A more modern and effective approach to the classification of synonyms may be based on the definition describing synonyms as words differing in connotations:
- connotation of degree or intensity:
to surprise - to astonish - to amaze;
to shout - to yell - to bellow - to roar;
to like - to admire - to love - to adore - to worship;
- connotation of duration of the action:
to stare - to glare - to gaze - to glance - to peep - to peer; to say (brief) - to speak - to talk (lasting);
to shudder ( brief) - to shiver (lasting);
- emotive connotations:
to stare (surprise) - to glare (anger, fury) - to gaze (admiration, tenderness);
to tremble - to shudder (with horror, disgust);
alone - lonely (feeling of melancholy);
to sparkle (with positive emotions) - to glitter (with negative emotions);
- the evaluative connotation (labelling something as good or bad):
well-known - famous - notorius (negative connotation) - celebrated
(positive one);
- the causative connotation:
to sparkle (with positive emotions, e.g., happiness, high spirit, etc.) - to glitter (with negative emotions - anger, rage, hatred);
to tremble - to shiver (from cold) - to shudder (from disgust, fear, horror);
to blush (from modesty, shame, embarassment) - to redden (from anger, indignation);
- the connotation of manner of the action:
to run - to dash (to run very quickly);
to stroll (прогуливаться) - to stride (идти широким шагом) - to trot (бежать рысью) - to pace (ходить взад и вперед, шагать) - to stagger (идти шатаясь) - to stumble (идти, запинаясь о неровности) - to shamble (идти, тяжело волоча ноги);
- the connotation of attendant circumstances:
to peep (look stealingly through a hole, crack or opening, from behind a newspaper, a fan or a curtain) - to peer (in darkness, through the fog, dimmed glasses or windows, from a great distance);
- the connotation of attendant features:
handsome (a tall stature, fine proportions) - beautiful (usually - classical features and a perfect figure) - pretty (small delicate features);
- stylistic connotations:
girl - lass (dial.) - girlie (coll.) - maiden (poetic) - clamsel (arch.) - bird (slang); to be off, to clear out (coll.) - to take the air (slang) - to depart, to retire, to withdraw (formal).
Synonyms are one of the language's most important expressive means. They are the basis of language culture. To speak correctly and well one must know a lot of synonyms and differences between them.
To define the character of the synonymic relations between the words it is necessary to analyse all the meanings and occurrences of the words. It can be done with the help of contextual, componental and contrastive analyses.
Sources of Synonymy „, 0
Wide synonymity in English is due to a great number of borrowings^
Quite a number of words in a synonymic set are usually of Latin or French
origin.
fair (native) - beautiful (Fr.)
begin (native) - commence (Fr.) - initiate (L.).