SEMANTICS by Yule Flashcards
Conceptual meaning
basic essential components of meanings that are conveyed by the literal use of words
Associative meaning
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
Literal meaning
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..”
Figurative meaning
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
Signifier VS Signified
Signifier = a word
Signified = the thing it points to
Semantic features
basic elements involved in differentiating the meaning of each word in a language from every other word
Semantic roles
Instead of thinking of words as containers of meaning we can look at the ROLES they fulfill within the situation described by a sentence.
Agent and themes def
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
Instrument def
Instrument = the object used by the agent when he does action on the theme : object complement prepositional phrase
Experiencer def
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
Location source and goal
Where an entitiy is = location
Where it moves from = source
Where it moves to = goal
Lexical relations
Structural approach vs Functional approach
Structural approach : build container and put meaning in it
Functional approach : fulfilling roles
Synonymy
→ 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
Antonymy
Two words with oppposite meanings. alive /dead
Hyponymy
When the meaning of one form is included in the meaning of another : animal /dogs
Problem figurative & literal meaning ?
♦ 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.
Semantics def
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
Derivational process
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.
Synonyms :
Broad / wide
Answer / respond/ reply
→ 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.
Gradable antonyms
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
Non gradable antonyms
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.
Open & Close
VS opened & closed
Open and close = antonyms reversible : a door
Opened & Closed = irreversible, once it’s opened can’t be reversible : a can of beans
When one word can have 2 antonyms which are not synonyms
Short opposite to long & tall and they are not synonymous
Old : young & new
Generally antonyms are adjectives
Hyponym VS hyperonym def & example
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.
Hyponym VS hyperonym def & example
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.
Co-hyponyms
rose & daffodils are co-hyponyms of flower
Prototypes
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
Homophones
When two or more different written forms have the same pronounciation
two words sound same thing : sea/see
Hair / Hair / Hare
homonyms
When one from (written or spoken) has 2 or more unrelated meaning
→ bank of a river & bank $
(often 2 entries in a dico)
Polysemy
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
Link btw metonymy & polysemy
Metonymy = a systematic form of polysemy : one that functions with rules that are strict & predictable
Metonymy
3 kinds of metonymy
= 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.
Collocation
= 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.
Corpus linguistic :
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.
How is the term “prototype used in semantics ?
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
Using semantics features how would you explain the oddness of these sentences
1= The television drank my water
2= His dog writes poetry
Subject doesn’t have characteristics to do the action
1= Animate
2= Human, litterate
- 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 =
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
- 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 =
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
Which of the following opposites are gradable, non gradable, or reversive ?
Absent / present =
Appear / disappear =
Fail / pass =
Fair / unfair =
Fill it / empty =
High / low =
Absent / present = non gradable
Appear / disappear = reversive
Fail / pass = non-gradable
Fair / unfair = gradable
Fill it / empty = reversive
High / low = gradable
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 =
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
