How to study word meanings

The
definition of the word meaning
presents no less difficulty than the definition of the word itself.
The word meaning
renders the emotion or the concept in the mind of the speaker which
he wants to convey to the listener in the process of
communication. By
concept we understand any discrete unit of human cognition. The
word being a unit of language enters a number of combinations with
other units stands in functional relations to other linguistic signs.
Thus the meaning of the word not only fixes concepts by way of
generalizing and reflecting reality, but it is realized on contexts
and combinations. The meaning of the word is not homogeneous. It is
closely connected with the object it names and the concept it fixes.
It is also connected with the sound form besides it is realized in
different relations with other concepts. There are two main
approaches to word meaning: 1. relative approach, according to which
each linguistic sign (word) gets its meaning only in some semantic
field or paradigmatic relations. 2. the referential or denotational
approach, according to which the meaning of the word is autonomous,
it’s an integral part of the word, though is realized in contexts
and this approach is shown as a triangle (symbol – the word,
concept – thought; referent – object, denoted by the word).

28 Word meaning and motivation.

The
relationship between morphemic structure and meaning is termed
morphological motivation. The main criteria in morphological
motivation is the relationship between morphemes. All one-morpheme
words (look, eat) are non-motivated. Such words as writer, worker are
described as motivated. Phonetic motivation is represented by such
words as swish, boom, splash. Beside grammatical and lexical meanings
some linguists also distinguish the co-called structural meaning,
i.e. words in a sentence are joined together according to some
specific rules (a diggled-boggle, a boggled diggle). Motivation is
the relationship existing between the morpheme or phonemic
composition and the structural pattern of the word, on the one hand,
and its meaning on the other. The words are motivated: 1.
Structurally (a shoe-maker), but sometimes due to the character of
the lexical meaning of a morphological motivation becomes rather
relevant or weak (flower-girl); 2. Phonetically (swish, boom); 3.
Semantically (the dawn of life). Sometimes motivation of the words
may be lost: a) one of the elements of compound words dropped out of
usage (mermaid – русалка,
mere – море);
b) the loss of the primary meaning of the word (spoon – щепка).

34
Homonyms.
Definition, formal classification.
 Homonyms
are
 words
which are identical in sound and spelling, or, at least, in one of
these aspects, but different in their meaning.E. g. bank, n. —a
shore,bank, n. —an
institution for receiving, lending, exchanging, and safeguarding
money. ball, n. —a
sphere; any spherical body,ball, n. —a
large dancing party. Homonyms which are the same in sound and
spelling are traditionally termed homonyms
proper. Bean,
 n.
and been, Past
Part, of to
be
 are
homophone- they
are the same in sound but different in spelling. Homographs- words
which are the same in spelling but different in sound(lead v – show
smb the way, lead n – a heavy, rather soft metal). When analysing
different cases of homonymy we find that some words are homonymous in
all their forms, i.e. we observe full h. of the paradigms of two or
more different words, e.g., in seal1 —‘a
sea animal’ and seal2 —‘a
design printed on paper by means of a stamp’. When only some of the
word-forms(seal, seals, etc.) are homonymous, whereas others(sealed,
sealing) are not, we can speak of partial
h. —
 find,
found, found, and found, founded, founded.

.lexico-grammatical
classification of homonyms
. Homonyms
may be also classified by the type of meaning into lexical,
lexico-grammatical and grammatical homonyms.
In seal1 n and seal2 n, e.g.,
the part-of-speech meaning of the word and the grammatical meanings
of all its forms are identical (seal [si:l] Common Case Singular,
seal’s [si:lz] Possessive Case Singular for both seal1 and
seal2). The
difference is confined to the lexical meaning only: seal1 denotes
‘a sea animal’,‘the fur of this animal’,etc., seal2—‘a
design printed on paper,the stamp by which the design is made’etc.
So we can say that seal2 and
seal1 are
lexical homonyms because they differ in lexical
meaning
.If
we compare seal1—‘a
sea animal’, and (to) seal3—‘to
close tightly, we shall observe not only a difference in the lexical
meaning of their homonymous word-forms but a difference in their
grammatical meanings as well. Identical sound-forms, i.e.
seals[si:lz] (Common Case Plural of the noun) and (he) seals[si:lz]
(third person Singular of the verb) possess each of them different
grammatical meanings. As both grammatical and lexical meanings differ
we describe these homonymous word-forms as lexico-grammatical. Modern
English abounds in homonymic word-forms differing in grammatical
meaning only. e.g. brother’s —brothers the
Possessive Case Singular and the Common Case Plural. It
may be easily observed
that grammatical
homonymy is
the homonymy of different
word-forms of one and the same word.

Sources
of homonyms
. The
two main sources of h. are:1.diverging
meaning
 development
of a polysemantic word. This process can be observed when different
meanings of the same word move so far away from each other that they
come to be regarded as two separate units.
Ex.: flower and flour originally
were one wordmeaning ‘the flower’ and ‘the finest part of
wheat’.2.convergent
sound development
 of
two or more different words. Ex, OE. ic
and OE. еаzе have
become identical in pronunciation(ME. I
and eye). A number of lexico-grammatical homonyms appeared as a
result of convergent sound development of the verb and the noun
(MnE.love — (to)
love and OE. lufu
— lufian). Words
borrowed from other languages may through phonetic convergence become
homonymous. ONorse. ras
and Fr. race
are homonymous in Modern English (race1 [reis]
— ‘running’ and race2 [reis] —
‘a distinct
ethnical stock’).

35
Types of
Synonyms. The role of synonyms it the development of the
vocabulary.
The
only existing classification system for synonyms was established by
Academician Vinogradov, the famous Russian scholar. In his
classification system there are three types of
synonyms: ideographic (which
he defined as words conveying the same concept but differing in
shades of meaning), stylistic (differing
in stylistic characteristics) and absolute (coinciding
in all their shades of meaning and in all their stylistic
characteristics) A more modern and a more effective approach to the
classification of synonyms may be based on the definition describing
synonyms as words differing in connotations.

36
The themantic
groups and semantic fields.
 Classification
of vocabulary items into thematic
groups
 is
based on the co-occurrence of words in certain repeatedly used
contexts. In linguistic contexts co-occurrence maу be
observed on different levels. On the level of word-groups the
word question, for
instance, is often found in collocation with the verbs raise,
put forward, discuss
, etc.,
with the adjectives urgent,
vital, disputable
 and
so on. The verb
accept
 occurs
in numerous contexts together with the nouns proposal,
invitation, plan
 and
others.As a rule, thematic groups deal with contexts on the level of
the sentence. Words in thematic groups are joined together by common
contextual associations within the framework of the sentence and
reflect the interlinking of things or events. Common contextual
association of the words,
e.g. treegrowgreen;journey—traintaxibags—ticket
or sunshine
brightlybluesky, is
due to the regular co-occurrence of these words in a number of
sentences. Words making up a thematic group belong to different parts
of speech and do not possess any common denominator of meaning.
Contextual associations formed by the speaker of a language are
usually conditioned by the context of situation which necessitates
the use of certain words. When watching a play, for example, we
naturally speak of the actors who act the
main parts, of
good (or bad)
staging
 of
the play, of the wonderful scenery and
so on. When we go shopping it
is usual to speak of the prices, of the
goods
 we buy, of the
shops
. Words
may be classified according to the concepts underlying their meaning.
This classification is closely connected with the theory of
conceptual or semantic
fields
.
By the term “semantic fields” we understand closely knit sectors
of vocabulary each characterised by a common concept. For example,
the words blue,
red, yellow, black
, etc.
may be described as making up the semantic field of colours, thewords
mother, father, brother, cousin
, etc.
— as members of the semantic field.In
practical lang. learning thematic groups are often listed under
various headings, e. g. “At the Theatre”, “At School”,
“Shopping”, and are often found in textbooks and courses of
conversational English.The members of the semantic fields are not
synonyms but all of them are joined together by some common semantic
component — the
concept of colours or the concept of kinship, etc. It is argued that
we cannot possibly know the exact meaning of the word if we do not
know the structure of the SF to which the word belongs, the number of
the members and the concepts covered by them.It should also be
pointed out that different meanings of polysemantic words make it
possible to refer the same word to different lexico-semantic groups.
Thus, e.g. make in
the meaning of ‘construct’ is naturally a member of the same
lexico-semantic group as the verbs produce,
manufacture
, etc , whereas
in the meaning of compel it
is regarded as a member of a different lexico-semantic group made up
by the verbs force,
induce.

