Corpus Analysis as a Means of Meaning Disambiguation: Collocational Analysis of Near-Synonyms of the Verb ‘Destroy’

The current paper is aimed at corpus-based differentiation of near-synonymous lexemes with the meaning ‘to destroy’. research implies a series consecutive steps: to discuss synonymy-related problems in modern linguistics; compile list destroy’ by means Corpus Contemporary American English (COCA); analyze and compare definitions chosen verbs Merriam-Webster Dictionary (MWD); generate lists right-context collocates for each COCA; put into semantic clusters obtained clusters. under study contains such as ‘destroy’, ‘ruin’, ‘break’, ‘obliterate’, ‘raze’, ‘annihilate’, ‘crush’, ‘devastate’, ‘wreck’, ‘demolish’. As result, clusterisation helped establish that all group collocate representing values threats where destroying evokes negative feelings associations while perceived positive action. verb ‘ruin’ typically used ‘meals food’, ‘holidays’, ‘leisure activities’, ‘entertainment’ ‘human relations’, deprivation enjoyment happiness. ‘break’ has wide array resulting variety conventionalized expressions. results lexical semantics may be helpful those professionally engaged second language teaching well translation lexicographic practice.