Slide semantic meeting 6

Semantics 1
Meeting 6


Section1: Word Meaning
2.10 Synonymy
EX1: hide = conceal ?  Keep somebody/something from being
seen or know about
EX2: kind = type = sort = variety ?

A group having
similar characteristics

 Synonymy is a relation in which various words have
different( written and sound) forms but have the same or nearly
the same meaning.


Section1: Word Meaning
True synonymy vs. partial synonymy
Ex3: movie = film = flick= motion picture?
Do they have the same

Do they have the same

referents in the real world?

denotative meanings?

Do they have the same
connotative meanings?

Movie : American English

Motion picture : outdated word

movie classics
Film : British English

Flick : used in very informal contexts

art movies
 movie, film, flick & motion picture: not true synonyms


Section1: Word Meaning
True synonymy vs. partial synonymy
Ex4: fast = quick = rapid?

 Are they synonyms?

- He is a fast/quick/rapid runner ( someone’s running speed).
# A fast talker; one who is able to get out of trouble by talking clever.
# A quick talker; one who usually talks in a rapid manner.
- Some people may lead their lives in the fast lane
not in the rapid/quick lane
- He has a quick mind.
not a rapid/fast mind

- He gave her a quick glance.
not a rapid/a fast glance

Tom has made rapid strides in his math this term ( metaphor)
 fast, quick & rapid: not true synonyms


Section1: Word Meaning

True synonymy vs. partial synonymy
1a. You have my deep sympathy.

= 1b. You have my profound sympathy.
2a.The river is very deep at this point.
# 2b. The river is very profound at this point.
“deep” (1a) denotative meaning or connotative meaning?
“deep” (2a) denotative meaning or connotative meaning?
“profound” (1b) denotative meaning or connotative meaning?
“profound” (2b) the denotative meaning or connotative meaning?
 ”deep” (1a) = “profound” (1b) ;

“deep” (2a) # “ profound” (2b)

 “deep” & “ profound” are partial synonyms.


Section1: Word Meaning
True synonymy vs. partial synonymy
Partial synonymy is a relation in which a polysemous word shares
one of its meanings with another word.
Partial synonymy leads to collocations:
a bunch of keys
a herd of sheep

a school of ants
a flock of birds
a group of teachers
a gang of thieves etc.


Exercise 11,p.65
1/ strong/powerful
(a) There are strong/powerful arguments for and against capital
punishment.
(b) He loves strong coffee.
2/ ripe / mature
(a) This cheese is ripe/mature enough for us to eat.
(b) We cannot eat this fruit because it isn’t ripe yet.


Exercise 11,p.66
3/ broad/wide
(a) The Thames is a broad/wide river.
(b) My boss is not broad-minded.

4/ soil / earth
(a) We can plant the trees on this good soil/earth.
(b) The rocket fell back to earth.


Exercise 11,p.66
5/ edge/side
(a) This house is at the edge/side of the forest.
(b) I will be on your side.

6/ permit / allow
(a) Smoking is not permitted/allowed in this area.
(b) It is not permitted to smoke in this area .


Exercise 12,p.66
1/ deep
(a) This is a deep well.
= Deep means extending a long way from top to bottom.
(b) He only gave a deep sigh.
= Deep means taking in or going out a lot of air.
(c) You have my deep sympathy.
= Deep means profound.
(d). With his hands deep in his pockets, he went away.
= Deep means far down in something.
 The third meaning of deep is synonymous with profound.


Exercise 12,p.66
2/ broad
(a) This river is very broad at this point.
= Broad means wide or large in size from one side to the others.
(b) He just gave a broad smile.
= Broad means clear, obvious or unmistakable.
(c) Luckily, my boss is a man of broad views.
= Broad means liberal, tolerant.
(d). He speaks English with a broad Yorkshire accent.
= Broad means having many sounds typical of a particular region.
 The first meaning of broad is synonymous with wide.

Section1: Word Meaning
2.11 Antonymy
EX5: pass # fail ?

hot # cold?

thinner # fatter ?

EX6: true # false ?

big # small?

buy # sell ?

 Antonymy is a relation in which two words have different ( written
and sound) forms and are opposite in meaning.


Section1: Word Meaning

Classification

Binary antonymy vs. gradable antonymy
EX7: not alive = dead

not dead = alive

EX8: He is more single/ married than his brother.

