SEMANTICS by Yule

Question 1

Conceptual meaning

Answer 1

basic essential components of meanings that are conveyed by the literal use of words

Question 2

Associative meaning

Answer 2

Associative meaning refers to the particular qualities or characteristics beyond the denotative meaning that people commonly think of (correctly or incorrectly) in relation to a word or phrase

Needle : → show you the object used in medicine, tattoos, to inject sth or to sew sth.

To needle : to annoy sbdy = an associative meaning

Question 3

Literal meaning

Answer 3

its original, basic meaning: The literal meaning of “television” is “seeing from a distance”.

Literal meaning is easy to establish. It would be easy for semantics to explain the literal meaning of sth. “a door is 4 inches..”

Question 4

Figurative meaning

Answer 4

metaphorical, idiomatic, or ironic sense of a word / an expression.

the figurative use of that word is hard to define and provide a formula for

Question 5

Signifier VS Signified

Answer 5

Signifier = a word
Signified = the thing it points to

Question 6

Semantic features

Answer 6

basic elements involved in differentiating the meaning of each word in a language from every other word

Question 7

Semantic roles

Answer 7

Instead of thinking of words as containers of meaning we can look at the ROLES they fulfill within the situation described by a sentence.

Question 8

Agent and themes def

Answer 8

Agent = the thing that does the action, typically human they can also be non-human.

Theme = the object of the action, typically non-human but can be human

The boy kicked the ball : ball is the theme , boy agent
// Grammar : subject and object

Question 9

Instrument def

Answer 9

Instrument = the object used by the agent when he does action on the theme : object complement prepositional phrase

Question 10

Experiencer def

Answer 10

like agent but more passively → will mostly use intransitive verbs = verbs with no object

When a noun phrase is used to designate an entity as the person who has a feeling, perception or state, it flls the semantic role of experiencer

Question 11

Location source and goal

Answer 11

Where an entitiy is = location
Where it moves from = source
Where it moves to = goal

Question 12

Lexical relations
Structural approach vs Functional approach

Answer 12

Structural approach : build container and put meaning in it
Functional approach : fulfilling roles

Question 13

Synonymy

Answer 13

→ 2 or more words that have a very closely related meaning : when you can use one word instead of another

Ex : you change 2 words and nothing in the sentence change

Question 14

Antonymy

Answer 14

Two words with oppposite meanings. alive /dead

Question 15

Hyponymy

Answer 15

When the meaning of one form is included in the meaning of another : animal /dogs

Question 16

Problem figurative & literal meaning ?

Answer 16

♦ If the literal meaning of a word is the easiest to establish some rules for and if the figurative use of that word is hard to define and provide a formula for : is it impossible that the real meaning of a word is revealed by a figurative use more than its literal use ?
→ Look at the farest meaning it’ll help you make sense.

Question 17

Semantics def

Answer 17

Semantics is the study of the meaning of words, phrases and sentences
→ focus o what the words conventionally mean, rather than on the individual speaker

Question 18

Derivational process

Answer 18

the formation of a word by changing the form of the base or by adding affixes to it

Derivational process : taking adjective “mad” and angry & turning them in nouns “madness” “anger” helps you to show the different directions they’re taking

To differentiate mad & angry can use prepositions.
Mad AT / Angry AT : no diff
Mad WITH X/ Angry WITH :
To be mad with hunger : the hunger has made him crazy
To be mad with fatigue..
X = sth that caused this

Mad ABOUT / Angry ABOUT :
Mad about you : ++ different from anger, in the good way.

Question 19

Synonyms :
Broad / wide
Answer / respond/ reply

Answer 19

→ broad shoulders only not wide
→ wide awake only not broad
→ broad-minded : ouvert d’esprit

“Sandy had only one answer correct on the test” you cannot say reply
The telephone rings you answer the phone you don’t respond to it
Sh said to me I answered / responded / reply = 3 cases possible

→ There is a lot of overlap, synonyms can be used in the same contexts, but there is always an exception so there is a slightly different meaning. Therefore synonyms are complicated because there is always a nuance of meaning.

Question 20

Gradable antonyms

Answer 20

A gradable antonym is one of a pair of words with opposite meanings where the two meanings lie on a continuous spectrum. Temperature is such a continuous spectrum so hot and cold, two meanings on opposite ends of the spectrum, are gradable antonyms.

Gradable antonyms such as big/small can be used in comparative constructions

Question 21

Non gradable antonyms

Answer 21

Some are not gradable so they would be absolute opposites : you can’t be a little dead, you’re either dead or alive. G. Washington isn’t deader than someone else

=> Irreversible: it’s undoable someone dead is eternally dead.

Question 22

Open & Close
VS opened & closed

Answer 22

Open and close = antonyms reversible : a door
Opened & Closed = irreversible, once it’s opened can’t be reversible : a can of beans

Question 23

When one word can have 2 antonyms which are not synonyms

Answer 23

Short opposite to long & tall and they are not synonymous
Old : young & new

Generally antonyms are adjectives

Question 24

Hyponym VS hyperonym def & example

Answer 24

When the meaning of one form is included in the meaning of another

Hyponym = a kind of Rose = hyponym of flower
Hyperonym = superordinate : hyperonym of flower = rose, daffodils…
→ a class with ++ things in it

Hyponymy = more a relationship btw things than to words.

