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Ever chat to your friend about baking bread, and you're both confused between needing some flour and kneading some flour because neither of you has provided further context? That's an example of homonymy, words with different meanings but pronounced and/or spelt the same. The definition of homonymy is rather broad, as it covers both the pronunciation and the spelling, which we will explain further with some examples and comparisons to other lexically ambiguous words!
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Jetzt kostenlos anmeldenEver chat to your friend about baking bread, and you're both confused between needing some flour and kneading some flour because neither of you has provided further context? That's an example of homonymy, words with different meanings but pronounced and/or spelt the same. The definition of homonymy is rather broad, as it covers both the pronunciation and the spelling, which we will explain further with some examples and comparisons to other lexically ambiguous words!
What is the meaning of homonymy? When two or more words are homonyms, these words are pronounced and/or spelt the same, but their meanings aren't related to each other. Because of these multiple meanings, if a homonymous word is used with little context, it can cause lexical ambiguity (confusion caused by words that have more than one possible meaning).
Look at these examples of homonymy and find one word that they all have in common and think about its meaning in each sentence:
Each sentence above uses the word band. There is nothing that connects the three different meanings of band except for the spelling and pronunciation. Therefore, the word band is a homonym in each case.
Study tip: For words to be classified as homonyms, they need to meet two criteria:
Have different meanings, e.g. meaning 1 and meaning 2.
Be pronounced the same, spelt the same, or both.
In case you were unsure as to how to pronounce the word 'homonymy', it is pronounced like this:
Huh-mon-uh-mee.
Some other examples of homonymy are:
Address:
Park:
Tender:
Rock:
Rose:
Homonymy can be further subdivided into more specific types that only concern either spelling or pronunciation. These are called homophones and homographs respectively.
Homophones are words that have different meanings and spellings but are pronounced the same. Some examples of homophones are:
Meat - meet
Sun-son
Plain - plane
Homographs are words that have different meanings and pronunciations but are spelt the same. Some examples of homographs are:
Record
Bow
Desert
Study tip: If you're not sure how a word should be pronounced correctly, go to your favourite dictionary website. There you can find recordings of standard pronunciations.
In literature, homonymy is usually used to create rhythmic effects or multiple meanings that often cause:
Ambiguity
When homonyms (including homophones and homographs) are used without a concrete reference, it can lead to lexical ambiguity. For example:
Do you know how to hold a bat?
Without context, it isn't clear whether the sentence refers to the animal or a baseball bat.
A pun is a literary device that plays on words using two identical or similar sounding words with different and/or contradictory meanings. The first meaning is usually quite reasonable, while the secondary meaning is less sensitive.
For example:
Therefore I lie with her, and she with me,
And in our faults by lies we flattered be.
- Shakespeare, 'Sonnet 138', (1609).
The first lie means 'lying down' and the second means 'an untrue statement'. The two words reflect the sonnet's main theme which is about two lovers whose relationship is coloured by lies. However, instead of confronting the untruths, they decide to do nothing and enjoy what they have.
Shrewdness / humorous effects
Homonym wordplay is more effective in spoken communication than in writing because the humorous effects are more pronounced when the spelling is not defined. However, if the homonyms are cleverly constructed, they can produce some witty results.
Have a look at some examples of homonyms, homophones, and homographs used in literature:
Example 1: Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet (1597), Act 1 Scene 4.
MERCUTIO
Nay, gentle Romeo, we must have you dance.
ROMEO
Not I, believe me. You have dancing shoes
With nimble soles. I have a soul of lead
So stakes me to the ground I cannot move.
MERCUTIO
You are a lover; borrow Cupid's wings,
And soar with them above a common (1) bound.
ROMEO
I am too sore empierced with his shaft
To soar with his light feathers, and so (2) bound,
I cannot (3) bound a pitch above dull woe;
Under love's heavy burden do I sink.
In this excerpt, you can see that the word bound is used three times with different meanings but the same pronunciation and spelling (homonyms).
Mercutio suggests Romeo should dance, but he says no. Mercutio responds by saying “borrow Cupid's wings and you'll be able to soar above us”.
This example shows that homonyms can cause multiple interpretations/ambiguity which can affect the perception of the reader/audience. Shakespeare loved to use puns in his plays and sonnets. Puns can provoke thought, clarify or explain something, entertain the audience, or a combination of these.
