Word fields in english

Content

• Concept
• Constant development
• Overlap
• Lexical gaps
• Different status
• Types
• Open
• Closed
• Graduates
• Associative
• Examples
• Semantic field of colors
• Semantic field of animals
• References

A semantic field It consists of a group of words that have the same meaning and that are part of a different lexical category. An example would be: red, yellow, blue, bluish, greenish, reddish, color, whiten, redden (semantic field of colors).

The same word belongs to several semantic fields. For example, the words woman, girl, girl, lady, spinster, belong to the «feminine» semantic field. But only «young» girl and girl belong to the semantic field, and spinster to «unmarried».

The semantic field is more related to concepts. A matrix of a woman, girl, girl, lady, spinster, would be:

The +/- values ​​express the semantic fields. Within the «feminine» semantic field, for example, they enter (in addition to those): cow, mare, princess, queen, sister, sister-in-law, wife, girlfriend, dancer, teacher …

Concept

The concept of semantic field refers to the system of interrelated networks that make up the vocabulary or lexicon of a language. Each word is surrounded by a network of associations that connect with other terms.

And those that are interrelated can belong to the same semantic field, for example: house, roof, floor, wall, etc.

On many occasions, the overlap between semantic fields can be observed. So — by way of example — the ceiling and wall field can overlap in connection with painting or repairing. In this way, a semantic field groups different words based on an idea or meaning.

Now, the elements of this set can belong to different lexical categories. Among others, they can refer to works or people (nouns), actions or states (verbs), and qualities or characteristics (adjectives).

For example, study (verb) and teacher (noun) are part of the semantic field of the word school (noun).

On the other hand, the notion of the lexical field is related to that of the associative field. The latter refers to the set of all the meanings associated with a particular linguistic sign. This field is infinite in extension as it is constantly growing due to the appearance of new meanings.

Characteristics of the semantic field

Constant development

In a semantic field, the associations that can be established between the elements of this great mosaic are infinite. Conceptual relationships are constantly growing thanks to sustained development.

Every day, new meanings and ideas are incorporated from science, sports and politics, among other areas of knowledge.

Language is a reflection of human activities, so it is normal for its advances to translate increasingly interconnected networks of words.

This is enhanced by the phenomenon of globalization that brings different languages ​​into contact. Among others, cooperation between cultures results in new words for common ideas.

Overlap

The semantic field has its scope of existence in the way in which the different words of a language are organized in the mind.

Words in the semantic field are organized according to a very large number of meanings. These include color, flavor, animals, costumes, drinks, or events.

On the other hand, a word can belong to more than one semantic field. For example, in the Spanish language the noun cap belongs to the field of the word dress (clothing) and that of structure (levels, biology).

Lexical gaps

In all languages ​​there are situations in which there are empty spaces or gaps within the semantic field. For example, in the English language a single word is used to mean cousin Y cousin (cousin).

On the other hand, there are other pairs to differentiate the gender of words related to kinship: mother / father, sister / brother, aunt / uncle.

This can also be illustrated — on the Spanish side — with the word pork. This term is used for both the animal and the food. However, in English there is the distinction pig (pork, animal) and pork (pork, food).

Different status

In a semantic field, not all semantic elements necessarily have the same status. For example, the words blue, red, yellow. green. black, purple, indigo, royal blue, aqua and cyan belong to the field colour.

However, the former are more commonly used. These are considered less marked members of the semantic field, and they are often easier to learn and remember. In fact, children learn the term blue first before they do indigo, royal blue, or aqua.

Often times, a less marked word consists of a single morpheme (blue, for example), in contrast to the more marked words (royal blue).

In fact, the least marked member cannot be described using the name of another member. So, you can say Cyan is a type of blue. But the opposite is not feasible ( *Blue is a type of cyan).

Also, the less marked items tend to be used more frequently than the stronger terms. For example, the word blue occurs much more frequently in conversation and writing than aquamarine or royal blue.

Open

Within the open semantic fields are included those whose number of words is infinite or indeterminate. An example of this would be the types of food (pasta, tamales, fast food, salads, cakes, soups, stews, fried foods …).

Closed

In very specific cases, the number of words that could belong to a certain semantic field is finite. Such is the case of the days of the week, the zodiacal signs or the seas of the world.

Graduates

In some cases, the words that make up a semantic field are encompassed in two extremes. This is the case for the entire range of words that are between big Y little or between bad Y good (as medium or regular, respectively).

Associative

A semantic field can be made up of words related to a concept. This is the criterion used by ideological dictionaries, very popular during the 19th and much of the 20th centuries.

In this way, an idea or concept is related to a series of broader terms (categories, general ideas) or more specific. So, for example, the words curtain and decorator belong to the same semantic field by association.

Examples

Below are some examples of semantic field. It should be noted that the lists are not complete. This is because the system of relationships between words is extensive and complex in most cases.

