Questions and Tasks

1. Find examples of semantic ambiguity within the English lexicon and define its role within the lexical system. Compare the number of polysemantic and monosemantic words within the English lexicon.

2. Study the meanings of the following English forms: charge, diamond, leaves, mark, plane, tract and define the type of semantic ambiguity. State your reasons for qualifying them as polysemantic or homonymous words.

2. Study the semantic processes that have resulted in the lexico-semantic variants of the following English words:

1. eye n, front n, pickle n, scorpion n, scout n, slight a, think v, civil a, crack v, cream n, crooked a, master n;

2. doctor n, cat n, caste n, cure v, curator n, evidence n, meal n;

3. meat n, noble a, pledge n, script n, refrain v;

4. scrivener n, spinster n, flaw n, silly a, lady n, queen n, pedagogue n, miss n;

5. nice a, serve v, penthouse n, minister n, pulpit n.

Find examples of various types of semantic derivation.

4. Analyze the semantic relationship between meanings of the words creation, moulding; rubber, iron; lamb, chicken and find other examples of patterned polysemy in English. Compare the patterns of regular polysemy in English to the patterns in Byelorussian (Russian, French, German…).

5. Study the semantic structures of the following polysemantic nouns in English and define the types of their constituent meanings: hall, hand, mess, road, sea. Speak on the arrangement of meanings within the semantic structures of the given words.

Find your own examples of radial, chain and mixed-type semantic structures of polysemantic words in English.

6. Discuss the ways of solving semantic ambiguity and give contexts in which different meanings of the following English words become transparent: run v, charge v, chair n, must v, leg n, language n, gold n.

7. Compare the semantic structures of the English words given above to those of their Byelorussian (Russian, French, German…) equivalents.

Recommended Reading Obligatory:

1. Arnold I.V. The English Word/ И.В. Арнольд. Лексикология современного английского языка. Изд. 3-е – М.: Высшая школа, 1986. – C. 50–76.

2. Ginzburg R.S., Khidekel S.S., Knyazeva G.Y., Sankin A.A. A Course in Modern English Lexicology – M.: Higher School Publishing House, 1979. – P. 29–38.

4. Смирницкий А.И.. Лексикология английского языка. – М.: Изд-во литературы на иностр. языках, 1959. – С. 156–159.

2. Харитончик З.А. Лексикология английского языка. – Минск: Вышэйшая школа, 1992. – С. 48–71.

Optional:

1. Никитин М.В. Курс лингвистической семантики. – Санкт-Петербург: Изд-во РГПУ им. А.И.Герцена, 2007. – С. 176–192.

2. Беляeвская Е.Г. Семантика слова. – М.: Высшая школа, 1987. – С. 72–82.

3. Readings in Modern English Lexicology. C.С. Хидекель, Р.З.Гинзбург, Г.Ю. Князева, А.А.Санкин. Английская лексикология в выдержках и извлечениях. – Л.: Просвещение Ленинградское отделение. 1969. – P. 39 – 40, 58 – 60.

4. Texts on Lexical Semantics. Reader in English Lexicology. Minsk State Linguistic University, 1998.

5. Palmer F.L. Semantics: a new outline. – M.: Vysshaja Skola, 1982. – P. 45–49.

6. Allan K. Linguistic Meaning. – Vol. I. – L., N.Y., 1986.

7. Mednikova E.M. Seminars in English Lexicology. – M.: Vyssaja skola, 1978. –P. 73–98.