The Use of Polysemous Words in the Pashto Language

Abstract

This research was conducted to elucidate the use of Polysemous words in the Pashto language and to clarify their various semantic aspects. Compared to other world languages, relatively little research has been done on this topic in Pashto, and previous works have primarily been confined to a few limited examples. The main objective of this study is to investigate the multiple meanings of a single word across different linguistic contexts and to highlight the distinctions between its primary (literal) and transitional (figurative/metaphorical) meanings. This article reviews the concept of meaning and the perspectives of various scholars on the subject. It discusses different dimensions of words and illustrates currently used Pashto Polysemous words—such as Shin (green/blue), Gaṭa (profit/stone), Tor (black/net), Pashto, Kor (house), Zāṛay, Ghāṛa (neck/bank), and Grān (expensive/dear)—as examples of how a single word can alter its meaning and convey new concepts based on context, style, and linguistic environment.