Misrepresenting Synonymy And Attitude

Martin & Rose (2007: 86):

Synonyms
Synonyms are different lexical items that share similar experiential meanings. For example Tutu uses the synonyms public hearing and open session, which denote the same kind of event. Synonyms are often used by writers to avoid repetition. The meanings of synonyms also usually differ in some way, such as the contexts in which they are typically used. For example public hearing may be used in a general context, and most of us will recognise the kind of event it denotes, whereas open session may refer to various kinds of events - not just court hearings. Furthermore synonyms may also differ in the attitude they express. So public and open are neutral in attitude, whereas other synonyms for these items that express a stronger attitude could be exposed or naked.

Blogger Comments:

[1] As already explained, in contradiction of Martin & Rose's model of taxonomic relations, synonyms do not constitute taxonomies, since the relation between items, in each case, is one of elaborating identity, rather than elaborating attribution (hyponymic taxonomy) — the general sense of 'taxonomy' — or composition (meronymic taxonomy).

[2] To be clear, synonyms are words that have similar meaning, whether ideational, interpersonal or textual.  For example, lastly and finally can both realise similar textual meaning as conjunctive Adjuncts, and sadly and unfortunately can both realise similar interpersonal meaning as comment Adjuncts.

The reason Martin & Rose have singled out experiential meaning here is because they have misunderstood the textual function of synonymy in lexical cohesion as experiential discourse semantics.

[3] To be clear, the system of ATTITUDE is concerned with interpersonal assessment.  The words public, open, exposed or naked only realise features of the ATTITUDE system if they are used to make an assessment in terms of AFFECT, APPRECIATION or JUDGEMENT, and the relative intensity of the attitudinal assessment depends on both context and co-text.  Merely construing experience as public, open, exposed or naked does not necessarily constitute an interpersonal enactment of an assessment, as demonstrated by:

• public toilets
• open sandwich
• exposed rocks
• naked eye.