Abstract
Many scholars e.g. Glover (2005), Sekyi-Baidoo (2006) and Falkum (2010) have expressed some concerns about Word Sense Multiplicity (WSM), which explains multiple meanings as part of a word. In other words, WSM is an integral part of any natural language including Akan on which this paper concentrates. As Agyekum (2002; 2005) and Levin (1993) observe, with WSM, users and researchers of language dwell on a particular sense of a word deeming it as an underlying representation of all other senses. In this paper, however, from the perspective of the homonymic and polysemic nature of a word, we seek to explore the Homonymic Chain Model (Oppong-Asare, 2012) as a tool for expressing the multiple meanings words in languages in descriptive terms. The model attempts to simplify the understanding of the various meanings of a word by conceptualizing its diverse senses. As will also be exhibited pictorially, the Homonymic Chain Model (HCM) also explains that a particular word may have two or more distinct meanings and each of the meanings may also have other related senses. As part of our conclusion, we contend among others that apart from aiding students and language learners to recognize and comprehend different senses of a word more clearly, HCM could also facilitate the work of translators working with Akan.
Highlights
Words with multiple meanings are part of any natural language, including Akan (Asante-Twi) on which this paper is, and this underscores the idea of Word Sense Multiplicity (WSM)
In the rest of the paper, we present the structure of Homonymic Chain Model (HCM) and explain how it can be classified as a model by looking at its features and function
This paper has strived to explain that models are very important in the analyses of linguistic phenomena and aspects of natural languages
Summary
Words with multiple meanings are part of any natural language, including Akan (Asante-Twi) on which this paper is, and this underscores the idea of Word Sense Multiplicity (WSM). WSM often manifests when the lexeme is not positioned within a (syntactic) context; i.e. when it is in isolation It becomes a problem when it leaves a huge gap between interlocutors; i.e. in a situation where a speaker‟s intention is misinterpreted by a listener. Following Parent, we contend that what the student failed to do was modulating the verb‟s context appropriately for the non-film environment he found himself in He could have been spared if he had put the sentence in this way: „I need to shoot some footage of people in this scene for my film project‟. Better still, he could have entered the office with his camera (as the instrument for the action) as he made his request. Later in our discussions we will highlight how various models have been used in language analysis
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