Semantic field of colors

• Nouns: red, yellow, blue, orange, green, purple, brown, black, magenta, bronze, cyan, olive green, garnet, navy blue, aquamarine, turquoise, silver … crayons, watercolor, markers, paint …
• Adjectives: bluish, greenish, reddish, whitish, yellowish, red, tan, blackened, bleached …
• Verbs: bleach, redden, color, paint, bleach, stain, blacken …

Semantic field of animals

• Nouns: bull, donkey, horse, duck, shark, octopus, seal, eagle, hummingbird, mouse, squirrel, bear, giraffe, rhinoceros, butterfly, spider, wasp, cat, tiger … flock, shoal, herd, flock … farm, jungle, jungle, zoo … howl, squawk, growl …
• Adjectives: domestic, wild …
• Verbs: tame, tame, graze, hunt, herd, castrate …

References

1. Prasad, T. (2012). A course in linguistics. New Delhi: PHI Learning.
2. Finegan, E. (2007). Language: Its Structure and Use. Boston: Cengage Learning.
3. Mott, B. L. (2009). Introductory Semantics and Pragmatics for Spanish Learners of English. Barcelona: Edicions Universitat Barcelona.
4. Rodríguez Guzmán, J. P. (2005). Graphic grammar to the juampedrino mode. Barcelona: Carena Editions.
5. Frank Robert Palmer, F. R. (1981). Semantics. Melbourne: Cambridge University Press.
6. Cover page
   Murphy, M. L. (2003). Semantic Relations and the Lexicon: Antonymy, Synonymy and other Paradigms. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Asked by: Zaria Mayer

Score: 4.4/5
(70 votes)

In linguistics, a semantic field is a lexical set of words grouped semantically that refers to a specific subject. The term is also used in anthropology, computational semiotics, and technical exegesis.

What is lexical field in English?

A lexical field denotes a segment of reality symbolized by a set of related words. The words in a semantic field share a common semantic property. Most often, fields are defined by subject matter, such as body parts, landforms, diseases, colors, foods, or kinship relations.

What’s the difference between semantic field and lexical field?

A lexical field is «a structure formed by lexemes,» whereas a semantic field is «the underlying meaning which finds expression in lexemes.» Lexemes are the basic units of a stock of words in any given language. … Lexical fields study how words affect other words in a sentence.

Why are lexical fields used?

The lexical field is often used in English to describe terms further with use of different words. Trier’s theory assumes that lexical fields are easily definable closed sets, with no overlapping meanings or gaps.

What is the difference between lexical and semantics?

In context|linguistics|lang=en terms the difference between semantics and lexicon is that semantics is (linguistics) a branch of linguistics studying the meaning of words while lexicon is (linguistics) a dictionary that includes or focuses on lexemes. It converts the High level input program into a sequence of Tokens..

32 related questions found

A thematic
group is a subsystem of the vocabulary for which the basis of
grouping is not only linguistic but also extralinguistic: the words
are associated because the things they name occur together and are
closely connected in reality, e.g.:

terms of
kinship: father,
cousin, mother-in-law, uncle;

names for
parts of the human body: head,
neck, arm, foot, thumb;

colour
terms: blue,
green, yellow, red / scarlet, crimson, coral;

military
terms: lieutenant,
captain, major, colonel, general.

An
ideographic group unites thematically related words of different
parts of speech; here words and expressions are classed not according
to their lexico-grammatical meaning but strictly according to their
signification,
i.e. to the system of logical notions, e.g.:

‘Trade’:
to
buy, to sell, to pay, to cost, a price, money, cash, a receipt,
expensive
etc.

As a rule,
ideographic groups deal with contexts on the level of the sentence.
Words in ideographic groups are joined together by common contextual
associations within the framework of the sentence and reflect the
interlinking of things or events, e.g.:

‘Going
by train’: railway,
a
journey,
a train,
a train station, timetable, a platform, a passenger,
a
single ticket,
a return ticket, luggage, a smoking carriage, a non-smoking carriage,
a dining-car, to enquire, to catch the train, to miss the train etc.

In modern
linguistics there are about 70 kinds of ‘fields’ and over a
hundred approaches to defining what a field is.

A semantic
field is the extensive organisation of related words and expressions
into a system which shows their relations to one another.

The
significance of each unit is determined by its neighbours, with the
units’ semantic areas reciprocally limiting each other.

The
members of the semantic fields are joined together by some common
semantic component known as the common denominator of meaning.

‘Human
Mind’: mind,
reason, cognition, idea, concept, judgment, analysis, conclusion; to
think, to conclude, to consider, to reflect, to mediate, to
reminisce, to contemplate; intelligent, wise, smart, knowledgeable,
witless, dim-witted
etc.

A
lexico-semantic group is singled out on purely linguistic principles:
words are united if they have one or more semantic components in
common, but differ in some other semantic components constituting
their semantic structures. The

This type
of groupings is mostly applied to verbs, e.g.

verbs of
sense perception: to
see, to hear, to feel, to taste;

verbs
denoting speech acts: to
speak, to talk, to chat, to natter, to mumble, to ramble, to stammer,
to converse;

verbs of
motion: to
walk, to run, to tiptoe, to stroll, to stagger, to stomp, to swagger,
to wander

23.Neologisms. Their sources and formation.

A
neologism (Gr
néos
‘new’
and logos
‘word,
study’)
is a new lexical unit introduced into a language to denote a new
object or phenomenon. The term is
first attested in English in 1772, borrowed from French néologisme.
Neologisms
are often directly attributable to a specific person, publication,
period, or event.

