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communicatively relevant semes in the specific speech act. The
actual sense of the word is one of possible actualizations of
meaning in the specific communicative act, subordinated to a
specific communicative objective.
Each actualization of meaning is the communicative
variation of meaning, i. e. its semantic variation as far as its
components are concerned. Every actual sense of the word is a
semic variant of its systematic meaning, one out of possible
variants of meaning in the communicative act. The word as a unit
of the lexical and semantic system of the language can have one or
several meanings. In the latter case the speech semantic variation
of the word consists in both the choice of an actualized sememe
and the choice of a set of semes of this sememe which will be
actualized. These two types of the semantic variation of the word
are termed as lexical semantic variation (the choice of a sememe)
and semic variation (the choice of the semes). Words that have
only one meaning display only semic variation, while these with
several meanings demonstrate both lexical semantic and semic
variation. Thus, actual sense of the word is the result of the semic
variation of meaning in the communicative act. It is the
communicative usage of the word, its usage in the communicative
act that stipulates the formation of its actual sense. The
communicative conditions of the word can be considered as the
context in the broad meaning of this term.
The formation of the actual sense of the word is contextually
stipulated semic variation of the meaning, consisting in the
actualization of communicatively relevant components of the
systematic meaning of the word.
The semic variation of meaning is defined as the adaptation
of the meaning and competence to the communicative conditions
of a specific speech act, displayed by the formation of certain
actual senses. Semic variation takes place on the level of a certain
meaning (sememe), it is connected with the choice of semantic
components, which are to be actualized due to a specific

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