Editing Homograph

{{Short description|Distinct words with identical written forms}}
{{About|the grammatical use|the typographical sense|Homoglyph|the geometrical sense|Homography}}
{{globalize|date=September 2018|2=the English language|3=the Chinese language}}
[[File:Homograph homophone venn diagram.png|thumb|400px|[[Venn diagram]] showing the relationships between homographs (yellow) and related linguistic concepts]]

A '''homograph''' (from the {{langx|el|ὁμός}}, {{translit|grc|homós}} {{gloss|same}} and {{lang|el|γράφω}}, {{translit|grc|gráphō}} {{gloss|write}}) is a [[word]] that shares the same written form as another word but has a different meaning.<ref>
{{cite dictionary
|title=homograph
|quote=One of two or more words that have the same spelling but differ in origin, meaning, and sometimes pronunciation, such as ''fair'' (pleasing in appearance) and ''fair'' (market) or ''wind'' {{bracket|{{IPAc-en|w|I|n|d}}}} and ''wind'' {{bracket|{{IPAc-en|w|ai|n|d}}}}
|url=https://www.thefreedictionary.com/homograph
|via=[[The Free Dictionary]]
|dictionary=[[American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language]]
|edition=fifth
|publisher=[[Houghton Mifflin Harcourt]]
}}
</ref> However, some dictionaries insist that the words must also be pronounced differently,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hobbs |first=James |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Homophones_and_Homographs/vCUTBQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0 |title=Homophones and Homographs: An American Dictionary, 4th ed. |date=2006-08-04 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-0-7864-2488-7 |pages=3 |language=en}}</ref> while the [[Oxford English Dictionary]] says that the words should also be of "different origin".<ref>[[Oxford English Dictionary]]: ''homograph''.</ref> In this vein, ''The Oxford Guide to Practical Lexicography'' lists various types of homographs, including those in which the words are discriminated by being in a different ''word class'', such as ''hit'', the verb ''to strike'', and ''hit'', the noun ''a strike''.<ref>Atkins, BTS.; Rundell, M., [https://books.google.com/books?id=H0rc_cnr3NYC&dq=homograph+dictionary&pg=PA192 ''The Oxford Guide to Practical Lexicography''], OUP Oxford, 2008, 
pp. 192 - 193.</ref>

If, when spoken, the meanings may be distinguished by different pronunciations, the words are also [[heteronym (linguistics)|heteronym]]s. Words with the same writing ''and'' pronunciation (i.e. are both homographs and [[homophone]]s) are considered [[homonym]]s. However, in a broader sense the term "homonym" may be applied to words with the same writing ''or'' pronunciation. Homograph disambiguation is critically important in [[speech synthesis]], [[natural language processing]] and other fields. Identically written different senses of what is judged to be fundamentally the ''same'' word are called [[polyseme]]s; for example, ''wood'' (substance) and ''wood'' (area covered with trees).

==In English==
Examples:
*''sow'' (verb) {{IPAc-en|s|oʊ}} – to plant seed
:''sow'' (noun) {{IPAc-en|s|aʊ}} – female pig
where the words are [[Heteronym (linguistics)|heteronyms]], spelt identically but pronounced differently. Here confusion is not possible in spoken language but could occur in written language.

*''bear'' (verb) – to support or carry
:''bear'' (noun) –  the animal
where the words are [[homonyms]], identical in spelling and pronunciation ({{IPAc-en|b|ɛər}}), but different in meaning and grammatical function.

The above examples are of [[etymologically]] unrelated words. Some homographs are also [[Doublet (linguistics)|etymological doublets]], meaning they come from the same source and are spelt the same way in Modern English, but their distinct meanings are tied to their distinct pronunciations:
*''[[wikt:Dominican#English|Dominican]]'' {{IPAc-en|d|@|'|m|I|n|I|k|@|n}} – of the [[Dominican Order]] or the [[Dominican Republic]] (fully anglicized, based on the [[Latin]] pronunciation of ''[[wikt:Dominicus#Latin|Dominicus]]'' {{IPAc-la|d|o|ˈ|m|i|n|i|k|u|s}}, named for [[Saint Dominic]])
:''Dominican'' {{IPAc-en|,|d|Q|m|I|'|n|i:|k|@|n}} – of [[Dominica]] (slightly modified from the Spanish pronunciation of ''Dominica'' {{IPAc-es|d|o|m|i|ˈ|n|i|k|a}}, named for Latin ''[[wikt:dies Dominica#Latin|diēs Dominica]]'' {{IPAc-la|ˈ|d|i|e|ː|s|_|d|o|ˈ|m|i|n|i|k|a}} meaning "the [[Lord's Day]]" or "Sunday")
Both words ultimately come from Latin ''[[wikt:dominicus#Latin|dominicus]]'' {{IPAc-la|d|o|ˈ|m|i|n|i|k|u|s}} meaning "of the Lord."

