Polysemy ([pəˈlɪsəmɪ] or [ˈpɒlɪˌsɛmɪ]) (from the Greek πολυσημεία = "multiple meaning") is the capacity for a sign (e. Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly In Semiotics, a sign is "something that stands for something else to someone in some capacity" g. a word, phrase, etc. ) or signs to have multiple meanings (sememes, i. Sememe (from σημαίνω (sēmaino — mean signify - semantical language unit of meaning correlative to morpheme e. a large semantic field). The semantic field of a Word is the set of Sememes (distinct meanings expressed by the word This is a pivotal concept within social sciences, such as media studies and linguistics. The social sciences comprise academic disciplines concerned with the study of the social life of human groups and individuals including Anthropology, Communication studies Media studies is a collection of academic programs regarding the content history meaning and effects of various media. Linguistics is the scientific study of Language, encompassing a number of sub-fields

Contents 1 Polysemes 1.1 Examples 2 See also 3 References 3.1 Further reading

Polysemes

A polyseme is a word or phrase with multiple, related meanings. A word is judged to be polysemous if it has two senses of the word whose meanings are related. Since the vague concept of relatedness is the test for polysemy, judgments of polysemy can be very difficult to make. Because applying pre-existing words to new situations is a natural process of language change, looking at words' etymology is helpful in determining polysemy but not the only solution; as words become lost in etymology, what once was a useful distinction of meaning may no longer be so. Etymology is the study of the History of Words &mdash when they entered a language from what source and how their form and meaning have changed over time Some apparently unrelated words share a common historical origin, however, so etymology is not an infallible test for polysemy, and dictionary writers also often defer to speakers' intuitions to judge polysemy in cases where it contradicts etymology. English has many words which are polysemous. For example the verb "to get" can mean "take" (I'll get the drinks), "become" (she got scared), "have" (I've got three dollars), "understand" (I get it) etc.

There are several tests for polysemy, but one of them is zeugma: if one word seems to exhibit zeugma when applied in different contexts, it is likely that the contexts bring out different polysemes of the same word. Zeugma (from the Greek word "ζεύγμα" meaning "yoke" is a Figure of speech describing the joining of two or more parts of a sentence with If the two senses of the same word do not seem to fit, yet seem related, then it is likely that they are polysemous. The fact that this test again depends on speakers' judgments about relatedness, however, means that this test for polysemy is not infallible, but is rather merely a helpful conceptual aid.

The difference between homonyms and polysemes is subtle. In linguistics a homonym is one of a group of words that share the same pronunciation but have different meanings and are usually spelled differently Lexicographers define polysemes within a single dictionary lemma, numbering different meanings, while homonyms are treated in separate lemmata. In Linguistics a lemma (plural lemmas or lemmata) has two distinct interpretations morphology / Lexicography: the Semantic shift can separate a polysemous word into separate homonyms. In diachronic (or historical linguistics, semantic change is a change in one of the meanings of a word. For example, check as in "bank check" (or Cheque) , check in chess, and check meaning "verification" are considered homonyms, while they originated as a single word derived from chess in the 14th century. Chess is a recreational and competitive Game played between two players.

For Dick Hebdige^[1] polysemy means that, "each text is seen to generate a potentially infinite range of meanings," making, according to Richard Middleton,^[2] "any homology, out of the most heterogeneous materials, possible. Dick Hebdige (born 1951 is an expatriate British media theorist and Sociologist, most commonly associated with the study of Subcultures and its resistance Richard Middleton FBA is Professor of Music at Newcastle University in Newcastle upon Tyne. The idea of signifying practice — texts not as communicating or expressing a pre-existing meaning but as 'positioning subjects' within a process of semiosis — changes the whole basis of creating social meaning". Semiosis is any form of activity conduct or process that involves signs, including the production of meaning.

Examples

• Mole

1. a small burrowing mammal
2. consequently, there are several different entities called moles (see the Mole disambiguation page). Moles are the majority of the members of the Mammal family Talpidae in the order Soricomorpha. Although these refer to different things, their names derive from 1.  :e. g. A Mole burrows for information hoping to go undetected. A mole (also called a defector in place, an informant and in the Mafia a rat) is a Spy who works for an enemy Nation, but whose loyalty

• Bank

1. a financial institution
2. the building where a financial institution offers services
3. a synonym for 'rely upon' (e. A banker or bank is a Financial institution whose primary activity is to act as a payment agent for customers and to borrow and lend money This article deals with the general meaning of the term "synonym" g. "I'm your friend, you can bank on me"). It is different, but related, as it derives from the theme of security initiated by 1

However: a river bank is a homonym to 1 and 2, as they do not share etymologies. It is a completely different meaning. River bed, though, is polysemous with the beds on which people sleep.

• Book

1. a bound collection of pages
2. a text reproduced and distributed (thus, someone who has read the same text on a computer has read the same book as someone who had the actual paper volume)

• Milk
  • The verb milk (e. A Book is a set or collection of written printed illustrated or blank sheets made of Paper, Parchment, or other material usually fastened together g. "he's milking it for all he can get") derives from the process of obtaining milk. Milk is an opaque white liquid produced by the Mammary glands of female Mammals (including Monotremes.

• Wood

1. a piece of a tree
2. a geographical area with many trees

See also

• Polyvalent
• Multivalent
• Heterosemy
• Twilight language

References

Further reading

• O'Sullivan, et al. (1994) Key Concepts in Communication and Cultural Studies. London: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-06173-3

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