37
Semantic
contrasts and antonymy. General problems(contrast, contradiction
)The
term antonyms indicate words of the same category of parts of speech
which have contrasting meanings. And nearly identical in distribution
associated and used together so that their implication aspects render
contrary or contradictory notion:love-hate, early-late. The
opposition here is obvious, each component means the opposite of the
other. Almost every word can have synonyms comparatativly, few have
antonyms. Antonyms apposition is characterized of a)qualitative
adj-s:new-old, big-little. b)word derived from word qualitative
adj-s:gladly-sadly, sadness-gladness. c)words concern with feeling or
state and their derivatives:triumph-disaster, hope-dispair. d)words
denoting directions and position in space: up-down, far-near.
Polysemantic words may have antonyms in some of their meanings and
none in the others. E.g.a shot/long story, a short/tall man. Not so
many years ago antonymy was not universally accepted as a linguistic
problem, and the opposition within antonymic pairs was regarded as
purely logical and finding no reflection in the semantic structures
of these words. The contrast between heat and cold or big and small,
said most scholars, is the contrast of things opposed by their very
nature. Nowadays most scholars agree that in the semantic structures
of all words, which regularly occur in antonymic pairs, a special
antonymic connotation can be singled out. We are so used to coming
across hot and cold together, in the same contexts, that even when we
find hot alone, we cannot help subconsciously registering it as not
cold, that is, contrast it to its missing antonym. Contradictions
represent the type of semnantic relantions that exist between pairs
like dead and alive) single and married.

Classification
of antonyms.
 Depending
on the type of polarity ant-s are usually classified into absolute
and derivational. Absolute ant-s are words regularly contrasted as
homogeneous members connected by copulative, disjunctive and
adversative conjunctions or parallel constructions: good or bad,
right or wrong. Derivational a. are formed with the help of affixes
dis, un, less, ful:selfish-unselfish, useless-useful. The
contradiction is expressed morphologically and symantically too.
Absolute ant-s can be arranged into a series according to increasing
difference in one of the qualities:young-middle aged-old;
love-resentment-hate. A-s mostly form pairs not groups.

38
Connotations
of synonyms
.I.The
connotation of degree
or intensity
 can
be traced in such groups of synonyms as to surprise — to astonish —
to amaze — to astound; to shout — to yell — to bellow — to roar.
IIconnotation of duration:
to stare — to glare — to gaze — to glance — to peep — to peer. all
the synonyms except to glance denote a lasting act of looking at smb
or smth, whereas to glance describes a brief, passing look. IIIThe
synonyms to stare — to glare — to gaze are differentiated from the
other words of the group by emotive connotations,
and from each other by the nature of the emotion they
imply. In the group alone — single — lonely — solitary, the adjective
lonely also has an emotive connotation. IV.
The evaluative connotation
conveys the speaker’s attitude towards the referent, labelling it as
good or bad. So in the group well-known — famous — notorious —
celebrated, the adjective notorious bears a negative evaluative
connotation and celebrated a positive one. V.The causativeconnotation
can be illustrated by the examples to sparkle and to glitter given
above: one’s eyes sparkle with positive emotions and glitter with
negative emotions. VI.The connotation of manner can
be singled out in some groups of verbal synonyms. The verbs to stroll
— to stride — to trot — to pace — to swagger — to stagger — to
stumble all denote different ways and types of walking,. VII.The
verbs to peep and to peer is the connotation of attendant
circumstances
.
VIII.The synonyms pretty, handsome, beautiful have been mentioned as
the ones which are more or less interchangeable. Yet, each of them
describes a special type of human beauty: beautiful is mostly
associated with classical features and a perfect figure, handsome
with a tall stature, a certain robustness and fine pro portions,
pretty with small delicate features and a fresh complexion. This
connotation may be defined as the connotation of attendant
features
.
IX.Stylistic connotations.
Examples :Meal. Snack, bite (coll.), snap (dial.), repast,
refreshment, feast (formal).

39
Sources
of synonyms.
 Euphemisms. 1)borrowings:
to ask(eng)-to question(fr)-interrogate(lat); to
gather(eng)-assemble(fr)-collect(lat) 2)dialects or
variations(amer)radio-(british)wireless; (irish)lass-(eng)girl; 3)new
formations with a post positive: to postphone-to put off, to
return-to come back, to betray-to give a way; 4)word-building by
means of :a)synonymas, affixes:changeable-changefull; b) composition
and affixation:trader-tradesman; c)affixation and
conversion:saying-say; 5) by means of shortening:microfone-mike,
doctor-doc; 6) a special groups of synonymas is comprised by the
Euphemisms. There are words in every language which people
instinctively avoid because they are considered indecent, indelicate,
rude, too direct or impolite. As the «offensive» referents,
for which these words stand, must still be alluded to, they are often
described in a round-about way, by using substitutes called
euphemisms. The
word lavatory has
produced many euphemisms:powder
room,washroom,restroom,retiring room,(public) comfort station,
ladies’ (room),gentlemen’s (room),water-closet,w.c.
public
conveniences
 and
even WindsorPregnancy: in
an interesting condition,in a delicate condition,in the family
way,with a baby coming,(big) with child,expecting. Drunk:
intoxicated (form.),under the influence (form.),tipsy,mellow, fresh,
high, merry, flustered, overcome, full (coll.), drunk as a lord
(coll.), drunk as an owl (coll.), boiled (sl.), fried (sl.), tanked
(sl.), tight (sl.), stiff (sl.), pickled (sl.), soaked (sl.), three
sheets to the wind (sl.), high as a kite (sl.), half-seas-over (sl.),
etc. All the euphemisms that have been described so far are used to
avoid the so-called social taboos. Their use is inspired by social
convention. Euphemisms
may be:a) based on some social or ethical standard of behavior not to
hurt other people’s feelinfs: poor-underprivilaged
disaipled-invalid; 2) the requinment of style:to die-to join the
majority, to pass away, to go west; 3)religious taboo:the name of
God-good heavens.

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Maybe you are in the middle of an exam and suddenly come across a word that makes absolutely no sense. This is usually a cue for most people to panic if a dictionary is not handy. But don’t worry! There are several steps you can take to help you figure out the meaning of a word without a dictionary.

  1. Image titled Understand a Word Without Using a Dictionary Step 1

    1

    Read the entire sentence. It can be very frustrating to have your reading interrupted by an unknown word. If you are in the middle of an exam or an assignment for school or work, it can also be very stressful. If you can’t reach for a dictionary, take other steps to figure out what the word means.

    • Your first step is to go back and re-read the entire sentence. You probably lost track of what your were reading when you stumbled upon the new word.
    • Think about the content of the sentence. Do you understand the sentence without using the new word? Or is it incomprehensible?
    • Try underlining the unknown word. This will help you separate it from the rest of the sentence.
  2. Image titled Understand a Word Without Using a Dictionary Step 2

    2

    Identify words you do understand. You can often use other words in the sentence to help you define the unknown word. Think about what else is happening in the sentence. Hopefully, this will help you figure out whether the unknown word is a noun, verb, or adjective.

