SEMANTICS AN INTROUCTION TO POLYSEMY

BY PUTU SRILIA FRATIKA NPM: 10.8.03.51.31.2.5.3841

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT FACULTY OF TEACHER TRAINING AND EDUCATION MAHASARASWATI DENPASAR UNI ERSITY DENPASAR 2013

POLYSEMY INTRODUCTION TO POLYSEMY Richard and Schmidt (2000:406) states that polysemy is a word that has two or more closely related meanings. Moreover, almer (!"#!:!00) cites that polysemy is a same word that has a set o$ di$$erent meaning. % case o$ polysemy is one where a word has several very closely related senses (&'r$ord et al, 200#:!(0). )he statement s'pported *y +r'se (2000:!0") that a word which is categori,ed as a polysemy has a connection *etween the senses. -n other words, a native spea.er o$ the lang'age has clear int'itions that the di$$erent senses are related to each other in some way. -n concl'sion, polysemy is a word that has a set o$ di$$erent meaning and closely related meaning. )he $ollowing e/amples o$ the 'se o$ polysemy word can *e seen *elow: DISCUSSION AND FINDINGS !. )he 'se o$ word 0$oot1 in: a) &e h'rt his $oot. *) She stood at the $oot o$ the stairs. 2indings: )he $oot is the lowest part o$ the stairs 3'st as the $oot is the lowest part o$ the h'man *ody. 2. )he 'se o$ word 0position1 in: (a) )hat m'st *e an 'ncom$orta*le position to sleep in. (*) 4hat is yo'r position on capital p'nishment5 2indings: there is a connection *etween the senses, in which that the word 0position1 in
(a) has the meaning $or the ways to have 'ncom$orta*le sleep, in addition, the word 0position1 in (*) has the meaning $or *eing someone in charge in instit'tion.

(. )he 'se o$ polysemy words in lang'age teaching 4hen we teach voca*'lary o$ *ody and the meaning o$ the word itsel$, we may $ind the polysemy words s'ch as head. )he word 6head6 is a polyseme *eca'se it has several related meanings, and the teacher sometimes e/plain the meaning: a) My head h'rts *) &e heads the news section c) 4e6ll head them o$$ at the t'rning -n the classroom, olysemy is a very 'se$'l aspect o$ lang'age as it ena*les learners to ma.e in$ormed g'esses a*o't the meaning o$ new words i$ they recognise them as polysemes. CONCLUSION olysemy re$ers to the 7'ality o$ some words to have several related meanings. % word which has several related meanings is th's a polyseme. )hese can *e compared to homonyms, which are words that have several completely di$$erent meanings. REFERENCE +r'se, %. 2000. Meaning in Language: An Introduction to Semantics and Pragmatics . 8ew 9or.: :/$ord ;niversity ress. &'r$ord, <.R., &easley, =. and Smith, M.=. Semantics a Course Book. 8ew 9or.: +am*ridge ;niversity ress. almer, 2.R. !"#!. Semantic. 8ew 9or.: +am*ridge ;niversity ress. Richards, <.+. and Schmidt, R. 2002. Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics. >ondon: >ongman.