C Smirnitsky’s classification

A. I. Smirnitsky classified homonyms into two large classes:

· full homonyms

· partial homonyms

Full lexical homonyms are words which represent the same category of parts of speech and have the same paradigm.

e.g. match, n. – a game, a contest;

match, n. – a short piece of wood used for producing fire.

Partial homonyms are subdivided into three subgroups:

Ø Simple lexico-grammatical partial homonyms are words which belong to the same category of parts of speech. Their paradigms have one identical form, but it is never the same form.

e.g. found, v. – found, v. (Past Ind., Past Part, of to find);

lay, v. – lay, v. (Past Ind. of to lie).

Ø Complex lexico-grammatical partial homonyms are words of different categories of parts of speech which have one identical form in their paradigms.

e.g. rose, n. – rose, v. (Past Ind. of to rise);

left, adj. – left, v. (Past Ind., Past Part, of to leave);

bean, n. – been, v. (Past Part, of to be).

Ø Partial lexical homonyms are words of the same category of parts of speech which are identical only in their corresponding forms.

e.g. lie (lay, lain), v. – lie (lied, lied), v.;

hang (hung, hung), v. – hang (hanged, hanged), v.

D Patterned homonyms

I.V. Arnold distinguishes patterned homonyms, which, unlike other homonyms, possess a common component in their lexical meanings. These are homonyms formed either by means of conversion, or by leveling of their grammar inflexions. They are different in their grammar paradigms, but identical in their basic forms.

e.g. warm – to warm;

to cut – cut;

before as an adverb, a conjunction and a preposition.

Homonyms in English are very numerous. Oxford English Dictionary registers 2540 homonyms, of which 89 % are monosyllabic words, 9,1 % are two-syllable words.