Prototype semantics: syntaphor in polysemy and beyond

Abstract

The paper shows how a recently introduced concept of syntaphor, which blends synecdoche with metaphor, may be used to represent semantic extensions of polysemous lexemes like paint or pin. The network semantic representations using syntaphor are both more descriptively adequate and precise. They also account for the fact that the word meanings differ in their use from vague general senses to rather specific, and yet entrenched senses. Finally, it is demonstrated that syntaphor is one of the crucial cognitive processes resulting in lexical differences between languages.