英语语言学第五章semantics

16
6.3 Complementary antonymy


The members of a pair complementary to each other. They divide the whole of a semantic field completely. The assertion of one means the denial of the other and the denial of one means the assertion of the other. There is no intermediate ground between the two. Distinction between gradable and complementary contrary and contradictory
3
3.2 Connotative meaning



the emotional association which a word or a phrase suggests in one’s mind. It is the supplementary value added to the purely denotative meaning of a word. Mother a female parent connotes love, care and tenderness. Dogs have different connotative meaning between Chinese and English.
9
3.7 Thematic meaning

determined by the order of the words and the different prominence they each receive.



Mrs Bessie Smith donated the first prize. The first prize was donated by Mrs Bessie Smith. They stopped at the end of the corridor. At the end of the corridor, they stopped.
11
5. Sense and reference


Sense is the relationship inside the language. By the sense of a word we meaning its place in the system of relationships with other words in the vocabulary. It is concerned only with intralingusitic relations. Reference is the relationship between language and the world. It deals with the relationship between the linguistic elements and the nonlinguistic world of experience.
12


Connotation and denotation Connotation refers to the properties of an entity and denotation refers to the concrete entities having these properties. Sense matches connotation and reference denotation.
21
Animal bird fish insect animal human animal tiger lion elephant ...
22
7. Componential Analysis




An approach to the study of meaning which analyzes a word into a set of meaning components or semantic features. Semantic features constitute the meaning of words. Semantic features are established on the basis of binary features. HUMAN man (ADULT, MALE , HUMAN) woman (ADULT, -MALE, HUMAN)
10
4. The Theory of Reference


Words → Meaning: referential theory Words→Concepts→Things: Ogden & Richards thought/concept/image
symbolizes
refers to
symbol -------------------------------------- referent (word) stands for (object)
15
6.2 Gradable antonymy



Oppositeness relation The members of a pair differ in degree. There is an intermediate ground between the two. Graded against different norms. There is no absolute criterion by which we say sth is big or small. One member of the pair ,usu the term of the higher degree serves as the cover term.
17


The norm of this type is absolute. It doesn’t vary with the thing a word is applied to. E.g. the criterion for separating males from females is the same with humans and animals. There is no cover term for the two members of a pair.
20

A superordinate can be a superordinate to itself. A co-hyponym of human. A co-hyponym of bird fish and superordinate to animal and human. A cohyponym of plant and superordnate to bird fish and animal indicating mammal.
4
3.3 Social meaning


What a piece of language conveys about the social circumstances of its use. Dialect: the language of a geographical region or of a social class.



Inclusiveness or class membership A is included in / a kind of B. Cf.: chair and furniture, rose and flower Superordinate/hypernym: the more general term Hyponym: the more specific term Co-hyponyms: members of the same class



Associative Meaning
2
3.1 Conceptual meaning


Also called ‘denotative’ or ‘cognitive’ meaning. Refers to logical, cognitive or denotative content. Concerned with the relationship between a word and the thing it denotes, or refers to.

you would be so kind as to lower your voices a little. or Will you belt up.

3.5Reflected meaning


Associated with another sense of the same expression. Reflected meaning culture oriented. In English lily reflects purity and chastity. Love and happiness in Chinese. So paint the lily 画蛇添足 Dragon symbolizes royalty and power while in English evil.
18
6.4 Converse antonymy


Showing the reversal of a relationship between two entities. Relational opposites. One presupposes the other.
19
6.5 Hyponymy
Chapter Five Meaning
1

Geoffrey Leech (1974, 1981). Semantics: The Study of Meaning. Seven types of meaning:
Conceptual meaning Connotative meaning Social meaning Affective meaning Reflected meaning Collocative meaning Thematic meaning
13
6. Sense Relations

Synonymy
Gradable

Antonymy Hyponymy
Complementary
Converse

14
6.1 Synonymy


Sameness relation buy/purchase style thrifty/economical/stingy connotation autumn/fall dialectal
8
3.6 Collocative meaning


meaning of a word suggested by other words with which it co-occurs. Pretty handsome share common ground in the meaning good-looking, but they have different collocative meanings. Pretty with girl handsome with boy. Tremble with fear and quiver with excitement.
5


domicile: very formal, official residence: formal abode: poetic home: general
steed: poetic horse: general nag: slang gee-gee: baby language
6



3.4 Affective meaning


Reflecting the personal feelings of the speaker, including his attitude to the listener, or his attitude to something he is talking about. I’m terribly sorry to interrupt, but I wonder if