On the Monosemic Nature of Words

Abstract

This paper aims to prove the monosemic nature of some polysemous words. To prove the monosemic character of a word, its semantics must be analysed. Looking at the semantic field that covers the word will enable us to understand the semantic connection that exists in the content structure of the word. In this paper the focus is placed on the examination of the referential and contextual criteria of the word, in order to prove that the meanings of polysemous words are nothing but
monosemic words constructed in a semantic structure. The semantic variants of the examined words are semantic alternatives, which show only a false polysemy of the word. This paper tries to make a modest contribution to the treatment of the linguistic phenomenon of monosemy and the argument that some polysemous words are inclined towards a monosemic nature, even though they are reflected in the dictionary as polysemous words.