A sociolinguistics approach to the discussion on the (non) existence of synonymy

Abstract

During the last decades, the emergence of variationist sociolinguistics as a field of study has generated various clashes with traditional semantic theories in language research. One of the main stumbling blocks is, without a doubt, the dispute over the definition and existence of synonymy, which triggers an ongoing theoretical discussion between sociolinguists, pragmatists, on one hand, and semanticists, on the other. The purpose of this theoretical review article is to bring forth some of the key reflections on the (non)existence of synonymy, thereby constructing possible paths for investigative dialogue between both stances,  charting possible new trajectories for the study of this relationship of meaning, and overcoming conceptual difficulties through approaches such as cognitive sociolinguistics and lexical availability studies. It is concluded that the obstacles hindering the categorical assertion of the existence of synonymy could be overcome through a holistic research perspective encompassing disciplines such as sociolinguistics, lexico-statistics, and semantic studies.