DEFINITION by
SYNONYMS
- One of the most easily understood, and therefore most useful,
methods of explaining the meaning of a word or phrase is to use
other words or phrases which have the same, or nearly the same,
meaning.
- Called DEFINITION BY SYNONYMS, this process can be used
either independently, or in conjunction with other methods of
definition, for example, definition by classification.
- EXAMPLE:
- In the section on formal
definition, a charlatan was defined as "a person (CLASS) who
pretends to have knowledge or skill he does not possess
(DIFFERENTIATION)."
If you substitute for, or add to, that definition, "A charlatan
is a quack, an imposter, a pretender, a fraud," you are
attempting to explain the meaning of the term CHARLATAN by using
words which have the same – or approximately the same – meaning.
This process is called DEFINITION BY SYNONYM.
- It looks easy, but you should understand that some
LIMITATIONS on the
utility of defining by synonyms do apply:
- Limitation 1: Synonyms are useful in explaining
the meaning of a word or phrase only when they are more familiar
to the reader than the term being defined.
- EXAMPLE:
- The word "mountebank" is another
SYNONYM for charlatan, but it is unlikely to be understood by
anyone who does not read Victorian novels. It is, therefore, not
likely to be of much help in EXPLAINING the meaning of the term
"charlatan," and the EXPLANATION of a word's meaning is what
DEFINITION is all about.
- Limitation 2: It is very rare to find two
English words which have EXACTLY the same meaning, particularly
when the CONNOTATIONS of words are taken into account.
- CONNOTATIONS are the
associated, or secondary, meaning of words. Very often, words that
have essentially the same meaning have different CONNOTATIONS.
- EXAMPLE:
- The word "quack" which is a synonym
for "charlatan," as in the example above, implies someone who
pretends to have medical knowledge which he does not possess.
- EXAMPLE:
- The words "evil" and "naughty" are
both synonyms for the word "bad." But even the most casual user
of English will immediately recognize that, while their
essential meanings may be similar, their CONNOTATIONS are very
different.
- "Evil" connotes something or someone morally bad,
while "naughty" connotes "mischievous" or "disobedient,"
and is generally used to describe the way in which a child is "bad."
- EXAMPLE:
- The nouns: "trip," "journey,"
"voyage," "expedition" and "junket" have essentially similar
meanings. But the experienced writer will select one or the
other of them for use, depending upon the precise meaning he
wants to communicate to an audience.
- An investigative reporter might, therefore, describe a
Senator's trip to Latin America as a "junket," a word
with unfavorable connotations.
- But the Senator's press secretary might describe the same
trip as an "expedition," a term which implies a long and
arduous journey. Lest we miss the point, the press secretary
might dress the term up further: "fact-finding expedition"
sounds even better, especially when accompanied by a photo of
the Senator wearing combat fatigues.
- EXAMPLE:
- Imagine that you read news stories in three rival
newspapers, each describing the number of persons who attended a
political cocktail party for a Democratic candidate for
Governor.
- An objective reporter might write:
- Chairman Frank Smith said
that more than 1,000 people attended.
- The local Democratic paper might dignify the
figure somewhat:
- Chairman Frank Smith stated
that more than 1,000 people attended.
- On the other hand, the local Republican paper
might write it this way:
- Chairman Frank Smith
claimed that more than 1,000 people attended.
- If you perceive the differences in these three sentences,
you are sensitive to the dangers of using synonyms.
3 Types of Definition:
(links)
-
By Classification (Formal Definition)
-
By Synonyms
-
By Enumeration
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