Course paper english lexicology

1.2.4 Absolute Synonymy

Absolute synonyms are rare in the vocabulary and, on the diachronic level, the phenomenon of absolute synonymy is anomalous and consequently temporary: the vocabulary system invariably tends to abolish it either by rejecting one of the absolute synonyms or by developing differentiation characteristics in one or both (or all) of them. Therefore, it does not seem necessary to include absolute synonyms, which are a temporary exception, in the system of classification.

Cruse admits that absolute synonymy is also described by some words as perfect, total, complete, genuine, actual, real or full synonymy. Most semanticists agree that real synonymy is a non-existence: that no two words have exactly the same meaning. Absolute synonymy is "two lexical units which would be absolute synonyms, i.e., would have identical meanings if and only if all their contextual relations were identical". Cruse mentions that having absolute synonyms is impossible and impractical since we cannot check their relations in all conceivable contexts.
There is no motivation for the existence of absolute synonyms in a language" unless two dialects of one language use two different lexical items to signify one object. The degree of synonymity changes from time to time. He gives the words sofa and settee as examples for further illustration. These two terms are synonyms; sofa was considered more elegant than settee, but he says that settee is nowadays considered more elegant than sofa, so these terms could be considered as
absolute synonyms by some people.
Farghal points out that "absolute synonyms are hard to find in English". Consider the lexical items commence and begin in these sentences: The work (commences ,begins )at 7: 30 a.m.
The two lexical items are similar but they differ in the degree of formality.
Commence is more formal than begin. Commence is used in legal and official documents as well as in religious discourse. It should be reserved for use in association with law, ceremonial, and church service, and begin should be used instead of commence in less formal situations. Moreover, absolute synonymy entails that the items in question have the same denotation, distribution and complete interchangeability in all environments; of course, this is difficult to be proved.

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