Classification of homonyms

Walter Skeat classified homonyms according to their spelling and sound forms and he pointed out three groups: perfect homonyms, that is words identical in sound and spelling, e.g. school – косяк риби and школа, homographs, that is words with the same spelling but pronounced differently, e.g. bow [aV] поклон and bow [eV] – лук; homophones, that is words pronounced identically but spelled differently, e.g. night - ніч and knight – лицар.

A more detailed classification was worked out by I. V. Arnold. She classified only pefect homonyms (according to Skeat's classification) and suggested four criteria of their classification: lexical meaning, grammatical meaning, basic forms and paradigms.

According to these criteria I.V.Arnold pointed out the following groups:

a) homonyms identical in their grammatical meanings, basic form and paradigms and their different lexical meanings, e.g. hoard in the meaning a council and a piece of wood sawn thin;

b) homonyms identical in their grammatical meanings and basic forms, but different in their lexical meanings and paradigms, e.g. to lie – lied – lied, and to lie – lay – lain;

c) homonyms different in their lexical meanings, grammatical meanings, paradigms, but coinciding in their basic form, e.g. light (lights) light (lighter, lighted);

d) homonyms different in their lexical meanings, grammatical meanings, in their basic forms and paradigms, but coinciding in one of the forms of their paradigms, e.g. a bit and bit (from to bite).

In I. V. Arnold’s classification there are also patterned homonyms, which, differing from other homonyms, have a common component in their lexical meanings. These are homonyms formed either by means of conversion, or by levelling of grammar inflexions. These homonyms are different in their grammatical meanings, in their paradigms, but identical in their basic forms, e.g. warm, to warm. Here we can also have unchangeable patterned homonyms which have identical basic forms, different grammatical meanings and a common component in their lexical meanings, e.g. before – an adverb, a conjunction, a preposition. There are also homonyms among unchangeable words which are different in their lexical and grammatical meanings, but identical in their basic forms., e.g. for – для and for –бо.