3. The semantic structure of the english word

The branch of linguistics which studies lexical meaning of the word is called semasiology (in Russia) or semantics (Brit and Amer).

Word meaning is the most difficult problem in modern linguistic.

Meaning is a component of the word through which a concept is communicated.

Word meaning is made up of different components, they are called types of meaning:

1. The grammatical meaning. It is the tense meaning of verbs (asked, worked); the case meaning of nouns (tables, places).

2. The part of speech meaning. It can be seen in classification of lexical units into magor (noun, verbs, adj) and minor (articles, prepositions, conjunctions).

3. The lexical meaning is the component of meaning which can be seen on all forms of the word. (go-goes-went different grammatical meaning of tense, person, number, but one lexical meaning – the process of moving).

Lexical meaning includes denotative and connotative components.

The denotative component or denotation is the leading semantic component. It makes communication possible. “To denote” means to serve as a name for a concept. Every denotative component is a combination of several more components. They are called “semes”.

The connotative component or connotation is the additional component. It shows the attitude of the speaker. It may express: emotion (father - daddy), evalution (positive and negative, group - clique), intensity (to love – to adore), duration (to look – to glounce).

Thus the semantic structure of the word is not just assistant of meanings because each meaning has its own inner structure. Therefore the semantic structure of the word should be studied at both levels: 1) of different meanin and… 2) of different semantic component within each separate meaning.

POLYSEMY

A word may have only one or several meanings.

Monosemantic words are few in number and they are mainly scientific forms. Most English words are polysemantic.

Polysemy – is the ability of words to have more than one meaning. The process of polysemy includes of both the appearance of new meanings and the loss of old ones. Polysemy is highly developed in English because there are a lot of monosyllabic and root-words.

The semantic structure of a polysemantic word is a system of meanings which are internelated.

Meanings may be: main and secondary, direct and figurative. Polysemy is a great advantage in a language. It gives expressiveness to the language and inreaches its vocabulary. But sometimes there is a chance of miss-understanding at poly-semantic words, in this case context may help. It is important to differentiate the meaning from the usage. Meaning are fixed and common to all people. The usage is only a possible application of one of the meanings of a polysemantic word.

4. Semantic change

Word meaning can change or developed in the cause of the historical development of the language.

The term “development of meaning” is used when a new meaning and the old one coexist in the semantic structure of the word.

The term “change of meaning” is used when the old meaning is replaced by the new one.

Causes of semantic change

1. Historical or extra-linguistic causes. They are changes in economic, social and scientific life. We can use some old word for a new object or notion.

2. Linguistic causes. The development of new meanings or the change of meaning may be due to the influence of other words.

Nature of semantic change

A necessary condition of any semantic change is some connection between the old meaning and the new one. There are 2 kinds of associations: similarity of meaning or metaphor (comparison), contiquity of meaning or metonymy.

Metaphor. A new meaning appears as a result of associations 2 objects or phenomena due to their outward similarity (eye of a needle).

Metonymy. A new meaning appears due to psychological links between different objects and phenomena.

Types of metonymic relations:

1. Common position (foot of a mountain – the lowest part)

2. Common function (hand o’clock – to point)

3. Course and effect (dull colour – to a person with weak eyesight all colours appear pale)

4. Material and object made of it (copper – metall, a copper – a coin)

5. Geographical and proper names become common nouns (FORD – a Ford)

6. Names of inventors and things they invented (Watt, Oam)

7. The name of a painter and his pictures (a Matisse)

Results of semantic change

They can be seen in the: the change of the denotation component (restriction, extension), the change of the connotation component (deterioration, amelioration)

Restriction of meaning - “deer” – any beast > a certain kind of beast

Extension of meaning (to arrive > to come)

Deterioration of meaning (when the word gets derovatory emotive charge): (villain – farm servant – vial person)

Amelioration of meaning (minister – a servant – a civil servant of higher rang)