Semantic variation and the notion of polysemy in Zulu

Abstract

The article seeks to investigate the extent of the phenomenon of semantic variation in Zulu, especially the notion of the expansion of the range of an item which has resulted in the development of polysemes. In the article, it is shown that the semantic changes that extend to many indigenous words often result in the occurrence of polysemy, i.e. the phenomenon whereby a lexical item may have meanings varying according to the context of use or discourse. The article explores and distinguishes polysemy from other related phenomena such as homophony, homography and homonymy, and then makes a suggestion on how polysemy should be treated in a Zulu dictionary.