Do perfect synonyms exist?

[Loki]

During my studies I've always been taught that perfect synonyms do not exist, that there is always some sort of nuance between two words "with the same meaning". Now, studying is one thing, and using the language is another: do they exist? Can you think of any?
However, it would be rather useless having two words with the exact same meaning, that you can use interchangibly...
In Italian "tra" e "fra" could be considered perfect synonyms (I keep on using this phrase but I don't know whether it exists or not): they both mean "between", or "among" and we can use the one or the other as we like.
What about in English (or in any other language)?

[Omo]

If they are perfect synonyms they are redundant. Only if a nuance differentiates them it makes sense to have two words instead of one. So two perfect synonyms can only exist for a short period, then either one vanishes or there is established said nuance to differentiate.

[lionel]

Two words may be very similar, but they're always pre-packed with different connotations, they suggest different associations, conditions, etc. I think this is one of the problems I have with translation: does any translated word have exactly the same social, cutural, etc, associations as the original? Is it possible?

BLOG (http://tonyshaw3.blogspot.com)

[Eric]

It is logically impossible to have a "perfect" synonym. The very fact that different letters and sounds are used to create the two synonyms means that even the letters and sounds can trigger off different associations or registers in the listener or reader, as Lionel suggests.

But to avoid entering a totally solipsistic world, we are fairly liberal when we claim that a synonym means the same thing. Thesauruses are a great help when translating. (Brontosauruses are not quite as useful.)

[Loki]

Thesauruses are a great help when translating. (Brontosauruses are not quite as useful.)

That's a good one.