On Semantics Polysemous Expressions and Semantic Roles

Two central issues in semantics will be touched upon in this paper which are vital in understanding the complex meaning of language, namely, the concept of polysemy and the semantic roles in propositions. Polysemy is the semantic spectrum of related meaning multiplicity many lexical items have, while semantic roles (thematic roles) are the semantic functions that are assigned/ or assumed to/ by participants of events expressed by dynamic verbs. A self-contained, undergraduate-level extension of both topics and a discussion of their interaction is given in this paper. Following the definition and categorization of polysemous expressions, and the overview of the cognitive mechanisms involved (being metaphorical, metonymical, or functional shift, detailed literary exemplification is provided of English novels (Austen, Dickens, Golding, Morrison, Rowling, Orwell, Shelley) that exemplify how authors make use of polysemy to produce symbolic and narrative effects. It then provides a summary of the key semantic roles, a discussion of their role in sentences, and extensive literary examples. Theoretical perspectives, psycholinguistic results, pedagogical suggestions, computational theoretical approaches (WSD and SRL), and cross-linguistic comments are thoroughly discussed in a full integration. Finally, the conclusion recaps the theoretical and practical significance of combining the two approaches of polysemy and role analysis in terms of language competence and classroom teaching.