An attempt at explaining the ambiguity of the verb

Abstract

This article attempts to explain the causes of the formation and preservation of the polysemy of the verb czuć (to feel, to smell, to taste, to see) by using the knowledge of synesthesia from various scientific disciplines. The ambiguity of the verb can be justified by the metaphorical extension of the concrete senses over abstract ones and the preservation of the remains of the original way of sensing when, at a certain stage, the received stimuli and the accompanying emotions or thoughts are not differentiated or specified. D. Buttlerowa clarifies that such a situation is a reflection of the synthetic and sensational perception of the world characterising the old ethne and every human being in infantry and early childhood. The combination of impressions coming from different senses facilitates learning, memorising and acquiring language early in life. Giving consideration to research from various disciplines of science permits the discernment of the reasonability to preserve the ambiguity of czuć and understanding of its cause rather than perceiving it as an example of denying the tendency for clarity and precision in language. Keywords: perception – polysemy – czuć – semantic archaism