Semantic structure of a word. Stylistic classification of the English vocabulary.
An outline.
Semantic structure of a word:
Denotative and connotative meanings as a factor of style;
Contextual meaning and its stylistic function;
The theory of opposition; polysemy and synonymy.
Stylistic classification of the English vocabulary:
Formal layer of the English vocabulary;
Informal layer of the English vocabulary.
Stylistic lexicology studies stylistic functions of the lexicon, the interrelations of denotative and connotative meanings of a word and stylistic stratification of the vocabulary.
The linguistic unit of major significance is a word which names, qualifies and evaluates the extra linguistic reality.
A word is a unit of language functioning within the sentence or within a part of it which by its sound or graphical form expresses a concrete or abstract notion or a grammatical notion through one of its meanings and which is capable of enriching its semantic structure by acquiring new meanings and losing old ones. It possesses an enormous potentiality for generating new meanings; (I.R.G.:62, 66)
A word is a speech unit used for the purposes of human communication, materially representing a group of sounds, possessing a meaning, susceptible to grammatical employment and characterised by formal and semantic unity. (Antrushina:10)
“A word is a basic unit of a language, which denotes a concept and expresses emotions and relations”. (Meillet)
A concept is an abstract or general idea of some phenomenon of objective reality also comprising subjective feelings and emotions of human beings.
A word expresses a concept by its meanings. Each meaning denotes a separate concept.
Meaning is the unity of generalization, communication and thinking possessing an expanded semantic structure.
(L. Vygotsky)
Prof. Galperin’s classification of the semantic structure of a word comprises:
Logical
2. Nominal
3. Emotive meanings.
Logical (referential) or denotative meaning is the precise naming of a feature, idea, phenomenon or object: E.g.: friend, mate, chum, pal, buddy are united by the same denotative meaning.
Nominal meaning nominates an object. It is referred to proper nouns: Mr. Black, Mr. Hope. It serves the purpose of singling out one definite and singular object out of a whole class of similar objects: E.g. Browning, Taylor, Scotland, Black, Chandler, Chester.
Emotive meaning also materializes a concept in the word, but, unlike logical meaning, it has reference not directly to things or phenomena of objective reality, but to the feelings and emotions of the speaker towards these thighs or to his emotions as such.
Emotive meaning (coloring) can be usual or occasional. A girl (tart, broad, bird) might be referred to one and the same person to portray the character’s respect or disrespect towards the girl.
Contextual meaning is accidental and it is imposed by and depends on the context;
E.g. : 1.”His face is red at first and then goes white and his eyes stare as if they’ll pop out of his head.”
2. “Would you like me to pop downstairs and make you a cup of cocoa?”(s.B.)
Contextual meaning of words in poetry serves the purposes of stylistic convergence: This bread I break was once the oat, /This wine upon a foreign tree/ Plunged in its fruit; - (eat - : to administer or participate in Holy Communion (D.Th.) “Awake ye sons of Spain, awake, arise! (Byron) - (arise - revolt).
Classification of the semantic structure according to Leningrad school of stylistics:
Semantic structure of a word (Prof. I.V.Arnold) consists of DENOTATIVE and CONNOTATIVE meanings.
Semantic structure of a word (I.V. Arnold)
Connotative
meaning meaning
Emotive component
Expressive component
Stylistic
component
Evaluative
component
Denotative
meaning
ffff
Head |
|
P Poll Scone Noodle Nob Nut Coco Cont |
Bean Block Upper Storey Dome Brow Temple Brain
|
ate
The emotive component (usual or occasional) of the connotative meaning of a word is its capacity to evoke or directly express emotions. It is called emotive charge, emotive connotation or colouring: Oh! Why! Hell!
Here she is, poor little lamb, with her bags all packed. (M.Dickens).
“She was a thin, frail little thing, and her hair which was delicate and thin was bobbed”. (D.) I feel so darned lonely. (Gr.Green).:
I have much time.
I have a lot of time. Hyperbole
He has heaps of time.
He’s got bags of money.
Evaluative components:
(Negative or positive attitude, approval or disapproval):
Time – tested method :: out-of-date method
“Politics … is only the art to reach high position; wisdom is the art to get power, wealth, position”/H.Fielding/.
Expressive component
intensifies the denotative or connotative meaning (emotions and feelings):
“He is ever such a clever man”
Stylistic component (foregrounding) is characteristic of particular styles or spheres of communication
(official: red-tape cliches, scientific, informal, colloquial: slang, jargon, etc).
Contextual meaning of words:
“When the evening is spread out against the sky
Like a patient etherized upon a table”.
/G. Eliot/.
Offspring Infant
Child
t
ot
kid
babe
Brat
An opposition is a relationship of partial difference between two partially similar elements of the language.
S
teed
Horse
Gee
Maiden
g
irl
l
ass
brut brood flapper
“My children, my defrauded, swindled infants!” cried Mr. Renvings /D/.