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Wed 10 Dec, 2003 04:23 am
Words that are pronounced the same but are spelled differently are called homonyms or homophones. But what about words that are spelled the same but are pronounced differently? Is there a word for this?
Examples:
minute--unit of time; very small
refuse--garbage; say no
Thanks mucho, Wilso. I assumed there had to be a word for it. I just didn't know how to find it. :-)
I'm guessing that there's probably a word for everything.
And if there isn't, we circumlocute and coin words until one catches on and spreads, becoming the new word for whatever it was that didn't have a word for it...
I thought that was a way of making a verb out of a noun or adjective. Like
broadcast (pronounced the same, though)
perfect
contract
ride (ditto)
walk (ditto)
etc.
Why can't we all be like civilized people and slap "suru" on the end.
I don't know if this 'Suru' person would care for all that much attention.
Mezzie, New stuff requires new words. No question about it. My mind is occasionally boggled at the thought that there's a word for everything. EVERYTHING.
Sometimes, as Rufio suggests, we take a word and make it serve in a different context. A noun becomes a verb and vice versa.
Mr. Stillwater, LOL.
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