[Lexicog] lexical polysemy: reply to Amsler

[John Roberts]

Patrick Hanks wrote:

But then you have to have had some sort of ownership relationship with something before you can abandon it, don't you? 

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The key sense of 'abandon' is "relinquish responsibility for" not "relinquish ownership of" isn't it? If you abandon your car on the motorway you don't cease to own it (technically) but you do cease to be responsible for it. The leader of a group of people could abandon them on the trail but he doesn't own them. On the other hand, it seems odd to say "He abandoned his book (i.e. the book that he owned) in the library."

John Roberts


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