    • For example, maybe you are looking at a sentence that says, «It was a very sultry day in the middle of the summer.» You probably understand each word except for «sultry».
    • Think about what you know about the summer. It is likely that «sultry» has something to do with weather.
    • Maybe your biology exam has this sentence, «Many members of the canine family are predators, looking for other animals to eat.» You can surmise that «predators» prey on other animals.

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    3

    Look for illustrative examples. Once you have examined the other words in that sentence, you can move on. Start looking at the sentences that follow the unknown word. An author will often give descriptions that can help you figure out the meaning of an unknown word.[1]

    • For example, take the sentence, «It was a very sultry day in the middle of summer.» It could be followed by the sentence, «The heat and humidity made it appealing to sit in the shade and drink lemonade.»
    • You can now more confidently define «sultry». The descriptive words such as «heat» and «humidity» are further clues that it is a description of the weather.
    • Sometimes, the descriptive examples will be right in the original sentence. For example, it could say, «Sultry days are so damp and hot.»
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    4

    Think logically. Sometimes, the context clues will not be as clear. You will have to use logic to figure out the word. You can also use experience, or prior knowledge, of the topic.[2]

    • For example, maybe a sentence says, «In the antebellum South, many plantation owners kept slaves.» It is likely that «antebellum» is the unknown word.
    • The sentence itself does not offer many clues. However, the following sentences are, «But after the Civil War, slavery was outlawed. This was a major change between the two periods.»
    • Think about what you know now. You are reading information about two different time periods, right? Before the Civil War and after the Civil War.
    • You can now make a pretty logical assumption about the word «antebellum». Based on your experience and reading the following sentences, you know it probably means «before the war».
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    5

    Use other context clues. Sometimes an author will offer other types of clues. Look for restatement. This is where the meaning of the word is restated in other words.

    • Here is an example of «restatement»: «The pig squealed in pain. The high-pitched cry was very loud.»
    • You can also look for «appositives». This is where an author highlights a specific word by placing a further description between two commas.
    • This is an example of the use of an appositive: «The Taj Mahal, which is a massive white marble mausoleum, is one of the most famous landmarks in India.
    • You may not know the words «Taj Mahal», but the use of appositives makes it clear that it is a landmark.
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    1

    Look for a prefix. Etymology is the study of the meanings of words. It also looks at the origins of words, and how they have changed over time. By learning about etymology, you can find new ways to define unknown words without using a dictionary.

    • Start by looking at each part of the word in question. It is very helpful to look to see if the word has a common prefix.
    • Prefixes are the first part of the word. For example, a common prefix is «anti».
    • «Anti» means «against». Knowing this should help you figure out the meanings of words such as «antibiotic» or «antithesis».
    • «Extra» is a prefix that means «beyond». Use this to figure out words such as «extraterrestrial» or «extracurricular».
    • Other common prefixes are «hyper», «intro», «macro» and «micro». You can also look for prefixes such as «multi», «neo» and «omni».
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    2

    Pay attention to the suffix. The suffix are the letters at the end of the word. There are several suffixes in the English language that are common. They can help you figure out what kind of word you are looking at.

    • Some suffixes indicate a noun. For example, «ee» at the end of the word almost always indicates a noun. Some examples are «trainee» and «employee».
    • «-ity» is also a common suffix for a noun. Examples include «electricity» and «velocity».
    • Other suffixes indicate verbs. For example, «-ate». This is used in words such as «create» and «deviate».
    • «-ize» is another verb suffix. Think about the words «exercise» and «prioritize».
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    3

    Identify root words. A root word is the core word, without a prefix or suffix. Most words in the English language come from either a Latin or Greek root word.[3]

    • By learning common root words, you can begin to identify new words more easily. You will also be able to recognize words that have had a prefix or suffix added.
    • An example of a root word is «love». You can add many things to the word: «-ly» to make «lovely».
    • «Bio» is a Greek root word. It means «life, or living matter». Think about how we have adapted this root word to become «biology», «biography», or «biodegradable».
    • The root word mater- or matri- comes from the Latin word mater, meaning mother. By understanding this root, you can better understand the definitions of words like matron, maternity, matricide, matrimony, and matriarchal.
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    1

    Keep notes. If you can increase the size of your vocabulary, you will find yourself less likely to encounter unknown words. There are several steps you can take to effectively build your vocabulary. For example, you can start by writing notes.

    • Every time you encounter an unfamiliar word, write it down. Then later, when you have access to a dictionary, you can look it up for a precise definition.
    • Keep a small pack of sticky notes with you while you read. You can write the unfamiliar word on a note and just stick it on the page to return to later.
    • Start carrying a small notebook. You can use it to keep track of words that you don’t know and new words that you have learned.
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    2

    Utilize multiple resources. There are a lot of tools that you can use to help you build your vocabulary. The most obvious is a dictionary. Purchase a hard copy, or book mark an online dictionary that you find useful.

    • A thesaurus can also be very helpful. It will give you synonyms for all of the new words you are learning.
    • Try a word of the day calendar. These handle desk tools will give you a new word to learn each day. They are available online and at bookstores.
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    3

    Read a lot. Reading is one of the best ways to increase the size of your vocabulary. Make it a point to read each day. Both fiction and non-fiction will be helpful.

    • Novels can expose you to new words. For example, reading the latest legal thriller will likely expose you to some legal jargon you’ve never heard before.
    • Read the newspaper. Some papers even have a daily feature that highlights language and explores the meanings of words.
    • Make time to read each day. You could make it a point to scroll through the news while you drink your morning coffee, for example.
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    4

    Play games. Learning can actually be fun! There are many enjoyable activities that can help you to build your vocabulary. Try doing crossword puzzles.

    • Crossword puzzles are a great way to learn new words. They will also stretch your brain by giving you interesting clues to figure out the right word.
    • Play Scrabble. You’ll quickly learn that unusual words can often score the most points.
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Add New Question

  • Question

    Is there a list of prefixes/suffixes, or a simple etymology handbook, that I can obtain from the Internet or someplace else?

    Community Answer

    I’m sure there are many! Check websites like Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or other booksellers who might sell grammar handbooks. You could also try checking your local book stores.

  • Question

    How does one find out and understand the formation of words?

    Community Answer

    If you can recognize the prefixes, suffixes, and anything else that might alter the root word, then you’ll know how the root is being altered. For example, ‘amuse’ is made up of ‘a’ as in ‘not’ and ‘muse’ referring to ponderous thought. Even if you don’t recognize the root ‘muse’ because it’s a more archaic term, you know that the ‘a’ inverses it’s meaning.

  • Question

    How can I know the exact meaning of a word using dictionaries from many leanings given?

    Donagan

    Substitute each meaning into the sentence where you encountered the word, and see which definition makes the most sense within the context of that sentence.

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  • Keep a notebook. This could be useful if you come across a word that you want to learn later, if you want to list any words that share suffixes or prefixes (both of which are known as «roots», which also include anything that goes into the middle.)

  • Read etymology dictionaries. They are found online and presumably in bookstores if you look hard enough.

  • Make your own notes in your personal English notebook to remember important points later on.

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About This Article

Article SummaryX

To understand a word without a dictionary, try re-reading the entire sentence to see if the context helps you to find out what the word means. If it’s unclear, try to figure it out by thinking about the meaning of the words you’re familiar with, since the unknown word might have a similar meaning. Additionally, look for common prefixes in words, such as «anti,» which means against, or «extra,» which means beyond. Next, check the following sentences for clues, such as the topic the word is related to. Alternatively, keep a list of unknown words so you can check them in a dictionary at a later date. For tips on how to identify root words and how to learn words by doing crossword puzzles, read on!

