An Analysis of Polysemy in the Song Lyrics ‘Shape of You’ by Ed Sheeran: A Lexical Semantics Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65310/qj0gvm03Kata Kunci:
Polysemy, Lexical Semantics, Song Lyrics, Contextual Meaning, Semantic Analysis.Abstrak
This study investigates polysemy in Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You” using a non-empirical qualitative design grounded in lexical semantics. The research aims to identify polysemous lexical items, examine their contextual meanings, and analyze their semantic functions in shaping lyrical interpretation. Data were obtained from the official song lyrics and analyzed through descriptive textual analysis involving lexical identification, contextual classification, and semantic interpretation. The findings reveal that numerous lexical items such as “shape,” “heart,” “fall,” and “touch” exhibit systematic meaning extensions between literal and metaphorical domains. Context plays a crucial role in determining meaning selection, allowing lexical ambiguity to function as a controlled interpretive mechanism. The study further shows that polysemy contributes to aesthetic structuring, emotional intensification, and communicative efficiency within the lyrics. These functions demonstrate that lexical meaning in song discourse is dynamically constructed rather than fixed. Overall, polysemy operates as a central semantic strategy that enhances both interpretive depth and artistic expression in contemporary popular music.
Unduhan
Referensi
Biktagirova, Z. A., & Samarkina, N. O. (2023). The Role of Background Knowledge in Song Discourse. Russian Linguistic Bulletin, (4 (40)). https://doi.org/10.18454/RULB.2023.40.13.
Chayo, A. A., & Sholah, H. M. (2025). Analysis Of Free And Bound Morpheme In Lyrics Of Ed Sheeran Song Perfect. Al-Muaddib: Jurnal Kajian Ilmu Kependidikan, 7(3), 93-103. https://doi.org/10.46773/muaddib.v7i3.1870.
Faudzan, S. (2025). A Lexical Meaning Analysis In “My Chemical Romance Disenchanted” Song Lyrics. Cultura Franca, 2(1), 76-86. https://doi.org/10.58660/cf.v2i1.
Gafur, A., Arifin, M. B., & Rahayu, F. E. S. (2021). An Analysis Of Syntactical Deviation in Ed Sheeran's Selected Song Lyrics. Ilmu Budaya: Jurnal Bahasa, Sastra, Seni, dan Budaya, 5(4), 709-729. http://dx.doi.org/10.30872/jbssb.v5i4.4754.
Ilma, F., & Sabat, Y. (2023). Deixis analysis of the song lyrics Shape of You by Ed Sheeran. Project (Professional Journal of English Education), 6(4). https://doi.org/10.22460/project.v6i4.p783-794.
Kemal, E., & Damayanti, M. (2021). An Analysis Of Selected Ed Sheeran’ S Songs Lyric In Perfect, Shape Of You, And Photograph Discourse Analysis Approach. Journal of Pragmatics and Discourse Research, 1(1), 8-18. https://doi.org/10.51817/jpdr.v1i1.136,
Kendong, F. A., Daud, A. S., & Joharry, S. A. (2023). A corpus-driven analysis of Taylor Swift’s song lyrics. International Journal of Modern Languages and Applied Linguistics, 7(2). https://doi.org/10.24191/ijmal.v7i2.7489.
Kusuma, J. A., & Simatupang, E. C. (2022). Sense relations analysis on Ed Sheeran’s equals album: A semantics study. Ethical Lingua: Journal of Language Teaching and Literature, 9(1), 285-292. https://doi.org/10.30605/25409190.394.
Luli, A. H. G., Bay, I. W., & Ali, S. W. (2025). Polysemy Analysis of Song Lyrics In Ed Sheeran’s Album “Divide”. Socius: Jurnal Penelitian Ilmu-Ilmu Sosial, 2(10). https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15337207.
Mamun, D., Suastini, N. W., & Ariyaningsih, N. N. D. (2024). An Analysis of Contextual Meaning on Michael Bube’s Song Lyrics. Austronesian: Journal of Language Science & Literature, 3(3), 130-138. https://doi.org/10.59011/austronesian.3.3.2024.130-138.
Mustafidah, A. D. Z., & Putri, A. R. (2025). An Analysis Of Types Of Deixis In The Song Lyrics Of'give Me Your Forever'by Zack Tabudlo. English Review: Journal of English Education, 13(2), 563-572. https://doi.org/10.25134/erjee.v13i2.11825.
Natalia, C., & Handayani, N. D. (2026). A Semantic Analysis of Polysemy in Conan Gray’s “Wishbone” Album Lyrics. PROJECT (Professional Journal of English Education), 9(3), 635-641. https://doi.org/10.22460/project.v9i3.
Qureshi, M. A., Asif, M., Hassan, M. F., Mustafa, G., Ehsan, M. K., Ali, A., & Sajid, U. (2022). A novel auto-annotation technique for aspect level sentiment analysis. Computers, Materials, & Continua, 70(3), 4987. https://doi.org/10.32604/cmc.2022.020544.
Raxmatillayeva, K. (2026). The Role Of Songs In Developing Speaking Skills. In International Multidisciplinary Science Conference (Vol. 1, No. 4, pp. 107-111). https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19631397.
Samarkina, N. O., & Biktagirova, Z. A. (2023). The Role Of Background Knowledge In Song Discourse. Russian Linguistic Bulletin, (4 (40)), 13. https://doi.org/10.18454/RULB.2023.40.13.
Sugiati, F. N., Mulyani, E. R., & Sariningsih, E. (2025). Alan Walker's Song" Who I Am": It’s Deixis and English Students’ Perception of It’s Content. Project (Professional Journal of English Education), 8(5), 1078-1088. https://doi.org/10.22460/project.v8i5.
Trisnantasari, I., & Umalekhoa, M. (2017). A semantic analysis on ED Sheeran songs. Aesthetics: Jurnal Fakultas Sastra Universitas Gresik, 6(2).
Van Thao, N. (2021). An analysis of idiomatic expressions found in Ed Sheeran’s selected lyrics songs. Central Asian Journal of Literature, Philosophy and Culture, 2(1), 12-18. https://doi.org/10.51699/cajlpc.v2i1.54.
Wildhani, A. F., Maryam, A. M., Raihani, R., & Ismahani, S. (2025). A Linguistics Analysis of Syntax and Style in Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect”. Edu Society: Jurnal Pendidikan, Ilmu Sosial Dan Pengabdian Kepada Masyarakat, 5(3), 1369-1382. https://doi.org/10.56832/edu.v5i3.2407.
Yansyah, H., Arifin, M. B., & Setyowati, R. (2022). Figurative language in song lyrics in ed sheeran’s divide album. Ilmu Budaya: Jurnal Bahasa, Sastra, Seni, dan Budaya, 6(3), 802-819. http://dx.doi.org/10.30872/jbssb.v6i3.6227.
Unduhan
Diterbitkan
Terbitan
Bagian
Lisensi
Hak Cipta (c) 2026 Octania Romaito Rajagukguk, Bernieke Anggita Ristia Damanik (Author)
Artikel ini berlisensiCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