While the
typical lexical growth areas of the 1980s were the media, computers,
finance, money, environment, political correctness, youth culture and
music, the 1990s saw significant lexical expansion in the areas of
politics, the media and the Internet.

Nonce
words (occasional words) (an ellipsis of the phrase for
the nonce ‘for
the once’) are lexical units created by the speaker on the spur of
the moment, for a given occasion only, and may be considered as
‘potentially’ existing in the English vocabulary, e.g.
what-d’you-call-him
/-her/-it/-them,
n. is used instead of a name that one cannot remember.

A lot of
neologisms resulted from nonce words, e.g. yuppie,
n. ‘a
well-paid young middle-class professional who works in a city job and
has a luxurious lifestyle’;
coach
potato,
soap
opera,
generation
X,
thirty-something,
glass ceiling ‘an
unacknowledged barrier to advancement in a profession, especially
affecting women and members of minorities’;
gerrymander
/’dʒɛrɪ‚mandə/,
v. ‘manipulate
the boundaries of (an electoral constituency) so as to favour one
party or class’.

Semantic
neologisms – new meanings of already existing words – result from
semantic derivation due to the functional mobility of the vocabulary:

virus,
n. ‘a
piece of code which is capable of copying itself and typically has a
detrimental effect, such as corrupting the system or destroying
data’;

black
hole
‘a
place where money or lost items apparently disappear without trace’;

trophy,
adj. ‘used for impressing others, in sb’s opinion’ as in trophy
wife ‘a
young and attractive wife who is regarded as a status
symbol
for the husband, who is often older and affluent’,
trophy-child
‘a
child whose birth or achievements are paraded to enhance the parents’
status’;

spin,
n. ‘a
form of propaganda, achieved through providing an interpretation of
an event or campaign to persuade public opinion in favor or against a
certain organisation
or public figure’
as in spin
doctor,
spin
crew, spin journalism.

to open
the kimono ‘to
open a company’s accounting books for inspection; to expose something
previously hidden’;
a sleep camel ‘a
person who gets little sleep during the week, and then attempts to
make up for it by sleeping in and napping on the weekend’;
to put skin in the game ‘take
an active interest in a company or undertaking by making a
significant investment or financial commitment’;

Ohrwurm
– earworm, n. ‘a
catchy song or tune that runs continually through someone’s mind’;

вешать лапшу на
уши – to
hang noodles on sb’s ears (to dupe smb, to string smb along);
Потемкинские
деревни
– Potemkin
village ‘a show’;
to Potemkinise, Potemkin election; хотели,
как
лучше,
а
получилось,
как
всегда
– we
tried our best – you know the rest (used in reference to the
natural tendency of things to go wrong in Russia); упал
– отжался
– drop
down and give me some push ups (a jocular threat to punish sb);

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Описание презентации по отдельным слайдам:

• 

  1 слайд

  Semantic Classification of Words
  Lecture 7

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  2 слайд

  SEMANTIC СLASSIFICATION OF WORDS
  BASIC PRINCIPLES OF GROUPING WORDS.
  SYNONYMY
  SYNONYMS
  CLASSIFICATION OF SYNONYMS
  EUPHEMISMS
  ANTONYMY
  ANTONYMS
  CLASSIFICATION OF ANTONYMS
  TERMINOLOGICAL AND LEXICO-SEMANTIC GROUPS OF WORDS
  1. LEXICAL AND TERMINOLOGICAL SETS
  2. LEXICO-SEMANTIC GROUPS
  3. SEMANTIC FIELDS

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  3 слайд

  I. BASIC PRINCIPLES OF GROUPING WORDS
  Two basic principles of grouping words:

  to classify words proceeding from the basic types of semantic relations;
  to group words together starting off with associations connecting the given words with other vocabulary units.

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  4 слайд

  SEMANTIC CLASSES (CATEGORIES):
  Synonyms;
  Antonyms;
  Lexical & terminological sets;
  Lexico-semantic groups;
  Semantic fields;

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  5 слайд

  II. SYNONYMY

  Synonymy — the kind of semantic relations that implies the coincidence in the essential meanings of linguistic elements, which usually preserve their differences in connotations and stylistic characteristics.
  Synonymy does not present a perfect type of a linguistic category.

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  6 слайд

  2.1. SYNONYMS
  Synonyms — words belonging to one part of speech, close in meaning and interchangeable at least in some contexts.
  Characteristics: the semantic relations of equivalence or by semantic relations of proximity.
  Types of synonyms:
  Full (total) synonyms characterized by semantic equivalence, are extremely rare.

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  7 слайд

  The degree of semantic proximity
  is estimated in terms of aspect of meaning:
  the denotational;
  the connotational;
  the pragmatic.

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  The difference in connotation: famous — ‘known widely, having fame’ and notorious ‘widely known because of smth bad, e.g. for being criminal, violent, immoral’. Thus, famous has a positive emotive evaluation, and the word notorious – negative.

  The difference in the pragmatic value: cf.: brotherly – fraternal (братский), bodily – corporal (телесный). In a few cases these synonymic values are reversed, e.g. deed – action (подвиг — поступок), foe – enemy (противник – враг).