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3.1. The object of semasiology. Two approaches to the study of meaning.

3.2. Types of meaning.

3.3. Meaning and motivation.

3.1. The branch of lexicology which studies meaning is called » semasiology «. Sometimes the term » semantics » is used as a synonym to semasiology, but it is ambiguous as it can stand as well for (1) the expressive aspect of language in general and (2) the meaning of one particular word.

Meaning is certainly the most important property of the word but what is » meaning»?

Meaning is one of the most controversial terms in lexicology. At present there is no generally accepted definition of meaning. Prof. Smirnitsky defines meaning as » a certain reflection in the mind of objects, phenomena or relations that makes part of the linguistic sign, its so-called inner facet, whereas the sound form functions as its outer facet». Generally speaking, meaning can be described as a component of the word through which a concept is communicated, enabling the word to denote objects in the real world.

There are two approaches to the study of meaning: the referential approach and the functional approach. The former tries to define meaning in terms of relations between the word (sound form), concept (notion, thought) and referent (object which the word denotes). They are closely connected and the relationship between them is represented by » the semiotic triangle» (= the basic triangle) of Ogden and Richards (in the book » The Meaning of Meaning» (1923) by O.K. Ogden and I.A. Richards).

concept

 
 

symbol referent

(sound form)

This view denies a direct link between words and things, arguing that the relationship can be made only through the use of our minds. Meaning is related to a sound form, concept and referent but not identical with them: meaning is a linguistic phenomenon while neither concept nor referent is.

The main criticism of this approach is the difficulty of identifying » concepts»: they are mental phenomena and purely subjective, existing in the minds of individuals. The strongest point of this approach is that it connects meaning and the process of nomination.

The functional approach to meaning is less concerned with what meaning is than with how it works. It is argued, to say that » words have meanings» means only that they are used in a certain way in a sentence. There is no meaning beyond that. Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951), in particular, stressed the importance of this approach in his dictum: » The meaning of the word is its use in the language». So meaning is studied by making detailed analyses of the way words are used in contexts, through their relations to other words in speech, and not through their relations to concepts or referents.

Actually, the functional approach is basically confined to the analysis of sameness or difference of meaning. For example, we can say that in » take the bottle » and » take to the bottle » take has different meaning as it is used differently, but it does not explain what the meaning of the verb is. So the functional approach should be used not as the theoretical basis for the study of meaning, but only as complementary to the referential approach.

3.2. Word meaning is made up of different components, commonly known as types of meaning. The two main types of meaning are grammatical meaning and lexical meaning.

Grammatical meaning belongs to sets of word-forms and is common to all words of the given part of speech,

e.g. girls, boys, classes, children, mice express the meaning of » plurality».

Lexical meaning belongs to an individual word in all its forms. It comprises several components. The two main ones are the denotational component and the connotational component.


The denotational (= denotative) component, also called » referential meaning» or » cognitive meaning», expresses the conceptual (notional) content of a word; broadly, it is some information, or knowledge, of the real-world object that the word denotes. Basically, this is the component that makes communication possible.

e.g. notorious » widely-known», celebrated » known widely».

The connotational (connotative) component expresses the attitude of the speaker to what he is saying, to the object denoted by the word. This component consists of emotive connotation and evaluative connotation.

1) Emotive connotation (= » affective meaning», or an emotive charge),

e.g. In » a single tree » single states that there is only one tree, but » a lonely tree » besides giving the same information, also renders (conveys) the feeling of sadness.

We shouldn’t confuse emotive connotations and emotive denotative meanings in which some emotion is named, e.g. horror, love, fear, etc.

2) Evaluative connotation labels the referent as » good» or » bad»,

e.g. notorious has a negative evaluative connotation, while celebrated a positive one. Cf.: a notorious criminal/liar/ coward, etc. and a celebrated singer/ scholar/ artist, etc.

It should be noted that emotive and evaluative connotations are not individual, they are common to all speakers of the language. But emotive implications are individual (or common to a group of speakers), subjective, depend on personal experience.

e.g. The word » hospital » may evoke all kinds of emotions in different people (an architect, a doctor, an invalid, etc.)

Stylistic connotation, or stylistic reference, another component of word meaning, stands somewhat apart from emotive and evaluative connotations. Indeed, it does not characterize a referent, but rather states how a word should be used by referring it to a certain functional style of the language peculiar to a specific sphere of communication. It shows in what social context, in what communicative situations the word can be used.

Stylistically, words can be roughly classified into literary, or formal (e.g. commence, discharge, parent), neutral (e.g. father, begin, dismiss) and non-literary, or informal (e.g. dad, sack, set off).

3.3. The term » motivation » is used to denote the relationship between the form of the word, i.e. its sound form, morphemic composition and structural pattern, and its meaning.

There are three main types of motivation: phonetic, morphological and semantic.

1) Phonetic motivation is a direct connection between the sound form of a word and its meaning. There are two types of phonetic motivation: sound imitation and sound symbolism.

a) Sound imitation, or onomatopoeia: phonetically motivated words are a direct imitation of the sounds they denote (or the sounds produced by actions or objects they denote),

e.g. buzz, swish, bang, thud, cuckoo.

b) Sound symbolism. It’s argued by some linguists that the sounds that make up a word may reflect or symbolise the properties of the object which the word refers to, i.e. they may suggest size, shape, speed, colour, etc.

e.g. back vowels suggest big size, heavy weight, dark colour, front vowels suggest lightness, smallness, etc.

Many words beginning with sl- are slippery in some way: slide, slip, slither, sludge, etc. or pejorative: slut, slattern, sly, sloppy, slovenly; words that end in -ump almost all refer to some kind of roundish mass: plump, chump, rump, hump, stump.

Certainly, not every word with these phonetic characteristics will have the meaning suggested. This is, perhaps, one of the reasons why sound symbolism is not universally recognized in linguistics.

2) Morphological motivation is a direct connection between the lexical meaning of the component morphemes, the pattern of their arrangement and the meaning of the word.

Morphologically motivated words are those whose meaning is determined by the meaning of their components,

e.g. re-write » write again», ex-wife » former wife».

The degree of morphological motivation may be different. Words may be fully motivated (then they are transparent), partially motivated and non-motivated (idiomatic, or opaque).

a) If the meaning of the word is determined by the meaning of the components and the structural pattern, it is fully motivated: e.g. hatless.

b) If the connection between the morphemic composition of a word and its meaning is arbitrary, the word is non-motivated, e.g. buttercup » yellow-flowered plant».

c) In hammer -er shows that it is an instrument, but what is » hamming «? » Ham » has no lexical meaning in this word, thus the word is partially motivated. Cf. also cranberry.

Motivation may be lost in the course of time,

e.g. in OE wī fman was motivated morphologically: wī f + man » wife of a man»; now it is opaque; its motivation is said to be faded (woman).

3) Semantic motivation is based on co-existence of direct and figurative meanings of the same word,

e.g. butterfly – 1) insect; 2) showy and frivolous person.(= metaphorical extension of the direct meaning).



Вычисление основной дактилоскопической формулы Вычислением основной дактоформулы обычно занимается следователь. Для этого все десять пальцев разбиваются на пять пар…

Расчетные и графические задания Равновесный объем — это объем, определяемый равенством спроса и предложения…

Кардиналистский и ординалистский подходы Кардиналистский (количественный подход) к анализу полезности основан на представлении о возможности измерения различных благ в условных единицах полезности…

Обзор компонентов Multisim Компоненты – это основа любой схемы, это все элементы, из которых она состоит. Multisim оперирует с двумя категориями…



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  • Word MeaningLecture # 6Grigoryeva M.

