Chapter 6- Semantics: the analysis of meaning

Question 1

Synonymy

Answer 1

Words or expressions that share the same meaning in some or all contexts.

Question 2

Antonymy

Answer 2

Words that are opposites (antonyms) to each other in a certain context.

Question 3

Gradable and non-gradable antonyms

Answer 3

Gradable antonyms can be used in comparative construction. the absence of a gradable antonym does not imply the presence of another. ex: tall-short
Non-Gradable antonyms cannot be used comparatively. The absence of one implies the presence of another. ex: on-off

Question 4

Reversive antonyms

Answer 4

Verbs in which one is the reverse of the other (not the negative).
ex: tie-untie, enter-exit, come-go

Question 5

Hyponomy

Answer 5

The meaning of one word is included in the meaning of another.
Hypernym: the broader concept/term
Hyponym: a branch of a broader concept/term
Co-hyponyms: branches of the same hypernym

ex: (animal)-(dog)-(spaniel, poodle, corgi)
animal is a hypernym to dog-dog is a hyponym to animal
dog is a hypernym to spaniel, poodle, and corgi- spaniel, poodle, and corgi are hyponyms to dog
spaniel, poodle and corgi are co-hyponyms

Question 6

Meronymy

Answer 6

Words that designate a part of a whole. The whole that the parts belongs to is known as its holonym.

Question 7

Polysemy

Answer 7

A word with two or more related meanings.

ex: “mark”
a) a visible trace or impression on something
b) a written or printed symbol

Question 8

Homophony

Answer 8

A phonetically identical word with two or more entirely distinct meanings.

ex: “light”
a) not heavy
b) illumination

Question 9

Paraphrase

Answer 9

Two sentences with the same general meaning

A entails B and B entails A

Question 10

Entailment

Answer 10

A sentence which (asymmetrically) guaranties the truth of another
A entails B, but B does not entail A

Question 11

Contradiction

Answer 11

Two sentences with opposite truth conditions

If A is true, B cannot be true. If B is true, A cannot be true.

Question 12

Connotation

Answer 12

The set of associations that a word’s use can evoke

Question 13

Denotation (referents)

Answer 13

Equates the meaning of a word or phrase with the entities to which it refers (its referents)

Question 14

Extension and intention

Answer 14

An expression’s extension corresponds to the set of entities that it picks out in the world (its referents)
An expression’s intention corresponds to its inherent sense, the concept that it evokes

Question 15

Componential analysis

Answer 15

Describing a word by breaking it down into smaller parts and features

Question 16

Grammaticalization

Answer 16

A subset of expressible concepts are encoded as affixes and non-lexical (functional) categories that express grammatical concepts of various sorts
ex. English
Concept: more than one Affix: -s
Concept: obligation Non-lexical category: must

Question 17

Clear concepts and fuzzy concepts

Answer 17

Some concepts have clear-cut boundaries.
ex: “university student” to qualify as a university student one must be enrolled in university
Others have unclear boundaries
ex: “tall” to qualify as tall there is no specific height requirement one must meet

Question 18

Metaphor

Answer 18

The understanding of one concept in terms of another

Question 19

Lexicalization

Answer 19

The process whereby words are encoded into the words of a language

Question 20

Conflation pattern

Answer 20

The way which a language combines more than one concept into a single word
Ex: English conflates manner and motion into a single verb: rolled, slide, limped, swirled
French conflates motion and path: descend, traverse, retournment, sort

Question 21

The Principle of Compositionality

Answer 21

The meaning of a sentence is determined by the meaning of its component parts and the manner in which they are arranged in syntactic structure.