SEMANTICS Flashcards
system of rules underlying our knowledge of word and sentence meaning
semantics
deviation from expected meaning - semantic deviance
anomaly
errors created for comic effect are referred to as
malapropisms
the connection between a word and its meaning is ________.
arbitraty
words that sound like their meanings/nonarbitrary :
onomatopoeic/echoic
how can we gather clues about meaning?
- morphology
- syntax
- cognates
- context
- style and register
formal study of the conventions of word meaning
lexical semantics
classifications of meaning that can be expressed in terms of binary features [+/–], such as [+/–human], [+/–animate], [+/–count]
semantic features
what are the noun classes?
- countable/non-countable
- concrete and abstract
- common and proper
1) inclusion of one aspect of a word’s or sentence’s meaning in the meaning of another word or sentence
2) opposition that
differentiates
between the typical
form of a word and its ‘‘_____’’ opposite
entailment
marked/ness
basic classifications of meaning under which words are stored in our mental lexicons (friends, for example)
semantic fields
what is the evidence of semantic fields in our brain?
- slips of the tongue
- aphasia
meaning relations among words
name the categories
- nyms
1) opposite meanings: antonymy
2) similar meanings: synonymy
- euphemism
3) meaning categories: hyponymy
4) related meanings: polysemy
- retronym
5) different meanings: homonymy
- homophones
- homographs
antonym types?
- gradable (smart/stupid, often/rarely, fat/thin)
- relational (teacher/student, friend/enemy, doctor/patient)
- complementary (dead/alive, before/after, day/night)
name the definitions;
1) word or phrase used to avoid offending or to purposely obscure
2) word whose meaning is included or entailed in the meaning of a more general word
3) refers to words with two or more related meanings
4) new word or phrase created to distinguish an original word from a more recent meaning of the word
1) euphemism
2) hyponym (tulip/flower)
3) polysemy ( lip: of a cliff or part of the mouth)
4) retronym (analog watch/digital watch)
name the definitions;
1) words with the same spelling and sound, but different meanings
2) different spelling or meanings but sound the same
3) different meanings and sound but same spelling
1) homonyms
2) homophones
3) homographs
- Margaux contacted him (by phone, e-mail, post, telepathy).
- Margaux contacted him (by phone) and Sue did Δ, too (by e-mail).
this is an example of:
vagueness
1) change in the meaning of words over time is called _______.
2) change in words’ general meanings over time is called
1) semantic shift
2) shift in connotation
1) change in words’ meanings over time to more specific meanings
2) to more general meanings
3) from neutral or negative to positive
4) from neutral or positive to negative
5) complete change in words’ meanings over time
1) narrowing
2) broadening
3) amelioration
4) pejoration
5) shift in denotation
nonliteral language; language that shifts meaning from the primary meaning of the word
figurative language
nonliteral meaning of one word or phrase describes another word or phrase (My car is a lemon.)
metaphor
types of metaphors?
1) dead metaphors: metaphor that is so common that it goes unnoticed as a metaphor (I see your point.)
2) mixed metaphors: metaphor that comprises parts of different metaphors: hit the nail on the jackpot combines hit
the nail on the head and hit the jackpot
3) personification: attribution of human qualities to something that is not human
4) synesthesia: metaphorical language
in which one kind of sensation is described in terms of another; for
example, a smell described as sweet or a color as loud
5) metonymy: description of
something in terms of something with which it is closely associated: The
pen is mightier than the sword (pen = the written word/ diplomacy, sword =
violence/force)
comparison, usually of two unlike things, in order to create a nonliteral image (run like a deer)
simile
collocation of words or phrases with nonliteral meaning (kick the bucket = die)
idioms
