Concept in Definition ABC

The word homonym literally means the same name, since the prefix homo means the same and onoma indicates a name. In this way, the homonymous adjective is used in allusion to the name that two things or two people share. When this happens, the phenomenon of homonymy occurs.

If two people have the same name, they are said to be namesakes and, therefore, homonym and namesake are synonymous terms. When two entities share the same name, they are said to be homonyms, as is the case with the geographic designation in some countries (for example, Mexico is the name of the capital of Mexico What country).

Types of homonymy

Homonymy can be of several types: 1) two homograph words, that is, those that are pronounced and written the same, as happens with the word on (it can be a preposition or a letter) or and 2) two homophone words, that is, those that sound the same but are written in a different way (for example, scorch and embrace, roast and chance, etc.).

Difference between homonymy and polysemy and between homonymy and paronymy

The homonymous words are often confused with the polysemic words. To clarify the difference, it must be remembered that polysemy occurs when a word has several meanings, while homonymy occurs when two words have the same form despite the fact that their etymological origin is very different.

Two words are paronyms when they present a certain likeness in its writing (for example, attitude Y fitness, affected and affection, etc.). Instead, two words are homonyms when they are spelled the same or pronounced the same or very similar.

Confusions and legal problems caused by homonymy

When two words are homonyms, some confusion sometimes occurs when interpreting the information (for example, Alicante is a Spanish city and also a snake or the word alpaca, which can refer to a metal target or an animal).

With some frequency in the media communication we speak of cases of homonymy, that is, those circumstances in which there is a legal problem when two people are confused because they both have the same full name.

If this type of confusion occurs between a criminal and a citizen Usually, the consequences can be very serious (there have been cases in which an innocent person has ended up in prison due to homonymy).

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