Synonymy in Semitic Languages: A Comparative Study Arabic, Hebrew, and Akkadian as a Model

Abstract

Synonymy is one of the most prominent semantic phenomena that has occupied linguists throughout history. It refers to the occurrence of multiple words that share one meaning. This phenomenon is particularly evident in the Semitic languages, which share a common origin and many linguistic features. This research aims to conduct a comparative study of synonymy in three major Semitic languages: Arabic, Hebrew, and Akkadian. The study seeks to identify the concept of synonymy, its causes, and the common factors that led to its emergence in these languages. It also highlights the special semantic shades of synonyms and the role of context in determining their precise meaning.The research consists of four chapters. The first chapter deals with the definition of synonymy and its causes in the three languages. The second chapter discusses the common factors for the emergence of synonymy. The third chapter presents a comparative table of forty synonymous words in Arabic, Hebrew, and Akkadian. The fourth chapter examines the special connotations of synonyms and their contextual usage.The study concludes that synonymy is an ancient phenomenon in Semitic languages due to their shared origin. Arabic is the richest in synonyms because of the multiplicity of Arab tribes and dialects. Hebrew has fewer synonyms due to the limited corpus, while Akkadian was influenced by Sumerian, which created two layers of synonyms. The research also confirms that there is no complete synonymy, as each word has its own semantic shade.