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  9 слайд

  2.2.CLASSIFICATION OF SYNONYMS
  Stylistic synonymy implies no interchangeability in context because the underlying situations are different, e.g. children – infants, dad – father.

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  10 слайд

  Ideographic synonymy presents a still lower degree of semantic proximity and is observed when the connotational and pragmatic aspects are similar, but there are certain differences in the denotational aspect of meaning of two words, e.g. forest – wood, apartment – flat, shape – form.

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  11 слайд

  Ideographic-stylistic synonymy is characterized by the lowest degree of semantic proximity. e.g. ask – inquire, expect – anticipate.

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  12 слайд

  SYNONYMIC DOMINANT —
  a dominant element, which is the most general term potentially containing the specific features rendered by all the other members of the synonymic group. In the series leave – depart – quit – retire – clear out the verb leave is a synonymic dominant.

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  13 слайд

  2.3. EUPHEMISM —
  is substitution of words of mild or vague connotations for expressions rough, unpleasant.
  The word to die has the following euphemisms: to expire, to pass away, to depart, to join the majority, to kick the bucket, etc; pregnant – in the family way.

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  14 слайд

  III. ANTONYMY
  3.1. ANTONYMS
  Antonyms – a class of words grouped together on the basis of the semantic relations of opposition.

  3.2. CLASSIFICATION OF ANTONYMS

  Structurally, antonyms can be divided into antonyms of the same root, e.g. to do – to undo; cheerful – cheerless; and antonyms of different roots, e.g. day – night, rich – poor.

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  15 слайд

  SEMANTICALLY
  ANTONYMS ARE CLASSIFIED INTO
  Contradictories represent the type of semantic relations that exist between pairs like, e.g. dead – alive, single – married.

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  16 слайд

  Contraries (gradable antonyms) are antonyms that can be arranged into a series according to the increasing difference in one of their qualities: in cold – hot , cool – warm are intermediate members.

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  17 слайд

  Incompatibles — antonyms which are characterized by the relations of exclusion: morning — afternoon, evening — night.

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  18 слайд

  INTERCHANGEABILITY OF ANTOMYMS
  Polysemy may be analysed through synonymy: handsome can be singled out by means of synonymic substitution a handsome man—a beautiful man; but a handsome reward—a generous reward.
  Polysemy may be also analysed through antonymy:
  a handsome man—an ugly man, a handsome reward—an insufficient etc.).

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  19 слайд

  4.1. LEXICAL AND TERMINOLOGICAL SETS
  Lexical sets are words denoting things correlated on extralinguistic groups form: lion, tiger, leopard, puma, cat refer to the lexical set of ‘the animal of the cat family’.
  Terminological sets are lexical sets, which acquire a more specialized character:
  e.g. names of ‘musical instruments’: piano, organ, violin, drum;
  names of ‘parts of the car mechanism’: radiator, motor, handbrake, wheels.

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  20 слайд

  4.2. LEXICO-SEMANTIC GROUPS
  Lexico-semantic group unites words describing sides of one and the same general notion if:
  the underlying notion is not too generalized and all-embracing, like notions of ‘time’, ‘space’, ‘life’, ‘process’, etc.
  the reference to the underlying notion is not just an implication in the meaning of the lexical unit but forms an essential part in its semantics.
  Verbs of ‘destruction’: to ruin, to destroy, to explore, to kill, etc.

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  21 слайд

  Lexico-semantic groups of words
  The word saleswoman may be analysed into the semantic components ‘human’, ‘female’, ‘professional’. Consequently the word saleswoman may be included into a lexico-semantic group under the heading of human together with the words man, woman, boy, girl, etc. and under the heading female with the words girl, wife, woman and also together with the words teacher, pilot, butcher, etc., as professionals.

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  22 слайд

  Different meanings of polysemantic words make it possible to refer the same word to different lexico-semantic groups:
  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, etc.

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  23 слайд

  The verb ‘take’
  in combination with any member of the lexical group denoting means of transportation is synonymous with the verb go (take the tram, the bus, etc.).
  When combined with members of another lexical group the same verb is synonymous with to drink (to take tea, coffee, etc.).

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  24 слайд

  4.3. SEMANTIC FIELDS
  A semantic field — is a large group of words of different parts of speech in which the underlying notion is broad enough to include almost all-embracing sections of vocabulary. The main feature of a semantic field is its national specifics.
  E.g., cosmonaut (n), spacious (adj.), to orbit (v) belong to the semantic field of ‘space’.

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  25 слайд

  Semantic Fields:
  of colours: blue, red, yellow, black, etc.
  of kinship terms: mother, father, brother, cousin, etc.
  of pleasurable emotions: joy, happiness, gaiety, enjoyment, etc.

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  26 слайд

  The word ‘captain’
  cannot be properly understood until we know the semantic field in which this term operates — the army, the navy, or the merchant service. Thus, captain is determined by the place it occupies among the terms of the relevant rank system. What captain means we know whether his subordinate is called mate or first officer (merchant service), commander (‘navy’) or lieutenant (‘army’).

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  27 слайд

  Kinship terms in Russian and in English
  the meaning of the English term mother-in-law is different from either the Russian тёща or свекровь as the English term covers the whole area which in Russian is divided between the two words. The same is true of the members of the semantic field of colours (cf. blue — синий, голубой), of human body (cf. hand, arm — рука) and others.