    1 слайд

    Word Meaning
    Lecture # 6
    Grigoryeva M.

  • Word MeaningApproaches to word meaning

Meaning and Notion (понятие)

Types...

    2 слайд

    Word Meaning

    Approaches to word meaning

    Meaning and Notion (понятие)

    Types of word meaning

    Types of morpheme meaning

    Motivation

  • Each word has two aspects:

the outer aspect 
( its sound form) 
cat

the in...

    3 слайд

    Each word has two aspects:

    the outer aspect
    ( its sound form)
    cat

    the inner aspect
    (its meaning)
    long-legged, fury animal with sharp teeth
    and claws

  • Sound and meaning do not always constitute a constant unit even in the sa...

    4 слайд

    Sound and meaning do not always constitute a constant unit even in the same language

    EX a temple

    a part of a human head
    a large church

  • Semantics (Semasiology)Is a branch of lexicology which studies the 
meaning o...

    5 слайд

    Semantics (Semasiology)
    Is a branch of lexicology which studies the
    meaning of words and word equivalents

  • Approaches to Word MeaningThe Referential (analytical) approach

The Function...

    6 слайд

    Approaches to Word Meaning
    The Referential (analytical) approach

    The Functional (contextual) approach

    Operational (information-oriented) approach

  • The Referential (analytical) approachformulates the essence of meaning by es...

    7 слайд

    The Referential (analytical) approach
    formulates the essence of meaning by establishing the interdependence between words and things or concepts they denote

    distinguishes between three components closely connected with meaning:
    the sound-form of the linguistic sign,
    the concept
    the actual referent

  • Basic Triangleconcept (thought, reference) – the thought of the object that s...

    8 слайд

    Basic Triangle
    concept (thought, reference) – the thought of the object that singles out its essential features
    referent – object denoted by the word, part of reality
    sound-form (symbol, sign) – linguistic sign
    concept – flower

    sound-form referent
    [rәuz]

  • In what way does meaning correlate with 
each element of the triangle ?

In...

    9 слайд

    In what way does meaning correlate with
    each element of the triangle ?

    In what relation does meaning stand to
    each of them?

  • Meaning and Sound-formare not identical	
							  different
EX. dove - [dΛv]...

    10 слайд

    Meaning and Sound-form
    are not identical
    different
    EX. dove — [dΛv] English sound-forms
    [golub’] Russian BUT
    [taube] German
    the same meaning

  • Meaning and Sound-formnearly identical sound-forms have different meanings in...

    11 слайд

    Meaning and Sound-form
    nearly identical sound-forms have different meanings in different languages
    EX. [kot] Russian – a male cat
    [kot] English – a small bed for a child

    identical sound-forms have different meanings (‘homonyms)
    EX. knight [nait]
    night [nait]

  • Meaning and Sound-formeven considerable changes in sound-form do not affect t...

    12 слайд

    Meaning and Sound-form
    even considerable changes in sound-form do not affect the meaning

    EX Old English lufian [luvian] – love [l Λ v]

  • Meaning and Conceptconcept is a category of human cognition

concept is abstr...

    13 слайд

    Meaning and Concept
    concept is a category of human cognition

    concept is abstract and reflects the most common and typical features of different objects and phenomena in the world

    meanings of words are different in different languages

  • Meaning and Conceptidentical concepts may have different semantic structures...

    14 слайд

    Meaning and Concept
    identical concepts may have different semantic structures in different languages

    EX. concept “a building for human habitation” –
    English Russian
    HOUSE ДОМ

    + in Russian ДОМ
    “fixed residence of family or household”
    In English HOME

  • Meaning and Referent
one and the same object (referent) may be denoted by mor...

    15 слайд

    Meaning and Referent

    one and the same object (referent) may be denoted by more than one word of a different meaning
    cat
    pussy
    animal
    tiger

  • Meaningis not identical with any of the three points of the triangle –
the so...

    16 слайд

    Meaning
    is not identical with any of the three points of the triangle –
    the sound form,
    the concept
    the referent

    BUT
    is closely connected with them.

  • Functional Approachstudies the functions of a word in speech 
meaning of a wo...

    17 слайд

    Functional Approach
    studies the functions of a word in speech
    meaning of a word is studied through relations of it with other linguistic units
    EX. to move (we move, move a chair)
    movement (movement of smth, slow movement)

    The distriution ( the position of the word in relation to
    others) of the verb to move and a noun movement is
    different as they belong to different classes of words and
    their meanings are different

  • Operational approachis centered on defining meaning through its role in 
the...

    18 слайд

    Operational approach
    is centered on defining meaning through its role in
    the process of communication

    EX John came at 6
    Beside the direct meaning the sentence may imply that:
    He was late
    He failed to keep his promise
    He was punctual as usual
    He came but he didn’t want to

    The implication depends on the concrete situation

  • Lexical Meaning and NotionNotion denotes the reflection in the mind of real o...

    19 слайд

    Lexical Meaning and Notion
    Notion denotes the reflection in the mind of real objects

    Notion is a unit of thinking
    Lexical meaning is the realization of a notion by means of a definite language system
    Word is a language unit

  • Lexical Meaning and NotionNotions are international especially with the natio...

    20 слайд

    Lexical Meaning and Notion
    Notions are international especially with the nations of the same cultural level

    Meanings are nationally limited

    EX GO (E) —- ИДТИ(R)
    “To move”
    BUT !!!
    To GO by bus (E)
    ЕХАТЬ (R)

    EX Man -мужчина, человек
    Она – хороший человек (R)
    She is a good person (E)

  • Types of MeaningTypes     of    meaning
grammatical 
meaning

lexico-grammati...

    21 слайд

    Types of Meaning
    Types of meaning

    grammatical
    meaning

    lexico-grammatical
    meaning
    lexical meaning
    denotational
    connotational

  • Grammatical Meaningcomponent of meaning recurrent in identical sets of indivi...

    22 слайд

    Grammatical Meaning
    component of meaning recurrent in identical sets of individual forms of different words

    EX. girls, winters, toys, tables –
    grammatical meaning of plurality

    asked, thought, walked –
    meaning of past tense

  • Lexico-grammatical meaning(part –of- speech meaning) is revealed in the cla...

    23 слайд

    Lexico-grammatical meaning
    (part –of- speech meaning)
    is revealed in the classification of lexical items into:
    major word classes (N, V, Adj, Adv)
    minor ones (artc, prep, conj)

    words of one lexico-grammatical class have the same paradigm

  • Lexical Meaning is the meaning proper to the given linguistic unit in all its...

    24 слайд

    Lexical Meaning
    is the meaning proper to the given linguistic unit in all its forms and distributions

    EX . Go – goes — went
    lexical meaning – process of movement

  • PRACTICEGroup the words into 3 column according to the grammatical, lexical...

    25 слайд

    PRACTICE
    Group the words into 3 column according to the grammatical, lexical or part-of –speech meaning
    Boy’s, nearest, at, beautiful,
    think, man, drift, wrote,
    tremendous, ship’s, the most beautiful,
    table, near, for, went, friend’s,
    handsome, thinking, boy,
    nearer, thought, boys,
    lamp, go, during.

  • Grammatical
The case of nouns: boy’s, ship’s, friend’s
The degree of compari...

    26 слайд

    Grammatical
    The case of nouns: boy’s, ship’s, friend’s
    The degree of comparison of adj: nearest, the most beautiful
    The tense of verbs: wrote, went, thought

    Lexical
    Think, thinking, thought
    Went, go
    Boy’s, boy, boys
    Nearest, near, nearer
    At, for, during (“time”)
    Beautiful, the most beautiful

    Part-of-speech
    Nouns—verbs—adj—-prep

  • Aspects of Lexical meaningThe denotational aspect

The connotational aspect...

