polysemy

 Polysemy

Polysemy is the existence of several meanings for a single word or phrase. The word polysemy comes from the Greek words πολυ-, poly-, “many” and σήμα, sêma, “sign”. In other words it is the capacity for a word, phrase, or sign to have multiple meanings i.e., a large semantic field. Polysemy is a pivotal concept within the humanities, such as media studies and linguistics.

Most words begin life with one sense or meaning. As time goes by, this sense may change, new senses may be added and old senses may be lost. 

·            Semantic shift involves a change of meaning - e.g. mail changed its meaning from ‘bag’ to ‘letters’ (and it no longer means ‘bag’)

·            Semantic extension involves the addition of a new sense - e.g. mail came to mean ‘electronic messages’ as well as ‘letters’.

·            Polysemy is the result of semantic shift and extension. It refers to the situation of a word having two or more senses. A word with two or more senses is a polysemous word.

Because polysemy is the outcome of historical processes, older words tend to have more senses than newer words. Because they have more senses, they also tend to be more frequently used than newer words.

The senses of polysemous words are usually related to each other. For example, the ‘core sense’ of foot is “the lowest part of the leg, below the ankle, on which a person or an animal stands” (OALD). But a foot can also be:

·            a part of a sock

·            a measurement

·            the bottom of something: e.g. the foot of a mountain or ladder

·            a measure of rhythm in a line of poetry

A word like walk is polysemous:

1. I  went walking this morning
2. We went for a walk last Sunday
3. Do you walk the dog every day?
4. I live near Meadow Walk Drive
5. The wardrobe is too heavy to lift; we’ll have to walk it into the bedroom (move a large object by rocking).
6. She walks the tower (to haunt a place as a ghost).
7. The workers threatened to walk (to go on strike).
8. Walk with God! (to live your life in a particular way) 

References:

1.      http://pandora.cii.wwu.edu/vajda/ling201/test3materials/semanticshandout.htm

2. http://www.afv.gr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=161:polysemy-a-homonymy&catid=121:miscellaneous&Itemid=352

Hyperbole

Hyperbole

What is Hyperbole?

Hyperbole is the use of obvious and deliberate exaggeration. Hyperbolic statements are often extravagant and not meant to be taken literally. These statements are used to create a strong impression and add emphasis. We use hyperbole frequently in everyday language, saying things like “I’m so hungry I could eat a cow,” or “We had to wait forever for the bus.” Hyperbole sometimes makes use simile or metaphor to create the effect of exaggeration, such as “He’s as strong as an ox.”

Dalam bahasa indonesia Majas hiperbola sendiri artikan sebagai ungkapan atau gaya bahasa yang berlebih-lebihan dalam mengibaratkan sesuatu. Wal hasil ungkapan tersebut akan terasa tidak masuk akal dan bertentangan dengan keadaan yang sesungguhnya. Hal ini dimaksudkan agar pendengar atau pembaca menaruh perhatian lebih.

Common Examples of Hyperbole

• My grandmother is as old as the hills.
• Your suitcase weighs a ton!
• She is as heavy as an elephant!
• I am dying of shame.
• I am trying to solve a million issues these days.
• The suitcase weighed a ton.
• I’m so angry, I could kill him!
• I’ve asked you not to do that a thousand times.
• If he doesn’t call by tonight, I will absolutely die.
• She’s as skinny as a toothpick.

It is important not to confuse hyperbole with simile and metaphor. It does make a comparison but unlike simile and metaphor, hyperbole has a humorous effect created by an overstatement.

Significance of Hyperbole in Literature

Authors use hyperbole to evoke strong feelings or emphasize a point. Hyperbole can be used to overstate any type of situation or emotion, and can be used humorously or seriously. Hyperbole is most often found in poetry, as poets use it to make comparisons and describe things in more embellished terms. However, it is commonly used in prose and plays as well. 

Examples of Hyperbole in Literature

Example:

The forward violet thus did I chide:
Sweet thief, whence didst thou steal thy sweet that smells,
If not from my love’s breath?

(“Sonnet 99” by William Shakespeare)

In this sonnet, Shakespeare imagines that the sweet smell of a violet has come from his lover’s breath. This is a clear overstatement, as it is impossible for nature to have taken its smell from the lover. In fact, his lover’s breath is almost surely not as sweet-smelling as a violet, yet Shakespeare’s love overcomes reason. This hyperbole example gives us greater insight into Shakespeare’s all-encompassing love for the subject of the poem.

Hyperbole can be used in a form of humour, excitement, distress, and many other emotions, all depending on the context in which the speaker uses it.

References :

1.      http://literarydevices.net/hyperbole/

2.      http://literaryterms.net/hyperbole/

3.      http://www.literarydevices.com/hyperbole/