specific distributional conditions: buy and get are not synonyms out of

context but they are synonyms in the following examples: I‘ll go to the shop and

buy some bread and I‘ll go to the shop and get some bread.

In each group of synonyms there is a word with the most general meaning,

which can substitute any word in the group. Such words are called synonymic

dominants: piece is the synonymic dominant in the group slice, lump. morsel.

Very many compound nouns denoting abstract notions, persons and events

are correlated with phrasal verbs. We have such synonymous pairs as:

arrangement – layout, reproduction – playback.