A corpus-based analysis of scent and fragrance

This study aims to examine the similarities and differences between the noun synonyms scent and fragrance in terms of meanings, degrees of formality, and adjective collocations. To achieve this, two online dictionaries, namely the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (LDCE) and the Oxford Advanced Learners' Dictionary (OALD), along with the Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA), were consulted. The findings reveal that scent and fragrance can be considered near-synonyms due to their shared core meanings. However, they are not interchangeable in every context, as scent has an additional definition related to animal or human smell, which is not present in fragrance. In terms of formality, both synonyms tend to be more commonly used in informal contexts, as evidenced by their prevalence in genres such as fiction and magazines. Analyzing the top 20 frequent adjective collocates of these synonyms, eight collocates are found to be shared, including floral, fresh, heady, heavy, pleasant, spicy, sweet, and warm. The study also highlights the benefits of both dictionaries and corpora in English vocabulary learning and teaching. Dictionaries serve as a primary tool for accessing brief word information, while corpora provide more comprehensive details that aid in distinguishing synonyms.