A Corpus-based Approach to Synonyms

－A case study of apparently and seemingly－

Abstract

　English has numerous synonyms. Although their semantic similarities have been primarily paid attention to in the previous research, equally interesting is their differences. However, their differences are implicit knowledge so that even native speakers might perceive it wrongly or cannot access it directly. Rather, they occur explicitly as differences in distribution in authentic data.

The present study aims to describe the differences between synonyms, apparently and seemingly, by using data from BYU-BNC. Previous studies on synonyms have focused on their similarities but hardly focused on their differences in use.

　　The investigation suggests that apparently tends to be used as a sentential adverb to show the speaker's positive commitment to the content the rest of the sentence expresses. In contrast, seemingly almost exclusively modifies adjectives, particularly ones with negative suffixes such as endless and impossible.