More+Problems+of+Language

=**In the following, English is used as an example as it is a language common to all of us.**=

**1. Homonyms, phononyms and heteronyms**
Bough: tree branch Bow: front of a ship Die: to become dead Dye: colouring agent Moose: large elk Mousse: a creamy desert Skate: a fish Skate: to glide on ice Stalk: part of a plant Stalk: to follow or harass somebody
 * Homonyms** are words with the same spelling or pronunciation, but have different meanings:

Desert: arid plain Dessert: sweet-tasting food after the main meal Click: to turn on, or make a snapping sound Clique: a small, tightly-connected group of people
 * Phononyms** are words with similar pronunciations, but have different meanings:

Lead (LEED): to guide Lead (LED): metallic element Convict (conVICT): to find guilty Convict (CONvict): a prisoner
 * Heteronyms** are words that have the same spelling, but are pronounced differently:

2. **Idioms** (popular sayings and informal expressions)
Remember that idioms and slang can change meaning not only from one country to the next, but from one town to the next, and even from one village to the next. “It’s raining cats and dogs” – it is raining very hard “Up the apples and pears” – up the stairs “Three sheets to the wind”; “Away with the fairies” – confused or ‘out of it’ “In the land of Nod” - asleep

3. **Slang** (informal or colloquial words)
“muppet”; “berk”; “clown”; “spanner”; “dumbo”; “twerp”; “lack-wit”; “pea-brain”; "airhead" ( a stupid or clumsy person) “nosh”; “grub” ; “scram”(food)

**4. Words with multiple meanings**
For example, “Set”, in its verb form, has a multiplicity of meanings. “He set the table for dinner” (to place eating utensils on the table) “The teacher set a test” (to give a test) “The plaster set slowly” (to harden or solidifiy) “Get set for the race” (to be ready for) “The teacher set the students into different classes” (to arrange into groups) “To set off” (to begin or commence) “To set by” (to put away until later) “To set up” (to prepare in advance or to prepare someone as a victim of a trick or lie) “To set down” (to put down or to write down) “To set on” (to attack somebody)

**5. Figurative language**
English uses lots of figurative language devices (such as metaphor, simile, euphemism, symbol, pun etc) which can creative ambiguity. Simile: “As mad as a hatter” Euphemism: “To spend a penny” Metaphor: “His poker-backed, nut-cracker wife” (Dylan Thomas) Symbol: “Oh rose thou art sick”; “Tiger, tiger burning bright” (William Blake)

**6. Dialect and accent**
Like slang, dialect and accent can change from one village to the next. Example: “Castle” in the North of England, this is pronounced “Cassel”; in the South of England, this is pronounced “Carsel”.