POLYSEMY

Frequent types of polysemy Several types of polysemous variation occur so frequently that
they should be considered part of the grammatical knowledge of the speakers of a language.
The following list extends on the list given in Pustejovsky (1995): First, we have count/mass
alternations for nouns, which can serve several functions:

(13)Animal/meat:

a.The lamb is running in the field.

b.John ate lamb for breakfast.

(14)Object/Stuff an object is made up:

a.There is an apple on the table.

b.There is apple in the salad.

(15)Stuff/Kind:

a.There was cheese on the table.

b.Three cheeses were served.

(16)Stuff/Portions:

a.The restaurant served beer, and so

b.we ordered three beers.

(17) Plant/food alternation:

a.Mary watered the fig in the garden.

b.Mary ate the fig.

(18) We have alternations between containers and contained:

a.Mary broke the bottle.

b.The baby finished the bottle.

(19) Figure/Ground reversal:

a.The window is rotting

b.Mary crawled through the window.

(20) Product/producer alternation, e.g.newspaper,Honda:

a.The newspaper fired its editor.

b.John spilled coffee on the newspaper.

(21) Process/result alternation:

a.The company’s merger with Honda will begin next fall.

b.The merger will lead to the production of more cars. Alternations involving location:
(22)Place/people:

a.John traveled to New York.

b.New York kicked the mayer out of office.

MOR EXAMPLES

My head is full of strange thoughts.

2. My head is aching.

3. We asked the head of the school for permission.

4. Write your name at the head of each page.

5. We paid ten pounds a head for the meal.

6. There is a hole in the skirt of her dress.

7. She bought a new skirt.

8. They found him at the skirts of the village.

9. A new road is skirting the suburb.

10. He was skirting the issue.

11. The letter was written on good quality paper.

12. I need this quotation on paper.

13. The examination consisted of two 3 hour papers.

14. The next speaker is due to give his paper at 4 o’clock.

15. The human species (i.e., man vs. other organisms)

16. Males of the human species (i.e., man vs. woman)

17. Adult males of the human species (i.e., man vs. boy)

18. (As a verb) to operate or constitute a vehicle or machine (To man a ship)