Paronīmu kolokācijas un to ietekme uz nozīmes diferencēšanu

The article is devoted to one of the Latvian language parallelism systems – paronymy. The study aims to analyse the relationship between paronymous collocations and the possibilities for differentiating their meaning. Although this is a qualitative study, both qualitative and quantitative methods have been used. From a qualitative point of view, descriptive and contextual methods of analysis are used in the design and analysis of the material, while from a quantitative perspective, statistical method of data processing is used. The beginning of the study discusses the development of the concept of paronymy and the diversity of its understanding in linguistics, and provides an overview of the typology of paronyms. According to the objective of the study, two groups of paronyms are discussed in more detail: 1) distinctive or differentiated paronyms – derivatives of the same root whose difference in meaning is easily perceived and which are generally not confused in language practice, but which may cause problems for language learners, 2) similar or partially differentiated paronyms – derivatives of the same root whose difference in meaning is difficult to perceive and which are commonly confused in language practice. The results of the study indicate that different collocations characterise distinctive or fully differentiated paronyms, whereas similar or partially differentiated paronyms more often share identical collocations in language practice. Statistical data suggest that the identical collocations of similar paronyms generally indicate trends of paronym differentiation, as the frequency of use for different paronyms within the same collocation mainly varies. Thus, the study of collocations can be used to distinguish paronyms that are difficult to differentiate, as there is a tendency in usage to employ even very hard-to-distinguish paronyms in different collocations, at least in terms of frequency. In order to better strengthen the differentiation of paronym meanings in standardised language, a paronym dictionary is required in Latvian lexicography that would include information on the differences in paronym meanings and offer typical collocations of paronyms. At the end of the study, a sample of what a paronymous dictionary’s division might look like is given.