[Lexicog] Law of Synonyms

[Fritz Goerling]

Is there a law of synonyms? I don't believe in synonyms. No two words are
exactly "synonymous" from the point of view of connotation.

Concerning your example from the computer domain, let me mention another
example, given to me by a computer specialist. Who speaks of 'jump drive' or
'pen drive' any more? It's probably between 'flash drive' and 'thumb drive'
nowadays. And who knows what will come up next.

When two or more expressions come up at about the same time and compete,
'brevity (punch)' is one factor IMO that makes the winner.

 

Brevity is the soul of wit (Shakespeare, Hamlet 2, 86-92),

Fritz Goerling

Law of Synonyms 
There must be a law of synonyms somewhere (of phrasal synomyms 
in particular). Dictionaries and thesauruses (thesauri) seem too 
arbitrary & random too trust for this purpose. Of course, corpora 
listings are easy for words. I've been wondering for years what the 
world would gravitate toward -- "laptop" or "notebook" 
computer. "Portable computer" seems quaint, but... The reason I'm 
fishing in this pond is that I would hate wading through 
dissertations or theses looking for synonym principles (must be lazy 
or something). The only simple, quick source for finding phrasal 
frequency comparisons seems to be google-counting. "Laptop" (computer
(s)) wins on this one, generally by 22%-30%. But we're dealing with 
the `phrase' "notebook computer" and "laptop computer." 
Googling "notebook" alone skews the results. 
Has anyone done, or seen, research about how one term (or 
phrase) tends to predominate over others -- when two or more 
expressions begin at about the same time? Is is there a phonetic 
(e.g. reduplicative, length, ease-of-pronunciation) influence? Is 
there a "great-man" influence, according to coiner? First come, first 
served? Regional? Or is it truly unpredicable? 
This is an open-ended question.... Any ideas?

Scott Nelson

 

 

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