Semantic Solubility as a Complement of Semantic Prosody

Abstract

n any discipline, the evolvement or introduction of a new theory to explain phenomenon in a better light evidences that knowledge is progressive. In this article This paper focuses on the theoretical foundation of corpus linguistics, by trying to show the limitations of the concept of semantic prosody in order to evolve the concept of ‘semantic solubility’ which supplements the gaps created in the aspect of meaning diffusion and absorption. Semantic prosody is one of the crucial concepts within the frameworks of corpus linguistics, which explains the intrusion of semantic properties (positive or negative) of a lexeme to other lexemes in a semantic net. However, the theory is oblivious of the possibility of a lexeme to imbibe both negative and positive prosodies simultaneously from a mediating lexeme to express meaning. Also, there is the possibility of antonymous lexemes in homologous constructions to express similar meaning as a result of the process of meaning diffusion and meaning inhibition among lexemes. The paper, therefore, argues that oblivion of these aspects of idiosyncrasies of antonymous lexemes is to represent an incomplete picture of the nature of meaning diffusion and inhibition which is crucial to semantic prosody. The evolvement of the concept of ‘semantic solubility’ therefore has the goal of advancing the study of lexical collocational possibilities. Key words: Corpus linguistics, semantic prosody, meaning diffusion, and semantic solubility