ADJECTIVES GRAPHIC AND GRAPHICAL IN MODERN ENGLISH: CORPUS-BASED DIACHRONIC STUDY

Abstract

This research paper explores the distinction between the two frequently confused adjectives GRAPHIC and GRAPHICAL. It examines their historical development, general patterns of usage, and conceptual differences. Taking a diachronic approach and combining both quantitative and qualitative methods, the study investigates changes in meaning, usage frequency, and collocational behaviour across two distinct time frames: 1990–1994 and 2015–2019.The primary source of empirical data is the Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA), which offers a balanced and diverse representation of modern American English across various genres.The analysis involves a detailed examination of etymology, dictionary definitions, and corpus-based evidence. Although GRAPHIC and GRAPHICAL share the same etymological origin and can both be traced back to the early seventeenth century, the findings demonstrate that they have diverged significantly in use. Over time, these adjectives have developed specialized functions and tend to occur in different contexts, which is evident from both their dictionary definitions and real-world usage. Their distribution and collocational preferences reveal consistent differences, especially in terms of the modifiers they combine with.The study also finds that both adjectives are most frequently used in academic writing, journalistic texts, and magazine articles. Notable differences emerge in the patterns of both premodifiers and postmodifiers accompanying each adjective, with these patterns evolving over the examined periods. Adjective GRAPHIC is more frequently used than GRAPHICAL in both corpus and collocations. Overall, the paper illustrates how corpus linguistics can shed light on subtle lexical distinctions and track language change over time.Future research could broaden the diachronic scope to earlier historical periods and apply more advanced semantic tools to capture finer shifts in meaning.Comparative studies across different varieties of English and pedagogical insights could further inform how these adjectives are interpreted and taught.