Experimental Study Of Polysemous Words Semantics In The Light Of Invariant Approach

Abstract

The main purpose of this research is to study the internal organization of the polysemous word semantics on the subject of how the semantic space is organized and in what form the meanings are stored in the mental lexicon. Despite the large number of studies in this area, linguists have not come to a decision whether we operate within the lists of unconnected meanings or whether the core meaning holds a polysemous word structure as a unit. The unsolved problem of polysemy determines the relevance of the research in this area. The paper presents the results of a psycholinguistic experiment in which the informants gave interpretations of polysemous Russian words not determined by the context. The results of the study proved that a native speaker does not need to store the detailed definitions for operating and storing the polysemous meanings. It shows that the order of storage of meanings in mental lexicon does not correspond to the order given in explanatory dictionaries. The frequency and a number of extra linguistic factors (interests, age, social status, etc.) influence this factor. Often a native speaker puts forward a meaning that is not frequent but relevant at a given moment of time. The meanings are fluid, unsteady, they are formed at the moment of speech and operate within the limits of main invariant semantic components.