LES RELATIONS FORMELLES ENTRE LES SIGLES : L’HOMONYMIE « MOTIVÉE » VS L’HOMONYMIE NATURELLE
FORMAL RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN ACRONYMS: ‘INTENTIONAL’ HOMONYMY VS NATURAL HOMONYMY

Summary/Abstract: In light of the exponential increase of homonymous abbreviations, it seems essential to undertake a study of the formal structuring of these lexical units that result from the shortening of a syntagma often composed of several lexical words on the path to lexicalization. Siglaization is the operation that allows for the creation of a word that appears simple but has a complex structure due to its formation rules, by reducing a syntagma already recognized as a complex functional unit. The abbreviation is obtained by taking each of the initial letters of the lexemes from the source syntagma. The abbreviation is formed in the same way as an acronym, with the difference that the acronym is composed more of syllables than of letters. Consequently, while the abbreviation can be pronounced either by spelling it out letter by letter or as an ordinary word, the acronym is necessarily articulated as a word. The distribution of consonants and vowels within the framework of acronymy is the basis for this pronunciation. This contribution aims primarily to demonstrate the existence and relevance of this formal relationship, on one hand, between abbreviations and words in the language, which will be referred to as “motivated” homonymy, and on the other hand, between abbreviations of the same form, due to the rules of formation of abbreviations imposed by the lexical system of a language, which will be termed natural or accidental homonymy. The structuring of abbreviations or acronyms will occur according to the specific domains of abbreviation usage and the languages from which these lexical units originate, while taking into account their contexts of use to determine the gender and specific meanings.

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