National open university of nigeria school of arts and social sciences

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3.3 Synonymy

We mentioned earlier that Repetition sometimes can make a text boring. As a result, sometimes, rather than repeating the same word, a writer/reader may vary his/her use by selecting a synonymous item to replace the one being referred to. Synonymy as a lexical device is a device that employs the use of words that have similar meaning interchangeably in a written or spoken text. It is also referred to as Equivalence
Relation. Sometimes, writers or speakers create synonymy rings (a list of synonyms or near synonyms that are used interchangeably. For example, a writer may use any of the following terms interchangeably
speech disorder, speech defect, defective speech, speech problem, disorder of
speech, etc.
Mundane, earthly, secular, temporal, worldly, etc.
Energy, drive, strength, vigour, stamina, zeal, power, etc.

Flimsy, shallow, superficial, weak, trivial, etc.

Ancient, primitive, archaic, obsolete, pristine, antiquated, old, etc.

Now, let us look at instances in which synonymy is used to achieve lexical cohesion in texts, using some of the synonyms we have identified above.
13.3. When asked why he came late, he gave a flimsy reason. His weak
reason did not in anyway absolve him from punishment.

13.4. Christianity discourages adherents from engaging in worldly pleasures,
as such earthly practices will perish with the world. They are temporal.

13.5. His ideas are always archaic. I guess he got such obsolete ideas from
his grandfather, who brought him up. He grew up in the village, where
primitive ideas are still celebrated in the name of culture and
tradition.

13.6. My children are always full of energy. Sometimes I wonder where they
get the strength from. They play with so much vigour during the day
that when they sleep, they sleep like log of wood.

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