SEMANTICS by Yule Flashcards
(40 cards)
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.
