DOI
https://doi.org/10.47689/2181-3701-vol3-iss4/S-pp222-232Keywords
enantiosemia , lexical dynamics , French medical terminology , semantic shift , diachronic semantics , polysemy , specialized discourse , linguistic disambiguationAbstract
Enantiosemia defined as the phenomenon where a single lexical item expresses two diametrically opposed meanings presents a compelling subject of inquiry within the broader field of lexical semantics. While often explored in general language, this study investigates its manifestation within the specialized domain of French medical terminology, an area where semantic precision is critical. The research aims to identify contemporary enantiosemic terms used in medical contexts, trace their historical and semantic evolution, and evaluate the linguistic mechanisms that enable their functional disambiguation.
To achieve this, we conducted a qualitative and quantitative analysis of selected terms—hôte, accoucher, sanctionner, and drogue—drawing on corpora of modern French medical texts, historical dictionaries, and terminological databases. Our findings reveal that enantiosemia in medical French often stems from diachronic semantic bifurcation, where historical polysemy evolves into distinct, contextually bound meanings. For example, hôte may denote either a host or a guest, but in biomedical discourse it unequivocally refers to the organism hosting another. Similarly, accoucher alternates between the meanings “to give birth” and “to deliver a baby,” depending on grammatical structure and agency.
Furthermore, the study highlights how syntactic roles, lexical collocations, and pragmatic conventions contribute to disambiguating these terms in clinical usage, effectively neutralizing potential confusion. Notably, statistical data reflect a semantic shift over time—such as the transformation of drogue from a neutral term for remedy to one primarily associated with illicit substances—illustrating how cultural attitudes and professional practices shape lexical dynamics.
The study concludes that, although enantiosemia remains a marginal phenomenon in specialized discourse, it holds significant value in revealing the interplay between historical language development and contemporary communicative needs. It also underscores the necessity for terminological awareness among practitioners, linguists, and lexicographers working with medical texts. By examining enantiosemia not as an anomaly but as an adaptive feature of language, this research contributes to a deeper understanding of semantic flexibility and the evolution of terminological precision.
References
Apothéloz, Denis. "Procès centrifuge et procès centripète: RE-, DÉS-et l’antonymie directionnelle en français." Nabil Hathout & Fabio Montermini (éds.), Morphologie à Toulouse. actes du colloque international de morphologie 4emes Décembrettes. 2007.
Bobokalonov O. General and national-cultural features of medical plants in Uzbek and French languages. Interdisciplinary Conference of Young Scholars in Social Science, 17, 2021 – Р. 48-50.
Bobokalonov O. Lexico-semantical features of medical plants in Uzbek and French languages. Interdisciplinary Conference of Young Scholars in Social Sciences | Published by the Open Conference, 19, 2021 – Р. 54-56.
Bobokalonov O. Linguo-Cultural Peculiarities of the Phraseological Units with Pharmacophytonyms Components. International Journal of Progressive Sciences and Technologies, 23(2), 2020. – Р. 232-235.
Bobokalonov, O. (2022). Linguocultural and linguocognitive terminosystem features of medicinal plants in the French and Uzbek languages (Fransuz va o'zbek tillari shifobaxsh o'simliklar terminosistemasining lingvomadaniy va lingvokognitiv xususiyati). Bukhara State University. https://scienceweb.uz/publication/11504
Bobokalonov, O. (2023). Лингвокультурные лечебные фитонимы в современной французской фразеологии. Центр научных публикаций (buxdu.Uz), 31(31).
Bobokalonov, O. O..(2021). Units Expressing Names Of Uzbek Medicinal Plants And Their Classification. International Journal of Culture and Modernity, 9, 115-120. Bobokalonov, R. (2022). Linguacultural Study of Signs and Symbols. Центр научных публикаций (buxdu. uz), 16(16).
Bobokalonov, R. O. (2021, March). International medical terms from French to Uzbek language. In E-Conference Globe (pp. 136-144).
Caspard, Kalina. Booste ta culture générale en 200 anecdotes. De Boeck Supérieur, 2021.
Catonné, Jean-Philippe. "Drogue: un remède à l'existence?." Raison présente 153.1 (2005): 7-24.
https://www.cnrtl.fr/definition/sanctionner
Juraeva, M., & Bobokalonov, O. (2020). Pragmalinguistical study of French Uzbek medicinal plant terminology. Electronic journal of actual problems of modern science, education and training: Modern problems of philology and linguistics, 6(1).
Lécu, Anne. L'épreuve: La «prison-pharmakon»: remède et poison. Diss. Paris Est, 2010.
Odilshoh Bobokalonov. (2024). Distinctive aspects in the paradigm of lexemes with contradictory content and antonyms. News of the NUUz, 1(1.3.1), 262–265.
Ostonovich Bobokalonov, O. (2021). Units expressing names of Uzbek medicinal plants and their classification. International Journal of Culture and Modernity, 9, 115–120.
Ostonovich, B. O. (2021, December). Lexico-semantical features of medical plants in Uzbek and French languages. In Interdisciplinary Conference of Young Scholars in Social Sciences (pp. 54-56). https://www.openconference.us/index.php/ysc/article/view/19
Ostonovich, B. O. (2023). Multiculturalism through French shifonemas. Horizon: Journal of Humanity and Artificial Intelligence, 2(5), 695-700.
Ostonovich, B. O. (2023). Shifonym or Shifonema, New Onamastic Unit. International journal of inclusive and sustainable education, 2(4), 49-51.
Ostonovich, B. O., & Hafizovna, K. M. (2023). Onomastic Interpretation of Anemonym, Meteonym and Shifonym. Journal of Survey in Fisheries Sciences, 10(4S), 1293-1303.
Ostonovich, Bobokalonov Odilshoh, and Rustamova Feruzabonu Ilkhomovna. "Discourse Analysis of the French Terminosphere of Astronyms." American Journal of Science and Learning for development 2.5 (2023): 80-84.
Radjabovich, B. R., Ostonovich, B. O., & Bafoevna, N. D. (2023). Differential, Communicative and Neuropsycholinguistic Problems of Semantic Functionally Formed Speeches in Unrelated Languages. Journal of Survey in Fisheries Sciences, 10(2S), 1363-1375.
Radjabovitch, Ramazon, Bobokalonov Bobokalonov, and Pulotchokh Ramazonovitch. Lexicologie francaise. Editions universitaires e, 2021.
Sismondo, Sergio. Le management fantôme de la médecine. Edited by Laurent Dartigues, Translated by Samantha Saïdi, ENS Éditions, 2023.
Smushchynska, Iryna. French coloronyms containing anthiosemic component. Ezikov Svyat (Orbis Linguarum), 2023, p.67-80.
Syerikova, Marharyta. Le phénomène d'énantiosémie en français contemporain. 2021.
Tsiuri Akhvlediani. “The Main Problems of Enantiosemy in Modern French”. Language and Culture, no. 27, May 2022.
Downloads
70 10Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Одилшох Бобокалонов
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
