Of english words

Topics for Discussion

1. Semantic relations in the lexicon.

2. Semantic classifications of words:

2.1. Semantic (lexico-semantic) fields.

2.2. Lexico-semantic groups (LSG).

2.3. Lexico-grammatical groups (Arnold’s classification).

2.4. Hypero-hyponymic sets (structures).

2.5. Synonymic sets.

2.6. Antonymic pairs.

3. Thematic groups.

4. Non-semantic groupings of words.

Key Terms

antonym antonymy content words contradictories converses cyclical relations hierarchies hypernym/hyperonym hyponym hyponymic relationship hyponymy incompatibles lexical category

lexical field lexical gap lexical set paradigmatic relations part-whole relations semantic component semantic field seme synonym ideographic synonyms stylistic synonyms synonymy syntagmatic relations

Tasks and Exercises

1. Give working definitions of the following terms and find examples of words which are characterized by these sense relations.

hyponymy

synonymy

antonymy

part-whole relations

cyclical relations, etc.

2. Classify the following nouns into lexico-grammatical groups:

agent, artist, audience, baker, boy, cat, cattle, contempt, cotton, crew, crowd, discretion, dog, doubt, economy, family, fleet, flock, gentry, gold, honesty, honey, indignation, inspiration, iron, lion, painter, panther, picture, police, poultry, sadness, scholar, snow, swarm, table, tea, tiger, volunteer, wannabe, workaholic.

3. State the hyperonym for the following words:

asp, birch, chestnut, lime, maple, oak, willow.

4. Find synonyms to the following words:

beautiful (adj) begin (v) help (v) love (n) see (v)

5. Find antonyms to the following words:

alive (adj) faithful (adj) fragile (adj) generous (adj) increase (v) young (adj)

6. Give examples to illustrate the specific ways different languages cover the same semantic field.

Questions

• What are the main semantic relations in the lexicon?

• What is understood by the term “semantic field”?

• What are the underlying criteria for grouping words into

1. semantic fields, b) lexico-semantic groups, c) lexico-grammatical groups?

• Why cannot we speak of synonymy of words as such?

• What are the criteria of synonymy?

• What are the main patterns of synonymic sets in Modern English? What is the stylistic reference of the native and borrowed words in a synonymic set?

• How does the law of synonymic attraction read?

• What is understood by “radiation of synonyms”?

• How does the semantic field of kinship in English differ from that in Belarusian (Russian)?

• What is the connection between the theory of semantic fields and the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis?

• What dictionary of the English language arranges the lexicon according to the underlying concepts (ideas)?

Recommended Reading

Антрушина Г.Б., Афанасьева О.В., Морозова Н.Н. Лексикология английского языка: Учеб. пособие / На англ. яз. М., 1999.

Арнольд И.В. Лексикология современного английского языка: Учебник для ин-тов и фак. иностр. яз. / На англ. яз. М., 1986.

Вердиева З.Н. Семантические поля в современном английском языке: Учеб. пособие. для пед. ин-тов. М., 1986.

Гинзбург Р.З., Хидекель С.С., Князева Г.Ю. и др. Лексикология английского языка: Учебник для ин-тов и фак. иностр. яз. / Hа англ. яз. М., 1979.

Завражнова С.И. Системное описание лексики. М., 1985

Клименко А.П. Лексическая системность и её психолингвисти- ческое изучение. Мн., 1974.

Тексты по лексической семантике: Хрестоматия по лексикологии английского языка. На англ. яз. / С.А. Игнатова, А.П. Клименко и др. / Под ред. А.П.Клименко. Мн., 1998.

Филлмор Ч.Дж. Об организации семантической информации в словаре. // Новое в зарубежной лингвистике. М., 1983. Вып. XIV.

Харитончик З.А. Лексикология английского языка: Учеб. пособие. Мн., 1992.

Crystal D. The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language. Printed in Italy, 1995.