    27 слайд

    Aspects of Lexical meaning
    The denotational aspect

    The connotational aspect

    The pragmatic aspect

  • Denotational Meaning“denote” – to be a sign of, stand as a symbol for”

 esta...

    28 слайд

    Denotational Meaning
    “denote” – to be a sign of, stand as a symbol for”

    establishes the correlation between the name and the object
    makes communication possible

    EX booklet
    “a small thin book that gives info about smth”

  • PRACTICEExplain denotational meaning 
A lion-hunter
To have a heart like a...

    29 слайд

    PRACTICE
    Explain denotational meaning

    A lion-hunter
    To have a heart like a lion
    To feel like a lion
    To roar like a lion
    To be thrown to the lions
    The lion’s share
    To put your head in lion’s mouth

  • PRACTICE A lion-hunter  
A host that seeks out celebrities to impress guests...

    30 слайд

    PRACTICE

    A lion-hunter
    A host that seeks out celebrities to impress guests
    To have a heart like a lion
    To have great courage
    To feel like a lion
    To be in the best of health
    To roar like a lion
    To shout very loudly
    To be thrown to the lions
    To be criticized strongly or treated badly
    The lion’s share
    Much more than one’s share
    To put your head in lion’s mouth

  • Connotational Meaning reflects the attitude of the speaker towards what he sp...

    31 слайд

    Connotational Meaning
    reflects the attitude of the speaker towards what he speaks about
    it is optional – a word either has it or not

    Connotation gives additional information and includes:
    The emotive charge EX Daddy (for father)
    Intensity EX to adore (for to love)
    Imagery EX to wade through a book
    “ to walk with an effort”

  • PRACTICEGive possible interpretation of the sentences
She failed to buy it a...

    32 слайд

    PRACTICE
    Give possible interpretation of the sentences

    She failed to buy it and felt a strange pang.
    Don’t be afraid of that woman! It’s just barking!
    He got up from his chair moving slowly, like an old man.
    The girl went to her father and pulled his sleeve.
    He was longing to begin to be generous.
    She was a woman with shiny red hands and work-swollen finger knuckles.

  • PRACTICEGive possible interpretation of the sentencesShe failed to buy it an...

    33 слайд

    PRACTICE
    Give possible interpretation of the sentences
    She failed to buy it and felt a strange pang.
    (pain—dissatisfaction that makes her suffer)
    Don’t be afraid of that woman! It’s just barking!
    (make loud sharp sound—-the behavior that implies that the person is frightened)
    He got up from his chair moving slowly, like an old man.
    (to go at slow speed—was suffering or was ill)
    The girl went to her father and pulled his sleeve.
    (to move smth towards oneself— to try to attract smb’s attention)
    He was longing to begin to be generous.
    (to start doing— hadn’t been generous before)
    She was a woman with shiny red hands and work-swollen finger knuckles.
    (colour— a labourer involved into physical work ,constant contact with water)

  • The pragmatic aspect of lexical  meaning
the situation in which the word is...

    34 слайд

    The pragmatic aspect of lexical meaning

    the situation in which the word is uttered,
    the social circumstances (formal, informal, etc.),
    social relationships between the interlocutors (polite, rough, etc.),
    the type and purpose of communication (poetic, official, etc.)

    EX horse (neutral)
    steed (poetic)
    nag (slang)
    gee-gee (baby language)

  • PRACTICE State what image underline the meaning 

I heard what she said but...

    35 слайд

    PRACTICE
    State what image underline the meaning

    I heard what she said but it didn’t sink into my mind.
    You should be ashamed of yourself, crawling to the director like that.
    They seized on the idea.
    Bill, chasing some skirt again?
    I saw him dive into a small pub.
    Why are you trying to pin the blame on me?
    He only married her for her dough.

  • PRACTICE State what image underline the meaning I heard what she said but it...

    36 слайд

    PRACTICE
    State what image underline the meaning
    I heard what she said but it didn’t sink into my mind.
    (to understand completely)
    You should be ashamed of yourself, crawling to the director like that.
    (to behave humbly in order to win favour)
    They seized on the idea.
    (to be eager to take and use)
    Bill, chasing some skirt again?
    (a girl)
    I saw him dive into a small pub.
    (to enter suddenly)
    Why are you trying to pin the blame on me?
    (to blame smb unfairly)
    He only married her for her dough.
    (money)

  • Types of Morpheme Meaninglexical
differential
functional
distributional

    37 слайд

    Types of Morpheme Meaning
    lexical
    differential
    functional
    distributional

  • Lexical Meaning in Morphemesroot-morphemes that are homonymous to words posse...

    38 слайд

    Lexical Meaning in Morphemes
    root-morphemes that are homonymous to words possess lexical meaning
    EX. boy – boyhood – boyish

    affixes have lexical meaning of a more generalized character
    EX. –er “agent, doer of an action”

  • Lexical Meaning in Morphemeshas denotational and connotational components
EX....

    39 слайд

    Lexical Meaning in Morphemes
    has denotational and connotational components
    EX. –ly, -like, -ish –
    denotational meaning of similiarity
    womanly , womanish

    connotational component –
    -ly (positive evaluation), -ish (deragotary) женственный — женоподобный

  • Differential Meaninga semantic component that serves to distinguish one word...

    40 слайд

    Differential Meaning
    a semantic component that serves to distinguish one word from all others containing identical morphemes

    EX. cranberry, blackberry, gooseberry

  • Functional Meaningfound only in derivational affixes
a semantic component whi...

    41 слайд

    Functional Meaning
    found only in derivational affixes
    a semantic component which serves to
    refer the word to the certain part of speech

    EX. just, adj. – justice, n.

  • Distributional Meaningthe meaning of the order and the arrangement of morphem...

    42 слайд

    Distributional Meaning
    the meaning of the order and the arrangement of morphemes making up the word
    found in words containing more than one morpheme
    different arrangement of the same morphemes would make the word meaningless
    EX. sing- + -er =singer,
    -er + sing- = ?

  • Motivation denotes the relationship between the phonetic or morphemic composi...

    43 слайд

    Motivation
    denotes the relationship between the phonetic or morphemic composition and structural pattern of the word on the one hand, and its meaning on the other

    can be phonetical
    morphological
    semantic

  • Phonetical Motivationwhen there is a certain similarity between the sounds th...

    44 слайд

    Phonetical Motivation
    when there is a certain similarity between the sounds that make up the word and those produced by animals, objects, etc.

    EX. sizzle, boom, splash, cuckoo

  • Morphological Motivationwhen there is a direct connection between the structu...

    45 слайд

    Morphological Motivation
    when there is a direct connection between the structure of a word and its meaning
    EX. finger-ring – ring-finger,

    A direct connection between the lexical meaning of the component morphemes
    EX think –rethink “thinking again”

  • Semantic Motivationbased on co-existence of direct and figurative meanings of...

    46 слайд

    Semantic Motivation
    based on co-existence of direct and figurative meanings of the same word

    EX a watchdog –
    ”a dog kept for watching property”

    a watchdog –
    “a watchful human guardian” (semantic motivation)

  •  PRACTICE

  • Analyze the meaning of the words. Define the type of motivation a) morpholo...

    48 слайд

    Analyze the meaning of the words.
    Define the type of motivation
    a) morphologically motivated
    b) semantically motivated

    Driver
    Leg
    Horse
    Wall
    Hand-made
    Careless
    piggish

  • Analyze the meaning of the words. Define the type of motivation a) morpholo...

