Semantics 2

Question 1

What is the Lexical relation Hyponymy?

Lexical Semantics

Answer 1

Hypernym:

• Superordinate term, wich includes a bunch of subordiante items (Hyponyms)
• E.g. flower

Hyponym:

• Items meaning is included in a superodiante term (Hypernym)
• Like an underclass
• E.g. rose, lily, sunflower

Question 2

What is Meronymy and Metonymy?

Lexical Sematnics

Answer 2

Meronymy:

• Referent is part of the referent of the superordinate term
• E.g. laptop -> screen, keyboard, touchpad

Metonymy:

• A charcteristik item of a concept is used represent the concept
• E.g. Hollywood as a vehicle to express the American Film Industry

Question 3

What is a Metaphor?

Lexical Semantics

Answer 3

A concept (target) is expressed by means of another (source)

• He has a heart (concept) of gold (source)

Kinds of Metaphors:

• Anthropomorphic metaphors: human -> none human (face of a clock)
• Animal metaphors: Harry is a pig
• Synesthetic metaphors: from one field of perception to another one (loud colours, soft/warm voice)

Thought is also metaphorical

• Life is a journey
• Jim is a long way from where he wants to be

Question 4

What is a Synonymy and Antonymy?

Lexical Semantics

Answer 4

Synonymy:

• Snyonymous terms refer to the same referant
• Might be linguisticly synonymous, but not socially / affectivly
  * Even linguisticly slighty differnt sometimes
• path and trial

Antonymy:

• Relationship between two words
• One word referant, the other not
• Opposite adjectives
• Can be created by other word classes (noun: man / woman)

  * **Gradable Antonym**: adjectives on a scale (happy/sad)
  * **Non-Gradable Antonym**: ajdectives are mutually exclusive  (right/wrong)

Question 5

What is Converseness, Polysemy and Homonymy?

Answer 5

Converseness:

• Reciprocal semantic relationship between pair of words (similar to antonym, but not quite)
• E.g. parent/child, teacher/pupil, above/below, north/south, uncle/nephew

Polysemy:

• Word that has 2 or more meanings
• E.g. mouth = mouth of the river, mouth of a human

Homonymy:

• Words seem the same but are different
• Homography: same spelling, different meaning (saw and saw)
• Homophony: same pronounciation, different meaning and spelling (hear and here)

Question 6

How can Function words express meaning and reference?

Answer 6

Tense:

• expresses temporal location of an action on the time line
• (E.g. Cameron Pidgin: her mother went)

Modality/Mood:

• expresses likelihood of an event
• E.g. If they studay at TU they must be smart (likely that they are smart, because otherwise how they get in)
• Deontic Modality: order/permission/suggestion:
• E.g. You must do you homework

Further References by funtions words:

• Deixis: position of referent towards other points of references (E.g. this table here is still empty)

Question 7

What is Deixis?

Answer 7

Personal deixis:

• Speaker centre of own unvierse, pronouns from own perspecitve
• E.g. I am here, where are you?
• I / You / he/she/it

Spatial deixis:

• Speakers orient toward environment around them
• E.g. The book is here / there.
• This / that (sometimes) and here / there

Texutal deixis:

• Deixis beyond sentences
• More than one sentence are held together textual coherence (demonstrative pronouns, personal pronouns)

Temporal Deixis:

• Indicates location in time
• E.g. Yesterday, next Tuesday

Semantic deixis:

• All the Diexis show that semantic meaning also apply to sentances and phrases (not only words)

No Deixis:

• doesn’t point to anything
• E.g. While, then