ESA PEDIA: Homophone and Homograph

 

Hello ESAHolics! How are you doing today? We hope your day is as joyful as a Sunday morning, always happy and fun! But besides Sunday, Monday is equally delightful as it's a productive day where our knowledge grows at the University. Therefore, we must always be diligent in reading. For example, let's read about this blog! This time we will discuss "Homophones and Homographs," sounds interesting right? Let's check it out!

In communication, there can be misunderstandings between interlocutors caused by the speaker's mistake in conveying something. To avoid these misunderstandings, we need to understand the meaning of words. 'Homonymy' which is having the same spelling or pronunciation or both, but different meanings, and there are two types of it. Those two types of homonymy which are homographs and homophones. Both are enigmatic, and often causing confusion for language lerners. Join us as we embark on a journey through the labyrinth of homographs and homophones.

HOMOGRAPHS

Have you ever heard of words that are spelled the same but have different meanings and sometimes different pronunciations? This is what we call 'Homographs.' They can also be confusing because, although they look identical in written form, they can represent completely unrelated concepts.

For example:

Ball

Bola: I often play basketball in the afternoon. 

Pesta dansa: When I was child, I often came to the winter ball.

Bat

Tongkat pemukul dalam baseball: Would you like to lend me your bat? 

Kelelawar: I am afraid of bat on the night. 

Close

Menutup: Close the gate. 

Dekat: The post office is closed to the bank. 

HOMOPHONES

While 'Homophones' are sound ambiguity. Sound ambiguity means that a sound which has two meanings. So, homophone can be defined as two words that have a similar sound or phonetic transcription (Yule, 2015). To comprehend meaning, we have to know the symbol and the reference.

For example:

"bare" and "bear"

bare: /bɛər/ (b-air) : This word typically means uncovered or exposed, as in "bare feet" or "bare skin."

bear: /bɛər/ (b-air) : As a noun, "bear" refers to a large, carnivorous mammal found in various parts of the world. As a verb, it can mean to support, carry, or endure something, as in "to bear a burden."

"flower" and "flour"

flower: /ˈflaʊər/ (fl-ow-er) : This word refers to the reproductive structure found in flowering plants, often valued for its beauty and fragrance.

flour: /ˈflaʊər/ (fl-ow-er) : Flour is a finely ground powder made by grinding grains, seeds, or roots. It is commonly used in baking to make dough or batter.

"peace" and "piece"

peace: /piːs/ (pees) : Peace refers to a state of tranquility, harmony, or freedom from disturbance or conflict.

piece: /piːs/ (pees) : This word can refer to a part or portion of something, or it can mean an item or object, as in "a piece of cake" or "a piece of paper." It can also mean a work of art, literature, or music.

So how do you feel after knowing about homographs and homophones? after reading and understanding it turns out it's not that difficult. It turns out that learning English is a lot of fun, so stay tuned for the next esa pedia blog! keep an eye on this blog and happy running activities fellas!

SOURCES:

https://jurnal.uns.ac.id/transling/article/view/52639/35209

https://journal.iainlangsa.ac.id/index.php/jl3t/article/download/1884/1203