Synonymy in English and Arabic : a contrastive study

الملخص EN

In English as in Arabic, the concept of "synonymy" has no clear bases , i.e.

the alleged conditions of synonymy are difficult to be achieved.

In consequence, this concept is still a controversial matter among linguists.

On the other hand, both languages are rich in synonyms, but it is not evident which is the richest one.

Thus, this research aims at : 1.describing the phenomena of synonymy in both languages adequately.

2.identifying the language which is richer in synonyms.

3.examining the validity of the main conditions of synonymy.

In this research, it is hypothesized that: 1.in both languages synonymy is always partial.

2.synonyms are more numerous in Arabic than in English.

According to these hypotheses, the research begins with an explanation of synonymy in both languages.

Then, it presents a comparison between English and Arabic to highlight the principal differences and similarities between them.

This research makes clear that in both languages, no two words are identical in meaning on every occasion, which determines the nonoccurrence of what is called "absolute synonymy".

Moreover, partial synonyms are widely spread in both languages, but they are more obvious in Arabic than in English.