    49 слайд

    Analyze the meaning of the words.
    Define the type of motivation
    a) morphologically motivated
    b) semantically motivated
    Driver
    Someone who drives a vehicle
    morphologically motivated
    Leg
    The part of a piece of furniture such as a table
    semantically motivated
    Horse
    A piece of equipment shaped like a box, used in gymnastics
    semantically motivated

  • Wall
Emotions or behavior  preventing people from feeling close
semantically...

    50 слайд

    Wall
    Emotions or behavior preventing people from feeling close
    semantically motivated
    Hand-made
    Made by hand, not machine
    morphologically motivated
    Careless
    Not taking enough care
    morphologically motivated
    Piggish
    Selfish
    semantically motivated

  • I heard what she said but it didn’t sink in my mind
“do down to the bottom”...

    51 слайд

    I heard what she said but it didn’t sink in my mind
    “do down to the bottom”
    ‘to be accepted by mind” semantic motivation

    Why are you trying to pin the blame on me?
    “fasten smth somewhere using a pin” –
    ”to blame smb” semantic motivation

    I was following the man when he dived into a pub.
    “jump into deep water” –
    ”to enter into suddenly” semantic motivation

    You should be ashamed of yourself, crawling to the director like that
    “to move along on hands and knees close to the ground” –
    “to behave very humbly in order to win favor” semantic motivation

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Word Meaning Lecture # 6 Grigoryeva M.

Word Meaning Lecture # 6 Grigoryeva M.

Word Meaning Approaches to word meaning Meaning and Notion (понятие) Types of word meaning

Word Meaning Approaches to word meaning Meaning and Notion (понятие) Types of word meaning Types of morpheme meaning Motivation

Each word has two aspects: the outer aspect ( its sound form) cat the

Each word has two aspects: the outer aspect ( its sound form) cat the inner aspect (its meaning) long-legged, fury animal with sharp teeth and claws

Sound and meaning do not always constitute a constant unit even in the same

Sound and meaning do not always constitute a constant unit even in the same language EX a temple a part of a human head a large church

Semantics (Semasiology) Is a branch of lexicology which studies the meaning of words and

Semantics (Semasiology) Is a branch of lexicology which studies the meaning of words and word equivalents

Approaches to Word Meaning The Referential (analytical) approach The Functional (contextual) approach Operational (information-oriented)

Approaches to Word Meaning The Referential (analytical) approach The Functional (contextual) approach Operational (information-oriented) approach

The Referential (analytical) approach formulates the essence of meaning by establishing the interdependence between

The Referential (analytical) approach formulates the essence of meaning by establishing the interdependence between words and things or concepts they denote distinguishes between three components closely connected with meaning: the sound-form of the linguistic sign, the concept the actual referent

Basic Triangle concept – flower concept (thought, reference) – the thought of the object

Basic Triangle concept – flower concept (thought, reference) – the thought of the object that singles out its essential features referent – object denoted by the word, part of reality sound-form (symbol, sign) – linguistic sign sound-form [rәuz] referent

In what way does meaning correlate with each element of the triangle ? •

In what way does meaning correlate with each element of the triangle ? • In what relation does meaning stand to each of them? •

Meaning and Sound-form are not identical different EX. dove - [dΛv] English [golub’] Russian

Meaning and Sound-form are not identical different EX. dove — [dΛv] English [golub’] Russian [taube] German sound-forms BUT the same meaning

Meaning and Sound-form nearly identical sound-forms have different meanings in different languages EX. [kot]

Meaning and Sound-form nearly identical sound-forms have different meanings in different languages EX. [kot] Russian – a male cat [kot] English – a small bed for a child identical sound-forms have different meanings (‘homonyms) EX. knight [nait]

Meaning and Sound-form even considerable changes in sound-form do not affect the meaning EX

Meaning and Sound-form even considerable changes in sound-form do not affect the meaning EX Old English lufian [luvian] – love [l Λ v]

Meaning and Concept concept is a category of human cognition concept is abstract and

Meaning and Concept concept is a category of human cognition concept is abstract and reflects the most common and typical features of different objects and phenomena in the world meanings of words are different in different languages

Meaning and Concept identical concepts may have different semantic structures in different languages EX.

Meaning and Concept identical concepts may have different semantic structures in different languages EX. concept “a building for human habitation” – English Russian HOUSE ДОМ + in Russian ДОМ “fixed residence of family or household” In English HOME

Meaning and Referent one and the same object (referent) may be denoted by more

Meaning and Referent one and the same object (referent) may be denoted by more than one word of a different meaning cat pussy animal tiger

Meaning is not identical with any of the three points of the triangle –

Meaning is not identical with any of the three points of the triangle – the sound form, the concept the referent BUT is closely connected with them.

Functional Approach studies the functions of a word in speech meaning of a word

Functional Approach studies the functions of a word in speech meaning of a word is studied through relations of it with other linguistic units EX. to move (we move, move a chair) movement (movement of smth, slow movement) The distriution ( the position of the word in relation to others) of the verb to move and a noun movement is different as they belong to different classes of words and their meanings are different

Operational approach is centered on defining meaning through its role in the process of

Operational approach is centered on defining meaning through its role in the process of communication EX John came at 6 Beside the direct meaning the sentence may imply that: He was late He failed to keep his promise He was punctual as usual He came but he didn’t want to The implication depends on the concrete situation

Lexical Meaning and Notion denotes the Lexical meaning is reflection in the realization of

Lexical Meaning and Notion denotes the Lexical meaning is reflection in the realization of a mind of real objects notion by means of a definite language system Notion is a unit of Word is a language thinking unit

Lexical Meaning and Notions are Meanings are internationally limited especially with the nations of

Lexical Meaning and Notions are Meanings are internationally limited especially with the nations of the same EX GO (E) —- ИДТИ(R) cultural level “To move” BUT !!! To GO by bus (E) ЕХАТЬ (R) EX Man -мужчина, человек Она – хороший человек (R) She is a good person (E)

Types of Meaning Types grammatical meaning of meaning lexico-grammatical meaning lexical meaning denotational connotational

Types of Meaning Types grammatical meaning of meaning lexico-grammatical meaning lexical meaning denotational connotational

Grammatical Meaning component of meaning recurrent in identical sets of individual forms of different

Grammatical Meaning component of meaning recurrent in identical sets of individual forms of different words EX. girls, winters, toys, tables – grammatical meaning of plurality asked, thought, walked – meaning of past tense

Lexico-grammatical meaning (part –of- speech meaning) is revealed in the classification of lexical items

Lexico-grammatical meaning (part –of- speech meaning) is revealed in the classification of lexical items into: major word classes (N, V, Adj, Adv) minor ones (artc, prep, conj) words of one lexico-grammatical class have the same paradigm

Lexical Meaning is the meaning proper to the given linguistic unit in all its

Lexical Meaning is the meaning proper to the given linguistic unit in all its forms and distributions EX. Go – goes — went lexical meaning – process of movement

PRACTICE Group the words into 3 column according to the grammatical, lexical or part-of

PRACTICE Group the words into 3 column according to the grammatical, lexical or part-of –speech meaning • • Boy’s, nearest, at, beautiful, think, man, drift, wrote, tremendous, ship’s, the most beautiful, table, near, for, went, friend’s, handsome, thinking, boy, nearer, thought, boys, lamp, go, during.