*''[[wikt:violist#Etymology 1|violist]]'' {{IPAc-en|'|v|ai|@|l|I|s|t}} – [[viol]] player
:''[[wikt:violist#Etymology 2|violist]]'' {{IPAc-en||v|i|'|ou|l|I|s|t}} – [[viola]] player
Both ''viol'' and ''viola'' come from Latin ''[[wikt:vitula#Latin|vitula]]''.

===More examples===
{{main|List of English homographs}}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Word
! Example of first meaning
! Example of second meaning
|-
| lead
| Gold is denser than  '''lead''' {{IPAc-en|l|ɛ|d}}.
| The mother duck will '''lead''' {{IPAc-en|l|iː|d}} her ducklings around.
|-
| close
| "Will you please '''close''' {{IPAc-en|k|l|oʊ|z}} that door!"
| The tiger was now so '''close''' {{IPAc-en|k|l|oʊ|s}} that I could smell it...
|-
| wind
| The '''wind''' {{IPAc-en|w|ɪ|n|d}} howled through the woodlands.
| '''Wind''' {{IPAc-en|w|aɪ|n|d}} your watch.
|-
| minute
| I will be there in a '''minute''' {{IPAc-en|ˈ|m|ɪ|n|ɪ|t}}.
| That is a very '''minute''' {{IPAc-en|m|aɪ|ˈ|n|uː|t}}/{{IPAc-en|m|aɪ|ˈ|nj|uː|t}} amount.
|}

==In Chinese==
Many Chinese [[Variety (linguistics)|varieties]] have homographs, called {{Linktext|多音字}} ({{lang-zh|p=duōyīnzì}}) or {{Linktext|重形字}} ({{lang-zh|p=chóngxíngzì}}), {{Linktext|破音字}} ({{lang-zh|p=pòyīnzì}}).

===Old Chinese===
Modern study of [[Old Chinese]] has found patterns that suggest a system of [[affix]]es.<ref>{{cite book |title=Chinese|last=Norman|first=Jerry|author-link=Jerry Norman (sinologist)|year=1988|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=Cambridge|isbn=978-0-521-22809-1|page=84}}</ref> One pattern is the addition of the [[prefix]] {{IPA|/*ɦ/}}, which turns [[transitive verbs]] into [[intransitive verb|intransitive]] or [[passive voice|passives]] in some cases:<ref name=baxterhandbook>{{cite book |title=A Handbook of Old Chinese Phonology (Trends in Linguistics. Studies and Monographs)|last=Baxter|first=William H.|year=1992|publisher=de Gruyter Mouton|location=Berlin and New York|isbn=978-3-11-012324-1|pages=218–220}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Word !! Pronunciation<sub>a</sub> !! Meaning<sub>a</sub> !! Pronunciation<sub>b</sub> !! Meaning<sub>b</sub>
|-
| 見<ref>The two meanings were later distinguished through the means of radicals, so that 見 ('to see', Std. Mand. jiàn) was unchanged, while 見 ('to appear', Std. Mand. xiàn) came to be written as 現.</ref>||{{IPA|*kens}} || see || {{IPA|*ɦkens}} || appear
|-
| 敗<ref>This distinction was preserved in Middle Chinese using voiced and unvoiced initials.  Thus, 敗 (transitive, 'to defeat') was read as 北邁切 (Baxter, paejH), while 敗 (intransitive, 'to collapse; be defeated') was read as 薄邁切 (Baxter, baejH).  《增韻》：凡物不自敗而敗之，則北邁切。物自毀壞，則薄邁切。Modern Wu dialects (e.g., Shanghainese, Suzhounese), which preserve the three-way Middle Chinese contrast between voiced/aspirated/unaspirated initials, do not appear to preserve this distinction.</ref>||{{IPA|*prats}} || defeat || {{IPA|*ɦprats}} || be defeated
|-
|colspan="5"|All data from Baxter, 1992.<ref name=baxterhandbook/>
|}

