Abstract

Synonymy is a very common phenomenon in our daily speech and can be defined, in most cases, not as identity but as similarity of meaning. Speakers of historical-natural languages are perfectly able to recognize the commonality of meaning shared by two words, and their ability to replace words of similar meaning in the same proposition is not based exclusively on linguistic factors. Substitutability is also based on non-linguistic factors such as the speakers’ differences and individual fluctuations related to their experiences and on context of reference.In this paper, we will use synonymy as an experimentum crucis to demonstrate that knowledge of the conventional meaning of expressions alone is not sufficient to determine the proposition expressed. The traditional distinction between semantics and pragmatics is re-examined and the fundamental role that context plays in synonymy is highlighted. We discuss how looking at semantic content through a more pragmatic lens can serve to broaden existing concepts of meaning and conditions of truth and shed new light on the way in which linguistic expressions are understood and used by speakers.