Lexical Relations. Antonyms and Synonyms Flashcards
Fill in the blank: “A certain number of words in English which have more than one meaning can be given descriptions which make them seem —-, i.e. their own opposites.”
Autoantonymous.
Define context-bound synonymy.
Two words are synonyms in a certain given context.
Given the sentence “I won’t date guys with baggage/*luggage from their divorces.” provide an example where “baggage” and “luggage” are synonyms.
“Check your baggage/luggage with the gate agent.”
Define directional opposition and provide an example.
Directional opposition refers to pairs which are related to opposite directions on a common axis. For example, north-south.
Provide an example of lexical synonyms that are interchangeable in every environment.
Peking and Beijing.
Compositional analysis makes meaning seem more concrete and uniform than in traditional dictionary definitions. True or False?
True.
What type of antonyms are open to comparison and why?
Gradable antonyms, as they occur on a scale, meaning a midpoint exists. For example, you can say one object is heavier than another.
Do all words have an (obvious) antonym?
No, they do not.
What are the two main types of antonyms?
Gradable and Non-gradable antonyms.
Classify the following words in the order of Neutral-Formal-Slang: 1. Fag 2. Luncheon 3. Doctor.
Doctor-Luncheon-Fag.
Lexical synonymy is the synonymy between individual lexemes. True or False?
True
To what antonym subtype does the pair do-undo belong?
It belongs to reversive opposition.
In the following examples, which word is an uncommitted member and which one does commit the speaker: a. How good is that film? b. How bad is that film?
“good” is uncommitted and “bad” is committed.
Fill in the blank: “Another important distinction is between synonymy of —- and synonymy of —-.”
Synonymy of words and synonymy of senses.
Why is the prefix un- significant in the English language?
It allows for the productive creation of antonyms.
Provide an example of a gradable antonym.
Two good examples would be hot-cold and good-bad.
Between the lexemes “doctor” and “quack”, which one has a neutral connotation and which one has pejorative connotation?
“Doctor” has a neutral connotation and “quack” a pejorative connotation.
Is the difference between lexical synonyms often times one of denotation or connotation?
Connotation.
Is there a cultural component when it concerns the recognition of pairs of antonyms?
Yes, some are easier to recognise than others.
Do we recognise two words as antonyms due to our dictionary knowledge or encyclopaedic knowledge?
Our encyclopaedic knowledge.
Can words have more than one antonym? If so, provide an explanation and one example.
Yes, depending on the dimension of contrast involved. For example, “sweet” has “bitter”, “sour”, and “savory”.
Fill in the blank: “A general problem with subtypes of antonymy is that of —-.”
Determining their boundaries.
To what antonym subtype does the pair come-go belong?
It belongs to directional opposition.
Provide an example of an autoantonym.
Sanction, meaning both “to approve” and “to censure”.
Provide an example of a word that has no clear antonym.
Words such as “library” or “kitchen”
According to Murphy, a speakers’ knowledge of the relation of antonymy is—-
Metalexical.
Synonymy and grammatical context: do they need to be synonymous in all grammatical co-occurence possibilities? Yes or no.
No, they do not.
Explain opposition and provide and example.
Opposition denotes a relationship from opposite points of view. For example, give-receive.
Define context-free synonymy.
If two words are synonymous, they are identical in meaning in all contexts.
Are “pupil” and “student” lexical synonyms?
No, but they are synonymous with respect to one of their senses.
According to Murphy, what limits the risk of confusion when dealing with cases of autoantonymy?
The contextual factors.
When it comes to synonymy, what main discrepancy do we encounter?
Whether they are context-bound or context-free.
Synonymy between expressions consisting of more than one lexeme is called…
Phrasal synonymy.
Lexical synonymy is the synonymy between expressions consisting of more than one lexeme. True or False?
False.
Fill in the blank: “—- are often enlisted as equivalents without any semantic difference between the equivalent terms being intended.
Near-synonyms.
Fill in the blank: “—- have a number of subtle characteristics: one of the members of an adjectival antonym pair often behaves “neutrally” in questions and comparative constructions.”
Gradable antonyms.
Name the other types of antonymic relations.
Opposition, directional opposition, and reversive opposition.
How do we call the gradable antonyms that do not show imbalances concerning committing or not committing the speaker? Provide an example.
Equipollent gradable antonyms. For example: “How hot is the pan?”
What type of antonym does not admit a midpoint? Provide an example.
Non-gradable antonyms, such as pass-fail and accepted-rejected.
Fill in the blank: “—– may be characterized as a relationship of incompatibility between two terms with respect to some given dimension of contrast.”
Antonymy.
Fill in the blank: “—- are enlisted as equivalents without any semantic difference between the equivalent terms being intended.”
Near-synonyms.
“Mombay” and “Mumbai” are examples of synonyms that are interchangeable or not interchangeable in every environment?
Interchangeable.
“Two words are synonyms in a certain given context” is the definition of context-bound or context-free?
Context-bound.
Do non-gradable antonyms accept a midpoint? Give an example of one non-gradable antonym.
They do not admit a midpoint. An example would be pass-fail.
Is this affirmation true? “Graded phenomenon: the more senses two words share, the more synonymous they are.
Yes, it is true.
Which one is an example of directional opposition? a. build-demolish b. colour-bleach c. come-go d. above-below
c. come-go
Find the mistake in the following sentence: “Meaning identity (synonymy) is a part of the metalinguistic stock-in-trade of ordinary speakers of English: never refer to words as having the same meaning.”
Meaning identity (synonymy) is a part of metalinguistic stock-in-trade of ordinary speakers of English: OFTEN refer to words as having the same meaning.
Phrasal synonymy is the synonymy between expressions consisting of more than one lexeme. True or False?
True.
Provide an example of reversive opposition.
Build-demolish
Is the slang form of a neutral word considered a synonym of it?
Yes, although they differ in their connotations.
