Acknowledgements 1
Chapter 1 Introduction 1
1.1 Rationale for the Present Research 1
1.2 Overview of Lexical Near-synonyms Research 3
1.3 Research Obiectives 7
1.4 Research Methodology 8
1.5 Research Framework 8
1.6 Organization of This Research 10
Chapter 2 Linguistic Approaches to Near-synonyms 12
2.1 Introduction 12
2.2 Some Fundamental Concepts to Be Clarified 13
2.3 Lexicological Approach to Near-synonyms 21
2.4 Rhetorical Approach to Near-synonyms 24
2.5 Semantic Approaches to Near-synonyms 25
2.6 Corpus-based Approach to Near-synonyms 35
Chapter 3 Lexicographical Treatments of Near-synonyms 45
3.1 Introduction 45
3.2 Evolution of Special Synonym Dictionaries 46
3.3 Treatment of Near-synonyms in the General Dictionaries 61
3.4 Different Treatments of Near-synonyms in English Learners' Dictionaries 66
3.5 Contrastive Analysis of the Treatments of Near-synonyms in ELD 71
3.6 Insufficiencies in the Near-synonym Information Treatment in the Mainstream ELD 72
Chapter 4 A Cognitive Approach to Near-synonyms 80
4.1 Introduction 80
4.2 The Relationship Between Language and Cognition 81
4.3 Mental Lexicon and Semantic Network 84
4.4 Cognitive Gestalt Versus Cognitive Attributes and Dimensions 86
4.5 Categorization as the Mental Process of Classification 88
4.6 Prototype Model in Cognition 96
4.7 Context-dependent Cognition and Cultural Models 101
Chapter 5 The Multidimensional Variations of Near-synonyms 105
5.1 Approaches to the Study of Meaning 105
5.2 Previous Classification of the Differences of Near-synonym Series 110
5.3 Multidimensions of the Discrimination of Near-synonyms 112
5.4 Cognitive Distinctions 113
5.5 Expressive Distinctions 116
5.6 Stylistic Distinctions 118
5.7 Structural Distinctions 124
5.8 Multidimensional Variations 127
Chapter 6 A Contrastive Analysis of English and Chinese Near-synonyms 130
6.1 Overview 130
6.2 Homogeneity and Heterogeneity of Languages 131
6.3 Etymological Analysis of English and Chinese Near-synonyms 133
6.4 Morphological Analysis of English and Chinese Near-synonyms 138
6.5 Semantic Analysis of English and Chinese Near-synonyms 141
6.6 Cultural Contrastive Analysis of English and Chinese Near-synonyms 150
Chapter 7 CSF-based Processing of Near-synonyms in the EFL Dictionaries for Chinese Learners 152
7.1 Paradox of the Discrimination of the Near-synonyms 152
7.2 Cognitive Semantic Frame（CSF） 153
7.3 Lexical Near-synonym Series as the Cognitive Semantic Frame 161
7.4 CSF-based Discrimination of Near-synonyms 162
7.5 The CSF-based Processing of Near-synonym Entries in the EFLD 164
7.6 Model of Multidimensional Discrimination of Near-synonyms 171
Chapter 8 Conclusion 188
Appendix 1 Near-synonym Series in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English(LDOCE4) 188
Appendix 2 Near-synonym Series in Oxford Aduanced Learner's Dictionary(OALD6) 191
Appendix 3 Near-synonym Series in the New Webster Collegiate Dictionary(NWCD) 194
Appendix 4 Near-synonym series in A Multifunctional Dictionary for College English Teaching and Learning(MDCETL) 203
Bibliography 213