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  28 слайд

  Semantic field of ‘space’:
  nouns: expanse, extent, surface, etc.;
  verbs: extend, spread, span, etc.;
  Adjectives: spacious, roomy, vast, broad, etc.

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  29 слайд

  The correlation between the semantic classes may be graphically presented by means of concentric circles (diagram).

  a semantic field

  a lexico-semantic group
  a lexical / terminological set

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  30 слайд

  SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
  Classification of vocabulary into thematic groups is based on common contextual associations. Contextual associations are formed as a result of regular co-occurrence of words in similar, repeatedly used contexts within the framework of sentences.

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  31 слайд

  The main criterion underlying semantic classification of vocabulary items on the paradigmatic axis is the type of meaning relationship between words.

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  32 слайд

  The criterion of common concept serves to classify words into semantic fields and lexico-semantic groups.
  Semantic relationship of inclusion is the main feature of hyponymic hierarchical structure Semantic similarity and semantic contrast is the type of relationship which underlies the classification of lexical items into synonymic and antonymic series.

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  33 слайд

  Synonymy and antonymy are correlative and sometimes overlapping notions. Synonymous relationship of the denotational meaning is in many cases combined with the difference in the connotational (mainly stylistic) component.

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  34 слайд

  It is suggested that the term synonyms should be used to describe words different in sound-form but similar in their denotational meaning (or meanings) and interchangeable at least in some contexts.

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  35 слайд

  The term antоnуms is to be applied to words different in sound-form characterised by different types of semantic contrast of the denotational meaning and interchangeable at least in some contexts.

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  36 слайд

  References:
  Гинзбург Р.З. Лексикология английского языка. М. Высшая школа, 1979. – С.- 51-59.
  Зыкова И.В. Практический курс английской лексикологии. М.: Академия, 2006. – С. – 43-46.
  Babich G.N. Lexicology: a current guide. Екатеринбург: Уральское издательство, 2006. – С. 79-86.
  Антрушина Г.Б., Афанасьева О.В., Морозова Н.Н. Лексикология английского языка. М.: Дрофа, 2006. – С. 209-219.

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• Курс профессиональной переподготовки «Технический контроль и техническая подготовка сварочного процесса»

• Курс профессиональной переподготовки «Управление качеством»

Semantic Field Definition

Examples illustrate how this set of words is related in meaning

A semantic field is a set of words (or lexemes) related in meaning. The phrase is also known as a word field, lexical field, field of meaning, and semantic system. Linguist Adrienne Lehrer has defined semantic field more specifically as «a set of lexemes which cover a certain conceptual domain and which bear certain specifiable relations to one another» (1985).

Examples and Observations

The subject matter often unites a semantic field.

«The words in a semantic field share a common semantic property. Most often, fields are defined by subject matter, such as body parts, landforms, diseases, colors, foods, or kinship relations….

«Let’s consider some examples of semantic fields….The field of ‘stages of life’ is arranged sequentially, though there is considerable overlap between terms (e.g., child, toddler) as well as some apparent gaps (e.g., there are no simple terms for the different stages of adulthood). Note that a term such as minor or juvenile belongs to a technical register, a term such as kid or tot to a colloquial register, and a term such as sexagenarian or octogenarian to a more formal register. The semantic field of ‘water’ could be divided into a number of subfields; in addition, there would appear to be a great deal of overlap between terms such as sound/fjord or cove/harbor/bay.»

(Laurel J. Brinton, «The Structure of Modern English: A Linguistic Introduction.» John Benjamins, 2000)

Metaphors and Semantic Fields

Semantic fields are also sometimes called fields of meaning:

«Cultural attitudes to particular areas of human activity can often be seen in the choices of metaphor used when that activity is discussed. A useful linguistic concept to be aware of here is that of semantic field, sometimes called just field, or field of meaning….

«The semantic field of war and battle is one that sports writers often draw on. Sport, particularly football, in our culture is also associated with conflict and violence.»

(Ronald Carter, «Working With Texts: A Core Introduction to Language Analysis.» Routledge, 2001)

More and Less Marked Members of a Semantic Field

Color terms also help illustrate how words are grouped into a semantic field.

«In a semantic field, not all lexical items necessarily have the same status. Consider the following sets, which together form the semantic field of color terms (of course, there are other terms in the same field):

1. Blue, red, yellow, green, black, purple
2. Indigo, saffron, royal blue, aquamarine, bisque

The colors referred to by the words of set 1 are more ‘usual’ than those described in set 2. They are said to be less marked members of the semantic field than those of set 2. The less marked members of a semantic field are usually easier to learn and remember than more marked members. Children learn the term blue before they learn the terms indigo,, royal blue, or aquamarine. Often, a less marked word consists of only one morpheme, in contrast to more marked words (contrast blue with royal blue or aquamarine). The less marked member of a semantic field cannot be described by using the name of another member of the same field, whereas more marked members can be thus described (indigo is a kind of blue, but blue is not a kind of indigo).

«Less marked terms also tend to be used more frequently than more marked terms; for example, blue occurs considerably more frequently in conversation and writing than indigo or aquamarine….Less marked terms are also often broader in meaning than more marked terms…. Finally, less marked words are not the result of the metaphorical usage of the name of another object or concept, whereas more marked words often are; for example, saffron is the color of a spice that lent its name to the color.»

