Interpretation of the text

Exercise 1. Match the definitions with the terms:

polysemy	are antonyms related or having the relation of exclusion, not contradiction.
antonyms	are antonyms which denote notions neutrally opposed and denying one another
contrary antonyms	the coexistence of many possible meanings for a word or phrase
contradictory antonyms	denote one and the same referent or situation viewed from different angles
incompatibles	differ from contradictories in having some intermediate members (scale exists)
converses	are words, which are opposite in meaning to each other

Keys:

1.c) 4.b)

2.f) 5.a)

3.e) 6.d)

Exercise 2. Insert the words missing in the text:

to imply comparison generic contradictories quality Contradictories generalized fore measurement corresponding subgroup

1.______________ which represent the type of semantic relations that exist between pairs like dead and alive, single and married, perfect and imperfect, etc. To use one of the terms is to contradict the other and to use not before one of them is to make it semantically equivalent to the other, e.g. not dead=alive, not single=married. Among 2.___________ we find a 3.___________ of words of the type young — old, big — small, and so on. The difference between these and the antonymic pairs described above lies in the fact that to say not young is not necessarily to say old.

In fact terms like young and old, big and small or few and many do not represent absolute values. To use one of the terms is 4._________________ with some norm: young means ‘relatively young’. We can say She is young but she is older than her sister. To be older does not mean ‘to be old’. It is also usual for one member of each pair to always function as the unmarked or 5.___________ term for the common quality involved in both members: age, size, etc. This 6.____________ denotational meaning comes to the 7._______ in certain contexts. When we ask How old is the baby? we do not imply that the baby is old. The question How big is it? may be answered by It is very big or It is very small. It is of interest to note that 8.________ nouns such as length, breadth, width, thickness, etc. also are generic, i.e. they cover the entire 9.___________ range while the 10.___________ antonymous nouns shortness, narrowness, thinness apply only to one of the extremes.

Keys:

1. Contradictories

2. contradictories

3. subgroup

4. to imply comparison

5. generic

6. generalized

7. fore

8. quality

9. measurement

10. corresponding

Exercise 3. Answer the questions:

1. What are antonyms?

2. How many groups of antonyms do you know? Name them.

3. What are contradictories? Give examples.

4. What are contraries? Give examples.

5. What are incompatibles? Give examples.

6. What are converses? Give examples.

7. How polysemy may be analyzed through antonymy?

Exercise 4. Define whether the given statements are True or False.

1. Semantic relations of incompatibility exist among the antonyms with the common component of meaning and may be described as the reverse of hyponymy, i.e. as the relations of exclusion but not of contradiction.

2.Generally antonyms fall into three main groups.

3. Semantic relations of incompatibility exist among the antonyms with the common component of meaning and may be described as the reverse of hyponymy, i.e. as the relations of exclusion but not of contradiction.

4. Perfect or complete antonyms are met very often.

5. Contraries differ from contradictories mainly because contradictories admit of no possibility between them.

6. We know that polysemy may be analyzed through synonymy.

7. Antonymy in general shares many features typical of synonymy.

8. Converses usually denote different referents or situations and it doesn’t matter whether they viewed from different angles.

Keys:

1. True

2.False

3.True

4.False

5. True

6. True

7. True

8.False