Question 25

Hyponym VS hyperonym def & example

Answer 25

When the meaning of one form is included in the meaning of another

Hyponym = a kind of Rose = hyponym of flower
Hyperonym = superordinate : hyperonym of flower = rose, daffodils…
→ a class with ++ things in it

Hyponymy = more a relationship btw things than to words.

Question 26

Co-hyponyms

Answer 26

rose & daffodils are co-hyponyms of flower

Question 27

Prototypes

Answer 27

the characteristic instance of a category = prototype

Linked with classification of things.
Many categories are going to have members of categories that people will identify as the best example of that category.

++ linked to culture :
Chose a bird
→ in city = pigeon

Chose an instrument
++ guitar

Question 28

Homophones

Answer 28

When two or more different written forms have the same pronounciation

two words sound same thing : sea/see
Hair / Hair / Hare

Question 29

homonyms

Answer 29

When one from (written or spoken) has 2 or more unrelated meaning

→ bank of a river & bank $

(often 2 entries in a dico)

Question 30

Polysemy

Answer 30

Polysemy = one form (written or spoken)having multiple meanings that are all related by extension.
Polysemy = one word with ++ different usage that all are connected

→ When one word has different meanings If you want to know what the word’s meaning : look at the figurative use

// key & play
Play as a verb : play a instrument, a game
Hard to see the link btw playing guitar & playing rugby
A play = pièce de théâtre
Door that doesn’t close properly = there is play = il y a du jeu.

→ play involves constraint btw liberty & constraint : free as long you follow the rules. Door can move as long as it is still attached

Question 31

Link btw metonymy & polysemy

Answer 31

Metonymy = a systematic form of polysemy : one that functions with rules that are strict & predictable

Question 32

Metonymy
3 kinds of metonymy

Answer 32

= Using one word to refer to another. Polysemy is essentially based on similarity

3 basics kind of metonymy
The whole for the part : 2 roues
Container-content : glass : drink a bottle of wine
Representative symbol : fer-sword, les cuivres

→ Metonymy is not choosing a random part of the whole but rather the important part of the whole !

L’élysée a annoncé que : un palais ne peut pas parler pareil avec White House.

Question 33

Collocation

Answer 33

= Which words tend to occur with other words
Salt & pepper
Night & day

→ Word pairs that kind of define each other or are linked in a deep cognitive way.

Question 34

Corpus linguistic :

Answer 34

you have a large body of language that can be written or spoken & then technological tools for analysing that body of language.

“These are my true feelings”
True feelings don’t just mean that they are not false : not only are they true but I’m not sure I should share them with you.
→ sth the person may don’t want to tell you or you might not want to hear.

Question 35

How is the term “prototype used in semantics ?

Answer 35

The thing you think of when the category is mentioned as one of the best example of the category that is mentioned
category that is mentioned
Flower → rose
Sport → basketball

Question 36

Using semantics features how would you explain the oddness of these sentences

1= The television drank my water
2= His dog writes poetry

Answer 36

Subject doesn’t have characteristics to do the action

1= Animate
2= Human, litterate

Question 37

3. Identify the semantic roles of the seven noun phrases in this sentence

With her new golf club =
Anne Marshall =
From the wood =
the ball =
To the grassy area =
Near the whole =
Invincible =

Answer 37

With her new golf club = instrument
Anne Marshall = agent
From the wood = source,
the ball = theme
To the grassy area = goal
Near the whole = location
Invincible = experiencer

Question 38

4. What is the basic lexical relation between each pair of words listed there ?

Damp / moist =
Deep / shallow =
Furniture / table =
Married / single =
Move / run =
Peace / piece =

Answer 38

Damp / moist = synonyms
→ marche bien pour les gâteaux moist mais pas damp.

Deep / shallow = antonyms : gradable

Furniture / table = hyperonymy / prototype
Married / single = non-gradable antonyms

Move / run = hyponyms

Peace / piece = homophones

Question 39

Which of the following opposites are gradable, non gradable, or reversive ?

Absent / present =
Appear / disappear =
Fail / pass =
Fair / unfair =
Fill it / empty =
High / low =

Answer 39

Absent / present = non gradable
Appear / disappear = reversive
Fail / pass = non-gradable
Fair / unfair = gradable
Fill it / empty = reversive
High / low = gradable

Question 40

Are these underlined words best described as examples of polysemy or metonymy ?

The PEN is mightier than the SWORD =

I had to park on the SHOULDER of the road =

Yes, I love those. I ate a whole BOX on Sunday ! =

The bookstore has some new TITLES in linguistics =

Computer CHIPS created an important new technology =

Answer 40

The PEN is mightier than the SWORD = metonymy
I had to park on the SHOULDER of the road = polysemy

Yes, I love those. I ate a whole BOX on Sunday ! = metonymy

The bookstore has some new TITLES in linguistics = metonymy → the title is to a book what a roof is to a house 🙂

Computer CHIPS created an important new technology = polysemy