Encoding Near-Synonym Relations in Monolingual English Learner's Dictionaries: The Case of Germanic and Latinate "Equivalents"

Abstract

ABSTRACT: This article examines the semantic relations between pairs of Germanic and Latinate near-synonyms in contemporary English, such as hug/embrace, isle/island , and brave/courageous , which dictionaries traditionally treat as equivalent in meaning, regardless of context-independent differences between them. These word pairs are challenging for learners of English as a Foreign Language, especially when their L1 is a Romance language. Monolingual English learner's dictionaries (MELDs) do not, in general, clearly or systematically disambiguate near-synonyms of different origin. An improvement in dictionary treatment of near-synonyms is thus called for. After outlining the main types and subtypes of meaning relations identified through the analysis of a sample of Germanic and Latinate word pairs, synonymy in the "Big Five" MELDs is examined. Proposals are then made to better encode synonym similarities and differences with cross-reference information in the form of tags, labels, and usage notes.