基于 COCA 语料库的近义词对比研究

——以 outcome、consequence 为例

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中图分类号:H313

DOI:10.12339/j.issn.1673-8578.2026.01.043

Comparative Study of Synonyms Based on the COCA Corpus: A Case Study of “Outcome” and “Consequence”//LIN Yating, YUAN Sen

Abstract: Based on data from the Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA), this paper examines the near-synonyms outcome and consequence across three dimensions: frequency distribution, collocation patterns, and semantic prosody. The aim is to uncover their semantic preferences and pragmatic characteristics in real-world usage. Findings show that it tends to co-occur with measurable and predictable scenarios. It generally carries a neutral to slightly positive tone. On the other hand, consequence is more frequently linked to negative and uncontrollable results, displaying a distinctly negative semantic prosody. This research offers data-informed guidance to English learners in differentiating near-synonyms, while also highlighting the practical role of corpus linguistics in vocabulary instruction and lexical research.

Keywords: synonym; corpus; semantic prosody

0 引言

现代英文近义词研究正经历从主观经验向语料库实证的深刻转向,这一变革以大规模真实语料为分析基础,突破了传统词典释义和孤立例句的局限。（剩余6031字）