[Lexicog] lexical polysemy: reply to Amsler

[Peter Kirk]

On 17/04/2004 13:55, John Roberts wrote:

> 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?
>
> -----------
>
> 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."
>

On the last point, only because "abandon" seems to imply some kind of
intent, which isn't usually the case with books, at least for us
bibliophiles. (Even the runaway pet cockroach has some kind of intent!)
It can be used of some small objects e.g. I have certainly heard of
abandoning a plate, having eaten off it. And I did have to abandon some
of my books in Azerbaijan when I returned to England, although I would
probably say "left" because I gave them away to good homes (or
second-hand stores) rather than dumping them.

--
Peter Kirk
peter at qaya.org (personal)
peterkirk at qaya.org (work)
http://www.qaya.org/




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