Synonyms are words of the same part of speech, with the same on nearly the same denotation but differing in connotation

Synonyms

Meaning and polysemy

Word can be monosemantic and polysemantic. Monosemantic words are words having only 1 meaning. Eg.: molecule, bacteria, cell, etc.

Most words reflect several notions and thus have several meanings. They are called polysemantic words. Polycemy develops in the course of time. The system of meanings of a word is called its semantic structure: 1) it is the sum of several meanings in a word and 2) each separate meaning consists of some semes. Let's construe the semantic structure of some polysemantic words:

table:	bridge:
1) плита	1) мост, мостик
2) стол (Mt)	2) капитанский мостик (narrowing)
3) пища, стол (Mty)	3) переносица (Mt)
4) таблица (Mt)	4) мост (для зубов) (Mt)
5) застолье (Mty)

Each separate meaning may be represented as sets of semantic components (semis) elementary units of meaning:

table - стол: a piece of furniture, having a number of legs, is used for talcing meals, to work at.

table - застолье: a group of people, setting at the table, having a festive meal, drinking some beverages. (Mty). The type of connection between the old and the new meaning is contiguity (a piece of furniture what is going on at it), table - таблица - a piece of paper, reminding a table in form, used to inform people about what is written (printed on it) - (Mt). The type of connection between the 1^st meaning and "таблица" is similarity (equal or nearly equal in form).

The first meaning of the polysemantic word is its primary meaning (eg. "стол"), all the other meanings are secondary (вторичные). They are either metaphorical or metonymical. It is diachronic approach to polysemy.

Synchronically we distinguish the central (basic) meaning and the minor meanings. The central meaning is the most frequently used in the language, the minor-less frequently used ones.

Eg. table - стол ~ 52% of all the meanings of this word - таблица = 35%, all the other meanings ~ 13%.

In other words, synonyms are words conveying the same notion but differing either in shades of meaning or in stylistic characteristics. Eg.:

to tremble - to shiver (from cold) - to shudder (from disgust, eg) - shades of meaning are different

to like - to admire (difference in emotive charge) - to love to look: to gaze (to look lastingly, in admiration, wonder)

to stare (to look lastingly, in surprise, curiously)

to glare (to look lastingly, in anger, in fury)

to glance (to look briefly, in passing)

to peep (to look lastingly, by stealth through the opening or from concealed location)

to peer (to look lastingly, with difficulty or strain) All these synonyms differ in shades of meaning to take part - stylistically neutral; to participate - bookish

In a great number of cases the semantic difference between 2 or more synonyms in supported by the difference in their valency, syntactical or lexical. Valency denotes the combining power of words. Eg.: high (things, trees) - tall (people) beautiful (women) - handsome (men) to answer a question - to reply to a question to say smth to smb - to tell smb

Each synonymic group has a dominant element. The synonymic dominant is the most general term potentially containing specific features rendered by all the other members of the group, to look - to stare, to gaze, to glance - to peep to leave - to depart - to retire - to clear out

The synonymic dominant is characterized by the following features:

1) it is very frequent in usage

2) broad combinability (valency)

3) broad general meaning

4) lack of connotations

According to Academician Vinogradov V.V. all synonyms are classified into:

1) ideographic

2) stylistic

3) ideographic - stylistic

4) contextual

5) absolute (total)