(Edward Finegan. «Language: Its Structure and Use, 5th ed.» Thomson Wadsworth, 2008)

1. Semantic Classification of Words

Lecture 7

2. SEMANTIC СLASSIFICATION OF WORDS

1.
2.
BASIC PRINCIPLES OF GROUPING WORDS.
SYNONYMY
1.
2.
3.
3.
ANTONYMY
1.
2.
4.
SYNONYMS
CLASSIFICATION OF SYNONYMS
EUPHEMISMS
ANTONYMS
CLASSIFICATION OF ANTONYMS
TERMINOLOGICAL AND LEXICO-SEMANTIC GROUPS OF
WORDS
1. LEXICAL AND TERMINOLOGICAL SETS
2. LEXICO-SEMANTIC GROUPS
3. SEMANTIC FIELDS

3. I. BASIC PRINCIPLES OF GROUPING WORDS

Two basic principles of grouping
words:
1. to classify words proceeding from
the basic types of semantic
relations;
2. to group words together starting off
with associations connecting the
given words with other vocabulary
units.

4. SEMANTIC CLASSES (CATEGORIES):

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Synonyms;
Antonyms;
Lexical & terminological sets;
Lexico-semantic groups;
Semantic fields;

5. II. SYNONYMY

Synonymy — the kind of semantic
relations that implies the
coincidence in the essential
meanings of linguistic elements,
which usually preserve their
differences in connotations and
stylistic characteristics.
Synonymy does not present a
perfect type of a linguistic category.

6. 2.1. SYNONYMS

Synonyms — words belonging to one part
of speech, close in meaning and
interchangeable at least in some
contexts.
Characteristics: the semantic relations
of equivalence or by semantic relations of
proximity.
Types of synonyms:
Full (total) synonyms characterized by
semantic equivalence, are extremely rare.

7. Examples:

1.
2.
3.
“I have always liked you very much, I
admire your talent, but, forgive me, — I
could never love you as a wife should love
her husband.”
— Was she a pretty girl?
— I would certainly have called her
attractive.
‘…his glare suddenly softened into a gaze
as he turned his eyes on the little girl.

8.

4.
“Neibours were apt to smile at the
long-legged bare-headed young
man leisurely strolling along the
street and his small companion
demurely trotting by his side”.
4.
“Think you can play Romeo?
Romeo should smile, not grin,
walk, not swagger, speak his
lines, not mumble them”.

9. The degree of semantic proximity

is estimated in terms of aspect of
meaning:
1. the denotational;
2. the connotational;
3. the pragmatic.

10.

1.
The difference in connotation: famous ‘known widely, having fame’ and notorious
‘widely known because of smth bad, e.g. for
being criminal, violent, immoral’. Thus,
famous has a positive emotive evaluation,
and the word notorious – negative.
2.
The difference in the pragmatic value: cf.:
brotherly – fraternal (братский),
bodily – corporal (телесный). In a
few cases these synonymic values are
reversed, e.g. deed – action (подвиг
— поступок), foe – enemy
(противник – враг).

11. 2.2.CLASSIFICATION OF SYNONYMS

1.
Stylistic synonymy implies no
interchangeability in context because
the underlying situations are different,
e.g. children – infants, dad – father.

12.

2.
Ideographic synonymy presents a still
lower degree of semantic proximity
and is observed when the
connotational and pragmatic aspects
are similar, but there are certain
differences in the denotational aspect
of meaning of two words, e.g. forest –
wood, apartment – flat, shape – form.

13.

3.
Ideographic-stylistic synonymy
is characterized by the lowest
degree of semantic proximity. e.g.
ask – inquire, expect –
anticipate.

14. SYNONYMIC DOMINANT —

SYNONYMIC DOMINANT a dominant element, which is the most
general term potentially containing the
specific features rendered by all the other
members of the synonymic group.
In the series leave – depart – quit – retire –
clear out the verb leave is a synonymic
dominant.

15. Examples:

To surprise — to astonish — to
amaze — to astound.
To shout — to yell — to bellow — to
roar.
To shine — to flash — to blaze — to
gleam — to glisten — to sparkle — to
glitter — to shimmer — to glimmer.
To tremble — to shiver — to
shudder — to shake.
To make — to produce — to create
— to fabricate — to manufacture.

16. Characteristic features of the dominant synonym

1.
2.
3.
4.
High frequency of usage.
Broad combinability, i. e. ability to be
used in combinations with various
classes of words.
Broad general meaning.
Lack of connotations. (This goes for
stylistic connotations as well, so that
neutrality as to style is also a typical
feature of the dominant synonym.)

17. 2.3. EUPHEMISM —

is substitution of words of mild or vague
connotations for expressions rough,
unpleasant.
The word to die has the following
euphemisms: to expire, to pass away, to
depart, to join the majority, to kick the
bucket, etc; pregnant – in the family
way.

18. The word lavatory

powder room,
washroom,
restroom,
retiring room,
(public) comfort station,
ladies’ (room),
gentlemen’s (room),
water-closet, w.c.
public conveniences,
Windsor castle

19. pregnant:

in an interesting condition,
in a delicate condition,
in the family way,
with a baby coming,
(big) with child,
expecting.