 • Grammatical 1. The case of nouns: boy’s, ship’s, friend’s 2. The degree

• Grammatical 1. The case of nouns: boy’s, ship’s, friend’s 2. The degree of comparison of adj: nearest, the most beautiful 3. The tense of verbs: wrote, went, thought • Lexical 1. Think, thinking, thought 2. Went, go 3. Boy’s, boys 4. Nearest, nearer 5. At, for, during (“time”) 6. Beautiful, the most beautiful • Part-of-speech Nouns—verbs—adj—-prep

Aspects of Lexical meaning The denotational aspect The connotational aspect The pragmatic aspect

Aspects of Lexical meaning The denotational aspect The connotational aspect The pragmatic aspect

Denotational Meaning “denote” – to be a sign of, stand as a symbol for”

Denotational Meaning “denote” – to be a sign of, stand as a symbol for” establishes the correlation between the name and the object makes communication possible EX booklet “a small thin book that gives info about smth”

PRACTICE Explain denotational meaning • • A lion-hunter To have a heart like a

PRACTICE Explain denotational meaning • • A lion-hunter To have a heart like a lion To feel like a lion To roar like a lion To be thrown to the lions The lion’s share To put your head in lion’s mouth

PRACTICE • A lion-hunter A host that seeks out celebrities to impress guests •

PRACTICE • A lion-hunter A host that seeks out celebrities to impress guests • To have a heart like a lion To have great courage • To feel like a lion To be in the best of health • To roar like a lion To shout very loudly • To be thrown to the lions To be criticized strongly or treated badly • The lion’s share Much more than one’s share • To put your head in lion’s mouth

Connotational Meaning reflects the attitude of the speaker towards what he speaks about it

Connotational Meaning reflects the attitude of the speaker towards what he speaks about it is optional – a word either has it or not Connotation gives additional information and includes: The emotive charge EX Daddy (for father) Intensity EX to adore (for to love) Imagery EX to wade through a book “ to walk with an effort”

PRACTICE Give possible interpretation of the sentences • She failed to buy it and

PRACTICE Give possible interpretation of the sentences • She failed to buy it and felt a strange pang. • Don’t be afraid of that woman! It’s just barking! • He got up from his chair moving slowly, like an old man. • The girl went to her father and pulled his sleeve. • He was longing to begin to be generous. • She was a woman with shiny red hands and workswollen finger knuckles.

PRACTICE Give possible interpretation of the sentences • She failed to buy it and

PRACTICE Give possible interpretation of the sentences • She failed to buy it and felt a strange pang. (pain—dissatisfaction that makes her suffer) • Don’t be afraid of that woman! It’s just barking! (make loud sharp sound—-the behavior that implies that the person is frightened) • He got up from his chair moving slowly, like an old man. (to go at slow speed—was suffering or was ill) • The girl went to her father and pulled his sleeve. (to move smth towards oneself— to try to attract smb’s attention) • He was longing to begin to be generous. (to start doing— hadn’t been generous before) • She was a woman with shiny red hands and work-swollen finger knuckles. (colour— a labourer involved into physical work , constant contact with water)

The pragmatic aspect of lexical meaning the situation in which the word is uttered,

The pragmatic aspect of lexical meaning the situation in which the word is uttered, the social circumstances (formal, informal, etc. ), social relationships between the interlocutors (polite, rough, etc. ), the type and purpose of communication (poetic, official, etc. ) EX horse (neutral) steed (poetic) nag (slang) gee-gee (baby language)

PRACTICE State what image underline the meaning • I heard what she said but

PRACTICE State what image underline the meaning • I heard what she said but it didn’t sink into my mind. • You should be ashamed of yourself, crawling to the director like that. • They seized on the idea. • Bill, chasing some skirt again? • I saw him dive into a small pub. • Why are you trying to pin the blame on me? • He only married her for her dough.

PRACTICE State what image underline the meaning • I heard what she said but

PRACTICE State what image underline the meaning • I heard what she said but it didn’t sink into my mind. • (to understand completely) • You should be ashamed of yourself, crawling to the director like that. (to behave humbly in order to win favour) • They seized on the idea. (to be eager to take and use) • Bill, chasing some skirt again? (a girl) • I saw him dive into a small pub. (to enter suddenly) • Why are you trying to pin the blame on me? (to blame smb unfairly) • He only married her for her dough. (money)

Types of Morpheme Meaning lexical differential functional distributional

Types of Morpheme Meaning lexical differential functional distributional

Lexical Meaning in Morphemes root-morphemes that are homonymous to words possess lexical meaning EX.

Lexical Meaning in Morphemes root-morphemes that are homonymous to words possess lexical meaning EX. boy – boyhood – boyish affixes have lexical meaning of a more generalized character EX. –er “agent, doer of an action”

Lexical Meaning in Morphemes has denotational and connotational components EX. –ly, -like, -ish –

Lexical Meaning in Morphemes has denotational and connotational components EX. –ly, -like, -ish – denotational meaning of similiarity womanly , womanish connotational component – -ly (positive evaluation), -ish (deragotary) женственный женоподобный

Differential Meaning a semantic component that serves to distinguish one word from all others

Differential Meaning a semantic component that serves to distinguish one word from all others containing identical morphemes EX. cranberry, blackberry, gooseberry

Functional Meaning found only in derivational affixes a semantic component which serves to refer

Functional Meaning found only in derivational affixes a semantic component which serves to refer the word to the certain part of speech EX. just, adj. – justice, n.

Distributional Meaning the meaning of the order and the arrangement of morphemes making up

Distributional Meaning the meaning of the order and the arrangement of morphemes making up the word found in words containing more than one morpheme different arrangement of the same morphemes would make the word meaningless EX. sing- + -er =singer, -er + sing- = ?

Motivation denotes the relationship between the phonetic or morphemic composition and structural pattern of

Motivation denotes the relationship between the phonetic or morphemic composition and structural pattern of the word on the one hand, and its meaning on the other can be phonetical morphological semantic

Phonetical Motivation when there is a certain similarity between the sounds that make up

Phonetical Motivation when there is a certain similarity between the sounds that make up the word and those produced by animals, objects, etc. EX. sizzle, boom, splash, cuckoo

Morphological Motivation when there is a direct connection between the structure of a word

Morphological Motivation when there is a direct connection between the structure of a word and its meaning EX. finger-ring – ring-finger, A direct connection between the lexical meaning of the component morphemes EX think –rethink “thinking again”

Semantic Motivation based on co-existence of direct and figurative meanings of the same word

Semantic Motivation based on co-existence of direct and figurative meanings of the same word EX a watchdog – ”a dog kept for watching property” a watchdog – “a watchful human guardian” (semantic motivation)

 • PRACTICE

• PRACTICE

Analyze the meaning of the words. Define the type of motivation a) morphologically motivated

Analyze the meaning of the words. Define the type of motivation a) morphologically motivated b) semantically motivated • Driver • Leg • Horse • Wall • Hand-made • Careless • piggish

Analyze the meaning of the words. Define the type of motivation a) morphologically motivated

Analyze the meaning of the words. Define the type of motivation a) morphologically motivated b) semantically motivated • Driver Someone who drives a vehicle morphologically motivated • Leg The part of a piece of furniture such as a table semantically motivated • Horse A piece of equipment shaped like a box, used in gymnastics semantically motivated

 • Wall Emotions or behavior preventing people from feeling close semantically motivated •

• Wall Emotions or behavior preventing people from feeling close semantically motivated • Hand-made Made by hand, not machine morphologically motivated • Careless Not taking enough care morphologically motivated • Piggish Selfish semantically motivated

what she said but it didn’t sink in my mind “do down to the

what she said but it didn’t sink in my mind “do down to the bottom” ‘to be accepted by mind” semantic motivation I heard Why are you trying to pin the blame on me? “fasten smth somewhere using a pin” – ”to blame smb” semantic motivation I was following the man when he dived into a pub. “jump into deep water” – ”to enter into suddenly” semantic motivation You should be ashamed of yourself, crawling to the director like that “to move along on hands and knees close to the ground” – “to behave very humbly in order to win favor” semantic motivation

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