Another pattern is the use of a {{IPA|/*s/}} [[suffix]], which seems to create nouns from verbs or verbs from [[noun]]s:<ref name=baxterhandbook/>
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Word !! Pronunciation<sub>a</sub> !! Meaning<sub>a</sub> !! Pronunciation<sub>b</sub> !! Meaning<sub>b</sub>
|-
| 傳 || {{IPA|*dron}} || transmit || {{IPA|*drons}} || (n.) record
|-
| 磨 || {{IPA|*maj}} || grind || {{IPA|*majs}} || grindstone
|-
| 塞 || {{IPA|*sɨk}} || (v.) block || {{IPA|*sɨks}} ||border, frontier
|-
| 衣 || {{IPA|*ʔjɨj}} || clothing || {{IPA|*ʔjɨjs}} || wear, clothe
|-
| 王 || {{IPA|*wjaŋ}} || king || {{IPA|*wjaŋs}}|| be king
|-
|colspan="5"|All data from Baxter, 1992.<ref name=baxterhandbook/>
|}

===Middle Chinese===
Many homographs in Old Chinese also exist in [[Middle Chinese]]. Examples of homographs in Middle Chinese are:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Word !! Pronunciation<sub>a</sub> !! Meaning<sub>a</sub> !! Pronunciation<sub>b</sub> !! Meaning<sub>b</sub>
|-
| 易 || {{IPA|/jĭe꜄/}} || easy || {{IPA|/jĭɛk꜆/}} || (v.) change
|-
| 別 || {{IPA|/bĭɛt꜆/}} || (v.) part || {{IPA|/pĭɛt꜆/}} || differentiate, other
|-
| 上 || {{IPA|/꜂ʑĭaŋ/}} || rise, give || {{IPA|/ʑĭaŋ꜄/}} || above, top, emperor
|-
| 長 || {{IPA|/꜀dʲʱĭaŋ/}} || long || {{IPA|/꜂tʲĭaŋ/}} || lengthen, elder
|-
|colspan="5"|Reconstructed phonology from [[Wang Li (linguist)|Wang Li]] on the tables in the article [[Middle Chinese]]. [[Tone name]]s in terms of ''level'' (꜀平), ''rising'' (꜂上), ''departing'' (去꜄), and ''entering'' (入꜆) are given. All meanings and their respective pronunciations from Wang et al., 2000.<ref>{{cite book |title=王力古漢語字典|author=Wang Li |year=2000|publisher=中華書局|location=Beijing|isbn=7-101-01219-1|display-authors=etal}}</ref>
|}

===Modern Chinese===
Many homographs in Old Chinese and Middle Chinese also exist in modern [[Chinese language|Chinese]] varieties. Homographs which did not exist in Old Chinese or Middle Chinese often come into existence due to differences between [[literary and colloquial readings of Chinese characters]]. Other homographs may have been created due to merging two different characters into the same glyph during script reform (See [[Simplified Chinese characters]] and [[Shinjitai]]).

Some examples of homographs in [[Cantonese]] from Middle Chinese are:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Word !! Pronunciation<sub>a</sub> !! Meaning<sub>a</sub> !! Pronunciation<sub>b</sub> !! Meaning<sub>b</sub>
|-
| 易 || {{IPA|[jiː˨]}} || easy || {{IPA|[jɪk˨]}} || (v.) change
|-
| 上 || {{IPA|[ɕœːŋ˩˧]}} || rise, give || {{IPA|[ɕœːŋ˨]}} || above, top, emperor
|-
| 長 || {{IPA|[tɕʰœːŋ˨˩]}} || long || {{IPA|[tɕœːŋ˧˥]}} || lengthen, elder
|}

==See also==
{{Portal|Linguistics}}
* [[Synonym]]
* [[Interlingual homograph]]
* [[IDN homograph attack]]
* [[Syncretism (linguistics)]]
* [[False friend]]

== Bibliography ==
* {{Cite journal |last=Drury |first=Donald A. |date=1969 |title=Homographs and Pseudo-Homographs |url=https://digitalcommons.butler.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1429&context=wordways |journal=[[Word Ways: The Journal of Recreational Linguistics|Word Ways]] |volume=2 |issue=3 |pages=146-154}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Ryan |first=William M. |date=1968 |title=Affixes and the Making of Homographs and Homonyms |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/454547 |journal=American Speech |volume=43 |issue=2 |pages=138–141 |doi=10.2307/454547 |issn=0003-1283|url-access=subscription }}<

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Wiktionary|homograph}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Word play]]
[[Category:Orthography]]
[[Category:Homonymy]]