Lecture VIII

FUNCTIONAL SEMANTIC CLASSES

Side by side with classifying words into lexico-grammatical classes known as parts of speech, modern scholars make attempts to work out the classification of words into functional semantic classes: substantives, predicatives, determiners, etc. The origin of words fulfilling the same function and constituting a certain functional semantic field can be traced back to different parts of speech. Very often such words change their primary direct meaning.

The classification of words into functional semantic classes is at the initial stage of elaboration. Therefore, two functional classes can be clearly and easily distinguished: those of qualifies and responsives.

Qualifiers

The functional semantic class of qualifiers comprises words with the function of qualifying properties, states and actions as to the degree of their manifestation.

Qualifiers fall into 3 subclasses: intensifies (denoting high degree, e.g. very, too, highly, extremely, etc.); moderators (denoting moderate degree, e.g. almost, rather, enough, kind of, etc.); limiters (denoting low degree, e.g. a little, a bit, faintly, hardly, etc.).

Responsives

The categorical features of responsives are as follows: their non-nominating character, the communicative function of response to the interlocutor’s utterance or a certain situation, invariability and semantic intonational arrangement.

The bulk of the functional semantic class of responsives is constituted by interjections (ah!, oh!, alas!, etc.). However, this class includes a lot of words which descended from other parts of speech (my!, boy!, hell!, swell!, come!,rubbish! etc.),

Exercises:

1. Find the dominant synonym in the following-groups of synonyms.

   1. to astound [au] – to surprise – to amaze – to puzzle – to astonish

   2. strange – odd – queer (чудной) [kwiə] – quaint [kweint] (привлекательный своей необычностью, оригинальный).

   3. scent [sent] (запах, духи) – perfume – smell – odour – aroma.

   4. to broad (размышлять (особенно грустно)) – to reflect – to meditate – to think.

   5. to sob – to weep (рыдать) – to cry.

   6. to stroll – to wander (бродить, шататься) – to walk – to roam.

2. Find antonyms to the following words: good, deep, narrow, clever, young, to love, to give, strong, to laugh, slowly, black, sad, to die, clean, darkness, big.

3. Find antonyms in the following joke and describe the stylistic effect.

Policeman: Stop!

Visitor: What’s the matter?

P.: Why are you driving on the right side of the road?

V.: Do you want me to ride on the wrong side?

P.: You are driving on the wrong side.

V.: But you said that I was driving on the right side.

P.: That is right. You are on the right and that’s wrong.

V.: A strange country! If right is wrong, I’m right when I’m on the wrong side. So why did you stop me?

P.: My dear sir, you must keep to the left. The right side is the left.

V.: Thank you. It’s as clear as the daylight.