THE COMPARATIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CONCEPTS OF POLYSEMY AND HOMONYMY

This study focuses on the comparative analysis of polysemy and homonymy as two interrelated yet conceptually distinct linguistic phenomena. While both are characterized by the coexistence of multiple meanings within the identical or phonetically similar lexical units, their semantic nature, origin, and functional characteristics differ significantly. The study emphasizes the main criteria used to differentiate polysemy from homonymy, including semantic relatedness, etymology, and contextual usage. The clear analysis in linguistics, lexicography, and language learning is directly based on understanding the distinctions between the concepts of homonymy and polysemy. According to Lyons (1995, p. 123), A nuanced comprehension of these phenomena contributes to a deeper understanding of lexical evolution, semantic change, and interpretative accuracy in both native and foreign language contexts.