Homonyms: Homophones, Homographs ... and ...
(believe it or not) Homonyms
The term "homonym" is one of those frequently misunderstood words in English. When I was in grade school, my teachers often cited the words "Too," "Two" and "To" as examples. And you know what? They were right . . . Kinda. But not exactly. In ways, yes, in other ways, not so much. You see, there are actually three types of homonyms, one of which is homonym. Yes, you read it correctly: a homonym is a type of homonym; that is, under the broad scope of one idea of the word "homonym" there is one sub-category which is also called "homonym." It is this double-dose of the word that creates the confusion, but when you think about it, it actually makes a bit of sense. So, let's discuss, in detail, the homonym.
We must first understand what the term, "homonym" means. It comes to us from two Greek terms: "Homo" derives from "homos," which means "same," and "nym" comes from "onuma," which means "name." (Think about the words "Nomenclature" and "Nominal" that both come from "onuma.") So, together, "homos onuma" becomes "same name" or, more precisely as it is used in today's vernacular, "same word:" "homonym."
You must also keep in mind that the word "word" in English, doesn't refer to the meaning. If it did, it wouldn't make any sense to ask the question, "What does the word "xxxx" mean?" No, the word "word" refers either to the sound of the pronunciation of a word or to its appearance on the page, that is, its spelling.
So then, one of the first types of homonym is the homophone. Keeping in mind that "phone" comes to us from the Greek "phonos," which means sound, "homophone" means "same sound." The term refers to words that sound the same when spoken, but do not look the same in writing; i.e. they are spelled differently. Keeping in mind that "word" refers to the sound of a word, not to its meaning, a pair of homophones are "same words." When you say, "Too" and then say "Two," they sound the same; they are, for all practical purposes, the "same word:" Homonyms.
Another type of homonym is the homograph. Keeping in mind that "graph" comes to us from the Greek, "grafos," which means "writing," or, according to its English usage, "spelling," "homograph" means "same spelling." The term refers to words that share spelling but are pronounced differently. Again, keeping in mind that "word" refers to the spelling of a word, not to its meaning, a pair of homographs are also the "same words." When you write "bass" it can be pronounced in a way that refers to a fish, "băss" or in a way that refers to low-pitch ranges, "bāss." Since the two words are spelled the same, that is, they look the same, they are, for all intents and purposes, the "same word:" Homonyms.
Finally, the acorn that fell closest to the tree, the type of homonym that bears his daddy's name: the homonym. Again, meaning aside, focusing on just spelling and sound, the homonym is literally the "same word" with two different meanings. "Too," for example, means both "also" and "excessive." It is, of the three, the most literal: the same word with the same spelling and the same sound but with two different meanings.
Now, when you go to double check my conclusions, you're going to find (if you research it as far as I did) that there is a world of contradictory material out there: Big-name dictionaries that disagree with each other, web sites that conflict in every which way. Frankly, I only took the research far enough to get really frustrated, which is why it took me so long to complete this page. I suppose that there are answers, but they are hidden in sources stored at far greater depths than I looked, and I took the search quite seriously, to be sure. I finally settled back on what I learned in my grad school (not GRADE school, grad school), which is essentially what you're getting here. One quick Google search for some of you will confirm what you've read. On the other hand, the same search with a single alternate term, regardless of how minor, will result in finding sites that negate what I've said. So be it. I am not Sherlock Holmes, nor am I Sam or Dean Winchester.
Please use the chart below to help you remember which homonym is which, but keep in mind that they're also ALL homonyms. And, If you speak English as a primary language, that should make perfect sense to you. Enjoy!
We must first understand what the term, "homonym" means. It comes to us from two Greek terms: "Homo" derives from "homos," which means "same," and "nym" comes from "onuma," which means "name." (Think about the words "Nomenclature" and "Nominal" that both come from "onuma.") So, together, "homos onuma" becomes "same name" or, more precisely as it is used in today's vernacular, "same word:" "homonym."
You must also keep in mind that the word "word" in English, doesn't refer to the meaning. If it did, it wouldn't make any sense to ask the question, "What does the word "xxxx" mean?" No, the word "word" refers either to the sound of the pronunciation of a word or to its appearance on the page, that is, its spelling.
So then, one of the first types of homonym is the homophone. Keeping in mind that "phone" comes to us from the Greek "phonos," which means sound, "homophone" means "same sound." The term refers to words that sound the same when spoken, but do not look the same in writing; i.e. they are spelled differently. Keeping in mind that "word" refers to the sound of a word, not to its meaning, a pair of homophones are "same words." When you say, "Too" and then say "Two," they sound the same; they are, for all practical purposes, the "same word:" Homonyms.
Another type of homonym is the homograph. Keeping in mind that "graph" comes to us from the Greek, "grafos," which means "writing," or, according to its English usage, "spelling," "homograph" means "same spelling." The term refers to words that share spelling but are pronounced differently. Again, keeping in mind that "word" refers to the spelling of a word, not to its meaning, a pair of homographs are also the "same words." When you write "bass" it can be pronounced in a way that refers to a fish, "băss" or in a way that refers to low-pitch ranges, "bāss." Since the two words are spelled the same, that is, they look the same, they are, for all intents and purposes, the "same word:" Homonyms.
Finally, the acorn that fell closest to the tree, the type of homonym that bears his daddy's name: the homonym. Again, meaning aside, focusing on just spelling and sound, the homonym is literally the "same word" with two different meanings. "Too," for example, means both "also" and "excessive." It is, of the three, the most literal: the same word with the same spelling and the same sound but with two different meanings.
Now, when you go to double check my conclusions, you're going to find (if you research it as far as I did) that there is a world of contradictory material out there: Big-name dictionaries that disagree with each other, web sites that conflict in every which way. Frankly, I only took the research far enough to get really frustrated, which is why it took me so long to complete this page. I suppose that there are answers, but they are hidden in sources stored at far greater depths than I looked, and I took the search quite seriously, to be sure. I finally settled back on what I learned in my grad school (not GRADE school, grad school), which is essentially what you're getting here. One quick Google search for some of you will confirm what you've read. On the other hand, the same search with a single alternate term, regardless of how minor, will result in finding sites that negate what I've said. So be it. I am not Sherlock Holmes, nor am I Sam or Dean Winchester.
Please use the chart below to help you remember which homonym is which, but keep in mind that they're also ALL homonyms. And, If you speak English as a primary language, that should make perfect sense to you. Enjoy!
| Spelling | Pronunciation | Examples | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homophones (same sound) |
- | + | So / Sew |
| Homographs (same spelling) |
+ | - | Tear / Tear |
| Homonyms (same word) |
+ | + | Park / Park |
