Journal of Siberian Federal University. Humanities & Social Sciences / Corpus-Based Study of English Oxymorons: Typology, Semantics, and Contextual Verification

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Issue
Journal of Siberian Federal University. Humanities & Social Sciences. 2026 19 (5)
Authors
Seisebayev, Aldiyar Zh.; Suleimenova, Eleonora D.
Contact information
Suleimenova, Eleonora D. : Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (Almaty, Republic of Kazakhstan); ORCID: 0000-0001-9515-1714
Keywords
oxymoron; corpus linguistics; antonymy; cognitive metaphor; semantics; corpus-based lexicography; contextual interpretation
Abstract

This study examines oxymorons in modern English using a corpus- based approach. An oxymoron is treated as a lexical structure grounded in an internal semantic contradiction between its components. The analysis draws on data from three major English corpora (COCA, NOW, and BNC) and covers over four hundred expressions traditionally classified as oxymorons. The study proposes a three-level typology: genuine (lexical), context-dependent, and pseudo (terminological) oxymorons. The classification is based on semantic opposition, contextual dependence, and corpus frequency as an indicator of lexicalization. The novelty of the study lies in the corpus-based verification of oxymoronicity and assessment of semantic conflict. The findings show that oxymoron functions as a dynamic cognitive-semantic phenomenon: about 15 % of expressions preserve stable antonymy, around 35 % are paradoxical only in context, while nearly 50 % function as lexicalized terminological units

Pages
1109–1119
EDN
AKEKPA
Paper at repository of SibFU
https://elib.sfu-kras.ru/handle/2311/158462

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