Synonymy and Register. A Corpus-based Study in American English

Table of Contents

1 Introduction

2 Background

2.1 Synonymy

2.1.1 Degrees of Synonymy

2.1.2 Foreign Loans as a Source of Synonymy in English

2.2 Register

2.2.1 Components of a Register

2.2.2 Register and Formality

2.2.3 The Registers in COCA

3 Study

3.1 Finding Sample Synonyms

3.2 Method

4 Analysis

4.1 Couch vs. Sofa

4.2 Enemy vs. Foe

4.3 Noon vs. Midday

4.4 Start [V], Begin, and Commence

4.5 Stroll, Amble, and Saunter as Verbs

4.6 Annual vs. Yearly as Adjectives

4.7 Adept vs. Skillful/Skilful

4.8 Maybe vs. Perhaps as Adverbs

4.9 Synonymous Adverbs Referring to Frequency and Infrequency

4.10 Probably vs. likely [ADV]

5 Discussion

5.1 Preference for One Synonym over Another

5.2 Patterns of Register-based Distribution

5.3 Origin as a Constraint

6 Conclusion

Objectives and Research Themes

This study investigates synonymy from a pragmatic perspective by analyzing eleven groups of synonymic lexemes using a corpus-based approach. The primary research goal is to determine whether quantitative and qualitative differences between supposed synonyms—specifically regarding register-based distribution and etymological origin—reflect varying degrees of formality within the Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA).

• The influence of register on the frequency and choice of synonymous expressions.
• The relationship between etymological origin (Germanic vs. Romance) and register distribution.
• Quantitative analysis of synonym groups across five distinct registers (spoken, fiction, magazine, newspaper, academic).
• The potential correlation between formality levels and specific synonym usage patterns.

Excerpt from the Book

Summary of Chapters

1 Introduction: Introduces the linguistic phenomenon of synonymy, outlines the motivation for a corpus-based investigation of formality, and defines the scope regarding the chosen synonyms and the COCA corpus.

2 Background: Surveys theoretical concepts of synonymy, register, and formality, while explaining the impact of etymological origin (French/Latin vs. Germanic loans) on vocabulary.

3 Study: Details the criteria for selecting the eleven synonym groups and explains the methodology of utilizing the COCA corpus to examine quantitative and qualitative differences.

4 Analysis: Provides a granular, data-driven examination of each of the eleven synonym groups, analyzing their frequency distributions across five registers.

5 Discussion: Synthesizes findings regarding synonym preferences, register-based distribution patterns, and the role of etymological origin as a constraint on synonym choice.

6 Conclusion: Summarizes the study’s findings, suggesting that synonymy is an asymmetrical relationship influenced by register and origin, while acknowledging that other factors like collocation and dialect also play a significant role.

Keywords

Synonymy, Corpus linguistics, COCA, Register, Formality, American English, Etymology, Germanic, Romance, Frequency, Lexemes, Pragmatics, Denotation, Connotation, Linguistic variation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the primary focus of this research?

The work examines whether supposed synonyms in American English exhibit distinct distribution patterns across different registers (spoken, fiction, magazine, newspaper, and academic) and how these patterns relate to formality and etymological origin.

What are the central thematic fields covered?

The study covers semantic synonymy, the concept of register in sociolinguistics, the history of the English vocabulary concerning Latin/French versus Germanic roots, and corpus-based quantitative analysis.

What is the core research objective?

The goal is to determine if differences in register-based usage frequencies for synonymous terms act as markers for varying degrees of formality.

Which scientific method is applied?

The author performs a corpus-based analysis using data from the Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA) for the period 2005-2009, measuring normalized frequencies per million words for eleven selected synonym groups.

What does the main part of the paper contain?

The main section consists of a detailed empirical analysis of specific synonym pairs, such as "couch vs. sofa," "enemy vs. foe," and "start vs. begin vs. commence," supported by statistical data and frequency charts.

Which keywords best characterize this work?

Key terms include synonymy, register, corpus linguistics, COCA, etymology, formality, and linguistic distribution.

How is the "Register" concept defined for this study?

The study relies on a situational approach to register, drawing on Biber and Conrad, characterizing varieties based on their specific communicative context, such as the difference between spoken conversation and academic prose.

Why are "Germanic" and "Romance" origins significant here?

The author tests the hypothesis that English words of Germanic origin tend to be more informal and common, while those of Romance or Latinate origin are more specialized, formal, and restricted to academic or literary contexts.

What conclusion does the author reach regarding absolute synonymy?

The author concludes that absolute synonyms are extremely rare and that synonymy is typically an asymmetric relationship where one term is preferred based on context, register, or frequency.