Vocabulary File 6.0 Flashcards
(30 cards)
Semantics
The study of linguistic meaning.
Lexical Semantics
Studying the meaning of words.
Compositional Semantics
Studying the meaning of phrases and sentences based on word meanings and syntactic structure.
Hyponymy
A meaning relationship between words where the reference of some word X is included in the reference of some other word Y. X is then said to be a hyponym of Y, and conversely, Y is said to be a hypernym of X
(example: poodle is a hyponym and dog is a hypernym)
Synonymy
A meaning relationship between words where their reference is exactly the same. For example, couch and sofa are synonyms.
Prototype
For any given set, a member that exhibits the typical qualities of the members of that set.
Antonymy
A meaning relationship between words where their meanings are in some sense opposite.
Truth Conditions
The set of conditions that would have to hold in the world in order for the proposition expressed by some sentence to be true.
Truth Value
A true or false evaluation of a sentence- whether its truth condition is actually true.
Pure Intersection
When an adjective and noun combine to create their meaning- to get the full meaning, we get the things that belong to both (example: green sweater= green + sweater)
Relative Intersection
The members of the set are determined relative to the thing being denoted- for example, something that is big, for a mouse- the “big” mice are a subset of all the mice.
Non-intersection Adjective
The adjective does not entail the use of the noun involved-such as “possible solution” or “alleged thief”
Anti-intersection Adjective
Another type of non-intersection, the use of the adjective entails that the adjective does not refer to that noun- such as a “fake Picasso”
Referent
The actual thing a word refers to (the White House)
Variable Reference
When a word can refer to a number of different things. For example, “woman” can refer to a large number of people
Sense
The cognitive and psychological phenomenon of meaning. The mental representation that we have of what a word or phrase means.
Information Content
The aspect of linguistic meaning that tells us about the real world- the relationship between the symbols that we use to refer to things and the things they refer to- This is also called “reference”
Set
A collection of items of any sort- in this case, we can use it to identify a word’s meaning, such that a word “means” the set of things that it can describe.
Mental Image
Words are stored in our minds with associated “mental images” of their referent
(example: Mona Lisa brings the mental image of Leonardo da Vinci’s painting)
Sister Terms
two words are “sister terms” if their reference is, intuitively on the same level in the hierarchy.
(example: a poodle and a golden retriever)
Complementary Pairs
Characterized by word reference. Examples are married/unmarried, alive/dead, win/lose. For each pair, everything is either one or the other, or else is neither.
Gradable Pairs
Typically represent points on a continuum, so while something can be one or the other but not both, it can also easily be between the two. Examples are wet/dry, easy/hard, old/young, love/hate.
Reverses
Are pairs of words that suggest some kind of movement, where one word in the pair suggests a movement that “undoes” the movement suggested by the other. Examples are put together/take apart, expand/contract, ascent/descent.
Converses
Have to do with two opposing points of view or a change in perspective: for one member of the pair to have a reference, the other must as well. Example lend/borrow, send/receive, employer/employee, over/under.