20. A landlady who refers to her lodgers as paying guests is also using a euphemism

«… Mrs. Sunbury never went to bed,
she retired, but Mr. Sunbury who
was not quite so refined as his wife
always said: «Me for Bedford» …»
legs to be «indelicate» and
substitutes for it its formal synonym
lower extremities
Eating — to partake of food (of
refreshment), to refresh
oneself, to break bread.

21. The adjective 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.
«Motty was under the surface. Completely
sozzled.»

22. Euphemisms

are words or expressions that speakers
substitute for taboo words in order to avoid a
direct confrontation with topics that are
embarrassing, frightening, or uncomfortable:
God, the devil, sex, death,, money, war,
crime, or religion. These topics seem to be
cross-cultural. A linguistic consequence of
cultural taboos is the creation of euphemisms.
The euphemism as a linguistic phenomenon
shows no signs of disappearing.

23. III. ANTONYMY 3.1. ANTONYMS

Antonyms – a class of words grouped together
on the basis of the semantic relations of
opposition.
Antonyms are words belonging to one part of
speech sharing certain common semantic
characteristics and in this respect they are
similar to such semantic classes as
synonyms, lexical sets, lexico-semantic
groups

24.

We use the term antonyms to
indicate words of the same category
of parts of speech which have
contrasting meanings, such as
hot — cold,
light — dark,
happiness — sorrow,
to accept — to reject,
up — down
cold – warm,
sorrow — gaiety

25. A polysemantic word may have an antonym (or several antonyms) for each of its mean meanings

Dull –
interesting, amusing, entertaining
for its meaning of «deficient in
interest»,
clever, bright, capable for its
meaning of «deficient in intellect»,
and active for the meaning of
«deficient in activity“
active for the meaning of ‘deficient
in activity’

26.

Most antonyms are adjectives: high — low,
wide — narrow, strong — weak, old —
young, friendly — hostile.
Verbs take second place: to lose — to find,
to live — to die, to open — to close, to
weep — to laugh.
Nouns are not rich in antonyms: friend —
enemy, joy — grief, good — evil, heaven
— earth, love — hatred.
A)adverbs derived from adjectives: warmly
— coldly, merrily — sadly, loudly — softly;
b) adverbs proper: now — then, here —
there, ever — never, up — down, in — out.

27. 3.2. CLASSIFICATION OF ANTONYMS

Structurally, antonyms can be divided
into antonyms of the same root, e.g.
to do – to undo; cheerful – cheerless;
and antonyms of different roots, e.g.
day – night, rich – poor.

28. SEMANTICALLY ANTONYMS ARE CLASSIFIED INTO

1.
Contradictories represent the type of semantic
relations that exist between pairs like, e.g. dead –
alive, single – married.
2.
3.
Contraries (gradable antonyms) are antonyms
that can be arranged into a series according to
the increasing difference in one of their qualities:
in cold – hot , cool – warm are intermediate
members.
Incompatibles — antonyms which are
characterized by the relations of exclusion:
morning — afternoon, evening — night.

29. INTERCHANGEABILITY OF ANTOMYMS

Polysemy may be analysed through
synonymy: handsome can be singled
out by means of synonymic
substitution a handsome man—a
beautiful man; but a handsome
reward—a generous reward.
Polysemy may be also analysed
through antonymy:
a handsome man—an ugly man, a
handsome reward—an insufficient
etc.).

30. 4.1. LEXICAL AND TERMINOLOGICAL SETS

Lexical sets are words denoting things
correlated on extralinguistic groups form: lion,
tiger, leopard, puma, cat refer to the lexical
set of ‘the animal of the cat family’.
Terminological sets are lexical sets, which
acquire a more specialized character:
e.g. names of ‘musical instruments’: piano,
organ, violin, drum;
names of ‘parts of the car mechanism’:
radiator, motor, handbrake, wheels.

31. Lexico-semantic group

unites words describing sides of one and the
same general notion if:
1. the underlying notion is not too
generalized and all-embracing, like
notions of ‘time’, ‘space’, ‘life’, ‘process’,
etc.
2. the reference to the underlying notion is
not just an implication in the meaning of
the lexical unit but forms an essential part
in its semantics.
Verbs of ‘destruction’: to ruin, to destroy, to
explore, to kill, etc.

32. Lexico-semantic groups of words

The word saleswoman may be analysed
into the semantic components: ‘human’,
‘female’, ‘professional’. Consequently the
word saleswoman may be included into
a lexico-semantic group under the
heading of human together with the
words man, woman, boy, girl, etc. and
under the heading female with the words
girl, wife, woman and also together with
the words teacher, pilot, butcher, etc., as
professionals.

33. Different meanings of polysemantic words make it possible to refer the same word to different lexico-semantic groups:

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,
etc.

34. The verb ‘take’

in combination with any member of
the lexical group denoting means of
transportation is synonymous with
the verb go (take the tram, the bus,
etc.).
When combined with members of
another lexical group the same verb
is synonymous with to drink (to
take tea, coffee, etc.).

