Many of us do not even think about what a context synonym is. Meanwhile, the answer to this question is very simple. We will try in this article to highlight the problem of highlighting these types of synonyms and the features of their study and understanding.
Definition
The simplest definition sounds like this: this synonym is used in a specific sentence only in a certain context. For example, if we talk about the source of water and put the word “key” in the meaning of the spring next to the sentence, then these words will be called contextual synonyms.
We give one more interpretation. These synonyms are formed in order to give the most complete definition of a particular phenomenon.
What are these context synonyms? Examples are given below: "Sonechka stood on the ground and looked at this black, dying depth of the grave." In this case, the adjectives "black" and "dead" are synonyms.
Thus, we presented a short answer to the question of what is a context synonym. Now let us evaluate this phenomenon from a scientific point of view.
Scientific interpretation
The question of the identity or non-identity of the values ​​of the so-called contextual synonyms determines the formulation of the problem of the degree of discreteness of their values. It is believed that the content of such synonyms is characterized by the same seminal composition.
However, as a rule, in the meanings of many words attributed by lexicologists to absolute synonyms, discrepancies can be observed, that is, the interpretation of one synonym does not coincide with the definition of another. And in different dictionaries, the degree of completeness of the seminal composition of synonymous meanings does not coincide, which is associated with lexicographic lacunarity.
The problem of discretization of the semantics of lexical units has always been reflected in the work of linguists in one way or another, however, it is precisely at present that interest in it has increased.
In this case, we can say that the meanings within the semantic structure of a word are distinguishable and each of them can introduce a word into different system paradigms; meaning itself consists of distinguishable parts (sem), which can be the basis of LSH, synonymous series. These phenomena help to see sentences with contextual synonyms.
Examples of this type of synonymy
Let us dwell on a pair of contextual synonyms that we find in the sentence “Lomonosov - the genius of the Russian nation”. These contextual synonyms can be successfully discretized; their lexicographic and contextual analysis can become a precedent for identifying trends in the existence of synonyms in modern Russian.
In this case, we can explain what a context synonym is. Indeed, the words “Lomonosov” and “genius” themselves are not synonyms in their pure form, however, in this context, in the sentence, these words are synonyms.
In another sentence, for example, “His genius called him to conquer the heights of science, then the young Lomonosov did not know what kind of fame awaits him during his life and after death,” the words “Lomonosov” and “genius” are no longer synonyms, because used in a different context.
Thus, in the dictionary definitions of the synonyms studied, we observe different ways of reflecting the discreteness of their meanings. Lexicographic data can always be supplemented by a study of contextual “behavior” of synonyms. Let us turn to the features of the use of the synonyms under consideration, giving the corresponding contexts.
Contextual synonyms: examples from the literature and their interpretation
We ask ourselves why this type of synonyms is used in speech.
We need them to enhance the expressiveness of speech. For example, let’s dwell on a couple of synonyms: marine, turbulent, which are used in the context of the following sentence: “The marine turbulent wind beat against the side of a sinking ship.”
This proposal emphasizes the importance of the image of the wind, which caused pain to a ship wounded by a storm. In another context, these words will no longer be synonyms.
Thus, one can speak not only of the degree of semantic discreteness of the synonyms under consideration, but also of the degree of continuity of their contextual environment: it differently diagnoses the features of the semantic modification of the units being studied.
To summarize
The semantic discreteness of vocabulary definitions allows you to answer the question of what is a context synonym. This is due to the peculiarities of representing synonyms in explanatory and synonymic dictionaries. An analysis of vocabulary interpretations in conjunction with a description of the distributive specifics of the units under consideration (taking into account the degree of context diagnostics) allows us not to consider them fully synonymous. This is also evidenced by the development of semantic modifications of the analyzed units, for example, the manifestation of figurative meanings that are not marked by dictionaries. This limits the possibility of their interchangeability in other proposals with a qualitatively different context.