Theoretical questions part 3 Flashcards
- Name some main types of meaning.
- denotative
- connotative
- social
- expressive
- collocational
- Can a word have a lexical and a grammatical meaning at the same time? Explain. Give an example.
- Yes. Lexical and grammatical meanings are often inseparable and in most words occur simultaneously.
- Example: boys, cheating, mice
- What do the synonyms X (cop) and Y (policeman) have in common, and how do they differ in terms of meaning?
- They name the same thing but they have a different lexical meaning.
- Policeman: denotative meaning
- Cop: expressive meaning
- Define the term connotation. Give an example.
- Connotation names those facets of meaning which do not affect the lexeme’s basic components of meaning.
- Example: needle
- Give an example of a word which is both emotionally and stylistically marked.
Abhor, exquisite
- Use the adjective X (heavy) to explain the notion of collocational meaning.
The word heavy has quite different meaning in combination with different word: heavy suitcase (weighting a lot), heavy rain (pouring), heavy work (difficult), heavy schedule (busy)
- What is polysemy?
When a word has acquired a new meaning and this meaning is related to the original meaning, we speak of polysemy.
- Why is polysemy so common?
Words often acquire a new meaning, which is related to the original meaning.
- What is the difference between sentence and utterance meaning?
- Sentence meaning can be defined in terms of the combination of at least 3 components: the meaning of the individual words, the order of the words, the semantic scope of these words.
- Utterance meaning is the meaning that sentences have on a particular occasion and in particular context.
- Characterize the procedure called componential analysis of meaning.
The denotative meaning of a word can normally be characterized as the sum of its basic components of meaning. By using such components of meaning, we can differentiate between similar entities within particular semantic fields. Such analysis is called componential analysis of meaning.
- Give some types of semantic changes.
- specialization and generalization
- metaphor
- metonymy
- personification
- irony
- hyperbole and understatement
- euphemism and dysphemism
- Specialization of a meaning occurs when …
Specialization (narrowing) of meaning means restricting the word’s range of reference.
- What does the process of generalization of meaning refer to?
Generalization (broadening) is a process in which a word’s meaning changes to encompass a broader group of referents.
- What is the connection between semantic motivation and the notion of metaphor?
Metaphor refers to using a word or a phrase in a way that is different from its normal use. Metaphors often provide a means of understanding abstract non-material domains by relating them to better-known domains and experiences in the physical world.
- Metonymy can be defined as …
A contiguity of meaning, where one piece of extra-lingual reality is closely connected with another or forms part of it.