35. 4.3. SEMANTIC FIELDS

A semantic field — is a large group of words
of different parts of speech in which the
underlying notion is broad enough to include
almost all-embracing sections of vocabulary.
The main feature of a semantic field is its
national specifics.
E.g., cosmonaut (n), spacious (adj.), to orbit
(v) belong to the semantic field of ‘space’.

36. Semantic Fields:

1.
2.
3.
of colours: blue, red, yellow, black,
etc.
of kinship terms: mother, father,
brother, cousin, etc.
of pleasurable emotions: joy,
happiness, gaiety, enjoyment, etc.

37. The word ‘captain’

cannot be properly understood until
we know the semantic field in which
this term operates — the army, the
navy, or the merchant service. Thus,
captain is determined by the place it
occupies among the terms of the
relevant rank system. What captain
means we know whether his
subordinate is called mate or first
officer (merchant service),
commander (‘navy’) or lieutenant
(‘army’).

38. Kinship terms in Russian and in English

the meaning of the English term
mother-in-law is different from
either the Russian тёща or
свекровь as the English term
covers the whole area which in
Russian is divided between the two
words. The same is true of the
members of the semantic field of
colours (cf. blue — синий,
голубой), of human body (cf.
hand, arm — рука) and others.

39. Semantic field of ‘space’:

1.
2.
3.
nouns: expanse, extent, surface,
etc.;
verbs: extend, spread, span, etc.;
adjectives: spacious, roomy, vast,
broad, etc.

40. The correlation between the semantic classes may be graphically presented by means of concentric circles (diagram).

a semantic field
a lexico-semantic group
a lexical / terminological set

41. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

1.
Classification of vocabulary into
thematic groups is based on
common contextual associations.
Contextual associations are formed
as a result of regular co-occurrence
of words in similar, repeatedly
used contexts within the
framework of sentences.

42.

2.
The main criterion underlying
semantic classification of
vocabulary items on the
paradigmatic axis is the type of
meaning relationship between
words.

43.

3.
4.
The criterion of common concept
serves to classify words into
semantic fields and lexico-semantic
groups.
Semantic relationship of inclusion
is the main feature of hyponymic
hierarchical structure. Semantic
similarity and semantic contrast is
the type of relationship which
underlies the classification of
lexical items into synonymic and
antonymic series.

44.

5.
Synonymy and antonymy are
correlative and sometimes
overlapping notions. Synonymous
relationship of the denotational
meaning is in many cases
combined with the difference in the
connotational (mainly stylistic)
component.

45.

6.
It is suggested that the term
synonyms should be used to
describe words different in soundform but similar in their
denotational meaning (or
meanings) and interchangeable at
least in some contexts.

46.

7.
The term antоnуms is to be applied
to words different in sound-form
characterised by different types of
semantic contrast of the
denotational meaning and
interchangeable at least in some
contexts.

47. References:

1.
2.
3.
4.
Гинзбург Р.З. Лексикология
английского языка. М. Высшая школа,
1979. – С.- 51-59.
Зыкова И.В. Практический курс
английской лексикологии. М.:
Академия, 2006. – С. – 43-46.
Babich G.N. Lexicology: a current guide.
Екатеринбург: Уральское
издательство, 2006. – С. 79-86.
Антрушина Г.Б., Афанасьева О.В.,
Морозова Н.Н. Лексикология
английского языка. М.: Дрофа, 2006. –
С. 209-219.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lexical field theory, or word-field theory, was introduced on March 12, 1931 by the German linguist Jost Trier. He argued that words acquired their meaning through their relationships to other words within the same word-field. An extension of the sense of one word narrows the meaning of neighboring words, with the words in a field fitting neatly together like a mosaic. If a single word undergoes a semantic change, then the whole structure of the lexical field changes. The lexical field is often used in English to describe terms further with use of different words.

Trier’s theory assumes that lexical fields are easily definable closed sets,^[1] with no overlapping meanings or gaps. These assumptions have been questioned and the theory has been modified since its original formulation.^[2]

Example[edit]

This is given by Trier himself.^[3] In early 20th century Germany, there were three different scales of school grades:

three scales of school grades

A	B	C
sehr gut	sehr gut	sehr gut
gut	gut	gut
genügend	genügend	befriedigend
		ausreichend
mangelhaft	mangelhaft	mangelhaft
	ungenügend	ungenügend

Consequently, knowing that a grade is «mangelhaft» depends on which grading scale is used. If in scale A, then it is the worst possible grade. If in scale B or C, then it is merely the second-worst possible grade. However, in scale B, since there are only 5 grades, being the second-worst is somewhat better than being the second-worst in scale C, which has 6 grades.

References[edit]

Bibliography[edit]

• Bussmann, Hadumod (1996), Routledge Dictionary of Language and Linguistics, London: Routledge, s.v. lexical field theory.
• Grzega, Joachim (2004), Bezeichnungswandel: Wie, Warum, Wozu? Ein Beitrag zur englischen und allgemeinen Onomasiologie, Heidelberg: Winter.
• Lehrer, Adrienne (1974), Semantic Fields and Lexical Structure, Amsterdam: Benjamins.
• Trier, Jost (1931), Der deutsche Wortschatz im Sinnbezirk des Verstandes, Ph.D. diss. Bonn.

See also[edit]

Semantic field