Chapter 9 Flashcards
semantics
the study of the meaning of words, phrases and sentences
associative meaning
the type of meaning that people
might connect with the use of words (e.g. needle = “painful”) that is not part of conceptual meaning
conceptual meaning
the basic components of meaning conveyed by the literal use of words
(e.g. thin, sharp, steel instrument for needle)
semantic features
basic elements such as “human, included as plus (+human) or minus (−human), used in an analysis of the components of word meaning
agent
the semantic role of the noun phrase
identifying the one who performs the action of the verb in an event (The boy kicked the ball)
experiencer
the semantic role of the noun phrase identifying the entity that has the feeling, perception or state described by the verb (e.g. The boy feels sad)
instrument
the semantic role of the noun phrase identifying the entity that is used to perform the action of the verb (e.g. The boy cut the rope with a razor)
semantic role
the part played by a noun phrase, such as agent, in the event described by the sentence
theme
the semantic role of the noun phrase used to identify the entity involved in or affected by the action of the verb in an event (e.g. The boy kicked the ball)
goal
the semantic role of the noun phrase identifying where an entity moves to (e.g. The boy walked to the window)
lexical relations
the relationships of meaning, such as synonymy, between words
location (in semantics)
the semantic role of the noun phrase identifying where an entity is (e.g. The boy is sitting in the classroom)
source
the semantic role of the noun phrase identifying where an entity moves from (e.g. The boy ran from the house)
synonymy
the lexical relation in which two or more wordsd have very closely related meanings (e.g. “conceal” is a synonym of “hide”)
gradable antonyms
words with opposite meanings along a scale (e.g. big–small)