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Originally Posted by Lenka  Hmm... It's quite difficult and complicated (can be said).
I'll try to make a few statements using the linguistical expressions you've brought forward. (I am not sure whether I can use "bring forward here, really. If not, correct me, please.)
1) WEATHER and WETHER and WHETHER are homophones. |
That's right. Weather & whether are homophones
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2) CAN is a homophone, a homograph and a homonym
(can - water can, can - to know, can - to be able to)
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Indeed. CAN is a homophone, a homograph & ALSO a homonym
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3) Can e.g. word "needle" be considered a homonym? It has only one meaning, but you can use it both as a verb and a noun. I believe these words (there are thousans of them in English, I guess) are not considered homonyms, but I am rather asking, just in case.
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Homonym is when the word has "two different" meaning. Hence, "Needle" CANNOT be "homonym" since it has NO "different meaning", as it's ONLY ONE meaning.
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4) Dream (dream about sth. / of sth.) - can this be consireded two different meanings? If it can, how is the phenomenon (the relation between the words) called? Is it a polysemy?
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In this context, I reckon the word "dream" & the word "dream" in the phrase "dream about something of something" reflect the same meaning i.e. "things we see while sleeping". So, it CANNOT be said as "polysemy" since that word means "diversity/difference of meanings", which is NOT the case here.
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5) CLOSE is a heteronym (/clous/, /clouz/), homonym + homograph (to close X open, close X near...)
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Heteronym is a word that spells the same (like "close", whether it's /clous/ OR /clouz/) but having different sound AND meaning. Now, "close" has different sound (depending on whether it's "adjective" or "noun") and the meaning is "different" as well, such as "close" meaning "not far" AND "close" meaning "not open". So, bearing in mind this logic, it fits in ALL the criteria set for being considered as "Heteronym" & hence, I'd be inclined to consider "close" as "heteronym"
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If I did understand it well, the difference between homonyms and homographs is quite tiny. The only difference is the fact that homographs can be read (pronounced) either in the same or in a different way. Am I right?
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You're RIGHT saying that the difference between "homonyms" and "homographs" is negligible.