Microsoft Word lexicologiya o'UM. doc

Classifications of homonyms. 
Walter Skeat classified homonyms according to their spelling and sound 
forms and he pointed out three groups: perfect homonyms that is words identical in 
sound and spelling, such as : «school» - «косяк рыбы» and «школа» ; homographs, 
that is words with the same spelling but pronounced differently, e.g. «bow» -/bau/ - 
«поклон» and /bou/ - «лук»; homophones that is words pronounced identically but 
spelled differently, e.g. «night» - «ночь» and «knight» - «рыцарь». 
Another classification was suggested by A.I Smirnitsky. He added to Skeat’s 
classification one more criterion: grammatical meaning. He subdivided the group of 
perfect homonyms in Skeat’s classification into two types of homonyms: perfect 
which are identical in their spelling, pronunciation and their grammar form, such as 
:»spring» in the meanings: the season of the year, a leap, a source, and homoforms 
which coincide in their spelling and pronunciation but have different grammatical 
meaning, e.g. «reading» - Present Participle, Gerund, Verbal noun., to lobby – lobby. 
A more detailed classification was given by I.V. Arnold. She classified only 
perfect homonyms and suggested four criteria of their classification: lexical meaning, 
grammatical meaning, basic forms and paradigms. 
According to these criteria I.V. Arnold pointed out the following groups: a) 
homonyms identical in their grammatical meanings, basic forms and paradigms and 
different in their lexical meanings, e.g. «board» in the meanings «a council» and « a 
piece of wood sawn thin»; b) homonyms identical in their grammatical meanings and 
basic forms, different in their lexical meanings and paradigms, e.g. to lie - lied - lied, 
and to lie - lay - lain; c) homonyms different in their lexical meanings, grammatical 
meanings, paradigms, but coinciding in their basic forms, e.g. «light» / «lights»/, 
«light» / «lighter», «lightest»/; d) homonyms different in their lexical meanings, 
grammatical meanings, in their basic forms and paradigms, but coinciding in one of 
the forms of their paradigms, e.g. «a bit» and «bit» (from « to bite»). 
In I. V. Arnold’s classification there are also patterned homonyms, which, 
differing from other homonyms, have a common component in their lexical 
meanings. These are homonyms formed either by means of conversion, or by 
levelling of grammar inflexions. These homonyms are different in their grammar 
meanings, in their paradigms, identical in their basic forms, e.g. «warm» - «to warm». 
Here we can also have unchangeable patterned homonyms which have identical basic 
forms, different grammatical meanings, a common component in their lexical 
meanings, e.g. «before» an adverb, a conjunction, a preposition. There are also 
homonyms among unchangeable words which are different in their lexical and 
grammatical meanings, identical in their basic foms, e.g. « for» - «для» and «for» - 
«ибо».