Semantics Flashcards
Semantic domain (field)
Contains a group or range of words that have related meanings
Tree, present, carols and decoration
Christmas
Inference
Words, phrases and sentences containing information that is not specific, we can infer what it intends to convey
Person A - did you finish your homework last night?
Person B - i fell asleep as soon as i got home
Inferring no they did not
Euphemism
Masks something unpleasant often by using a mild, vague or indirect alternative
Adds positive connotation
Avoid embarrassment when talking about taboo topics - sex, bodily functions, death
Freedom fighter
Dysphemism
Where we magnify the unpleasantness of something for humour causes offence or abuse in the audience
- Swears
- Terrorist
Semantic Patterning
Simile
Metaphor
Oxymoron
Irony
Hyperbole
Pun
Lexical Ambiguity
Figurative Language
Simile
Comparison to something else using like or as
Time is like a thief
Running as fast as a cheetah
Metaphor
Comparison to something else by equating one thing to another directly
Time is a thief
Personification
Giving inanimate objects human characteristics
The wind whispered through the trees telling secrets to the leaves
Animation
Gives life or movement to inanimate objects
Time was bolting by, running as fast as it could
Oxymoron
Contradict ourselves or opposite words or ideas are combined to create a paradoxical effect
Deafening silence
Irony
Where something doesn’t line up between what is said and what is meant
Saying - ‘What a beautiful day’ during a storm
Hyperbole
When exaggeration is used for emphasis or effect
It involves making a statement that isn’t meant to be taken seriously
I have told you a million times to clean your room
Pun
Wordplay that exploits multiple meanings of a term or the fact that there are words that sound similar and have different meanings
A sheep saying ‘ what is love, baby don’t herd me’
Basically bad dad jokes
Lexical Ambiguity
When words have more than one meaning and the intended meaning is a difficult to determine
The punch made him uneasy on his feet
Drunk or physically punched
Listing
“The slang, the fashion, everything”