Example 2: Shakespeare, Henry VI (1591), Part 2 Act 1 Scene 1
WARWICK
Unto the main! O father, Maine is lost; (1)
That Maine which by main force Warwick did win, (2)
And would have kept so long as breath did last!
Main chance, father, you meant; but I meant Maine, (3)
Which I will win from France, or else be slain
Shakespeare uses the combination of main - Maine several times in this excerpt from Henry VI. These are homophones. Warwick repeats the word main as a transitional means (sound unit) to redefine Maine, the French county. Then, he adds meant (a variant of main - Maine) in between the last homophonic pair (3).
Reading the text may not cause ambiguity since you can read the words and know exactly what each word means. However, if you watch the play or only hear this wordplay, it may cause some confusion.
Important to note: Keep in mind that language is constantly changing, and so is pronunciation. What were homophones in the 16-17th century (when Shakespeare was writing), may not be homophones now, and vice versa. Modern pronunciation can prevent the audience from experiencing the language as Shakespeare intended it. That is why in 2004, the Globe Theater changed the pronunciation of Shakespeare's play to its 'original pronunciation'.
Example 3: Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland (1865).
'How is bread made?'
'I know that!' Alice cried eagerly. 'You take some flour ─'
'Where do you pick the flower?' the white queen asked. 'In the garden or in the hedges?'
'Well, it isn't picked at all' Alice explained; it's ground ─ '
'How many acres of ground?' said the White Queen.
The words flour - flower are homophones because they're pronounced the same but written differently. Of course, to make bread we need flour, not flower, but by playing with words in this way, Carroll provides some comical impressions of the characters.
The words ground - ground are homonyms because they're pronounced and written the same but have different meanings. The first ground refers to 'the surface of the earth', while the second one means 'an area of land'.
Like the previous examples, this piece from Alice in Wonderland shows that homonymy can be humorous, but at the same time, can cause ambiguity.
Important to note: To decide whether a pair of words are homophones, you need to check their pronunciation. However, this can be tricky as different individuals may pronounce things differently depending on their background (regional accents, sociolects, etc.). Homophonic words are then determined by the standard pronunciation. If you're not sure how a word is pronounced in Standard English, go to your favourite dictionary and listen to the pronunciation recordings.
If you read or hear two words that are written or pronounced the same but have different meanings, they are likely to be either an example of homonymy or polysemy. Deciding what kind of relationship the two words have can be challenging, but not once you understand the differences between these terms.
Homonyms:
Polysemies:
Let's take the word rose.
First, analyze the multiple meanings and word class. Rose has two meanings (unrelated) and two different word classes:
Second, if the words have multiple forms (multiple entries in a dictionary), eg a verb and noun, they are homonyms. If the two words stem from a single form (one entry in a dictionary), eg a verb or noun, they are polysemies. The word rose has two word forms: a noun and a verb. Thus, rose is a homonym.
Third, check if the different meanings are related. The two meanings of rose ('a flower' and 'the past form of rise') are not related. This further proves that rose is a homonym.
On the other hand, the word bank ('of a river' and 'a financial institution') is an example of polysemy because it only has one form (noun) and both meanings are related. Take a look at the diagram below for visual aid.
From the diagram, we can conclude that both homonymous and polysemic words have multiple meanings, but what distinguishes them is the number of forms the words have and the relation between the different meanings:
Homonymy is the term for words with different meanings but the same pronunciation (homophone) and / or spelling (homograph). Homonyms have multiple dictionary entries (eg as a verb and noun).
Some examples of homonymy are band (music band & rubber band), address (to address someone and details of where somebody lives), and rock (to move backwards and forwards and a stone).
Polysemy refers to words with several related meanings but listed under one dictionary entry eg, mouse, wings, and beam. Homonymy refers to words with different meanings but the same pronunciation and / or spelling, eg, band, address, and rock. Homonyms have multiple dictionary entries.
The types of homonymy are homophones and homographs.
Homophones are words with different meanings but the same pronunciation, while homographs are words with different meanings and pronunciations but the same spelling.
True or false - Homonymy refers to 'words with different meanings that are neither pronounced nor spelt the same'?
False
What is a homograph?
A homograph is a word with different meanings but the same spelling.
What is a homophone?
A homophone is a word with different meanings but the same pronunciation.
True or false - Homograph is the broader term for homophone and homonymy.
False
Is the word rock a homonym, homograph, or homophone?
Homonym
Are flower and flour a pair of homonyms, homographs, or homophones?
Homophones
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