A corpus analysis of Spanish synonyms based on the extended units of meaning model
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35622/j.ro.2023.02.003Keywords:
synonyms, Spanish, corpus, model of extended units of meaning, Co-selection TheoryAbstract
The study aimed to compare three synonyms in Spanish that share the notion of "being very full" (full / saturated / overflowing) in a quantitative and qualitative way. We hypothesize that the three present different collocational, structural and semantic profiles. To verify the hypothesis, we base ourselves on the theory of Co-selection (TC) and the model of extended units of meaning (MEUM). The 21st century Spanish Corpus and the AntConc 4.0.11 and LancsBox 6.0 programs were used. Our analysis confirmed the hypothesis with the following conclusions: (a) The three synonyms show different collocational profiles and are used in different semantic domains. The semantic preference for saturated and overflowing is more heterogeneous and abstract than that for replete; (b) At a structural level, the three are used in similar colligational patterns, but the saturated ones are more diversified; (c) With respect to semantic prosody, full and saturated present a neutral-negative prosody and overflowing, a neutral-positive prosody.
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