EX9: How single/how married is he?
 “alive--dead” and “single--married” are two pairs of binary antonyms.
Binary antonymy is a relation in which two members of a pair
of antonyms are …
mutually exclusive
not used in comparative & superlative sense
not used in questions with ‘How’ to ask degree.


Section1: Word Meaning
Classification
Binary antonymy vs. gradable antonymy
EX10: hot--cold

 warm-tepid-cool  gradable

EX11: wider -- less narrow ; more difficult--less easy
EX12: How difficult is the test?
 hot--cold and difficult-- easy are two pairs of gradable antonyms.
 Gradable antonymy is a relation in which two members of a
in comparative & superlative sense
pair of antonyms are used
…
used in questions with ‘How’ to ask degree.


Section1: Word Meaning
Relational antonymy
EX13: If Mr. Brown is Jack’s employer, then Jack is Mr. Brown’s employee
EX14: If Jenny is thinner than Mary, then Marry is fatter than Jenny.

EX15: If John bought a car from Fred, then Fred sold a car to John.
employer--employee ; thinner--fatter; buy– sell
 symmetry in their meaning
 relational antonyms

Relational antonymy = two members of a pair of relational
antonyms display symmetry in their meaning.


Section1: Word Meaning
Relational antonymy
Relational antonyms belong to various word classes:
Verbs:

Nouns:

buy--sell

employer-- employee

give--receive

grandparent -- grandchild

father/mother -- son/daughter
Nouns:
fiancé
-fiancée
import – export
debtor -- creditor

own – belong to, etc. parent -- child/offspring
landlord/landlady-- tenant
professor -- student
husband -- wife
teacher – pupil
uncle – aunt
doctor -- patient
uncle/aunt – nephew/niece
lend--borrow


Section1: Word Meaning

Relational antonymy

Relational antonyms belong to various word classes:
Comparative adjectives:

Comparative adverbs:

thinner--fatter

more efficiently-- less efficiently

cheaper--more expensive

faster--more slowly
Prepositions:

greater than--less than

above -- below
in front of -- behind
over -- under
before -- after
north of -- south of
west of – east of


Section1: Word Meaning
Markedness

 How light is it?
 How short are you?
Unmarkedness

 How shallow is the canal?

 How heavy is it?

 How cheap is this bracelet?

 How tall are you?

 How badly can you speak English?

 How deep is the canal?
 How expensive is this bracelet?
 How well can you speak English?

Section1: Word Meaning

Unmarkedness

Markedness

high

low

tall

short

heavy

light

far

near

expensive

cheap

hot

cold

long

short

wide

narrow

deep

shallow

difficult

easy

married

single

well

badly

Which column is
marked/unmarked?


Exercise 13,p.71

(1) chalk -- cheese
(2) same -- different
(3) copper -- tin

N
O
YES

N
O

(4) dead -- alive

YES

(5) married -- unmarried YES
(6) cheap – expensive N
O


Exercise 14,p.71
(1) below -- above YES (4) grandparent – grandchild

YES

(2) love -- hate

YES

NO

(3) conceal -- reveal

N
O

(5) greater than– less
than
(6) own – belong to

YES


Exercise 15,p.71
(1) love– hate: love, like, be indifferent to, dislike, hate
(2) hot -- cold : hot, warm, tepid, cool, cold
(3) big -- small: big, rather big, medium sized, rather small, small
(4) rich -- poor : rich, wealthy, meager, poor
(5) none -- all : none,few, some, half, most, almost all, all
(6) possibly--certainly : possibly, probably, quite probably, almost
certainly, certainly
(7) never--always : never, rarely, occasionally, sometimes, often, usually,
always


(1) good--bad: G

Exercise 16,p.72
(9) import--export

(2) pass-- fail : B

:R

(10) better than– worse than : R

(3) deciduous -- evergreen : B
(4) expensive -- cheap

:G

(5) parent -- offspring

:R

(6) beautiful -- ugly
(7) false -- true

:G
: B

(8) lessor -- lessee

: R

(11) easy -- difficult

:G

(12) hot -- cold

:G

(13) legal -- illegal

:B

(14) asleep -- awake
(15) rude -- polite

:B
: G

(16) husband -- wife

: R