Seminar 8. English vocabulary as a system

 

1. The notion of lexical system. A set. V.V.Vinogradov (A lexico-semantic system). Syntagmatic and paradigmatic relations. The theory of oppositions

2. Classification of the vocabulary:

· Thematic groups. Minor types of semantic relations. Hyponymy, paradigmatic relation of inclusion. Hyponyms, hyperonyms, equonyms.

· The theory of semantic fields. J.Trier. Common semantic denominator. Thematic or ideographic groups. Common contextual associations.

· Definition of the term "synonyms"'. A synonymic group and its dominant member. Problems of classification of synonyms: different principles of classification: according to difference in denotational component of meaning or in connotational component (ideographic or stylistic synonyms); according to the criterion of interchangeability in linguistic context (relative, total and contextual synonyms). Characteristic pattern of English synonyms. The sources of synonymy.

· The concept of polarity of meaning. Antonyms. Morphological classification of antonyms: absolute or root antonyms and derivational antonyms. Semantic classification of antonyms: antonyms proper, complementaries, conversives.

 

Exercises to Seminar 8

I. Name classifiers for the following groups of hyponyms:

a) lettuce, peas, onion, paprika, cucumber, leek.

b) Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune

II. Find five hyponyms for each of the words below:

a) building; b) profession; c) drink.

III. Find the three versions of each word from different language origins and put them together.

Old English	French (but may have Latin origin)	Latin/Greek

Massacre, agriculture, pay, intrepid, beautiful, lethal/fatal, chest/box, romance, earnings, treasure/money, wealth, courageous, mortal, attractive, summit, connoisseur, funds/currency, execute, amorous (adj), apex, love, tip, bold, expert, lovely, case/coffer, wise man, farming, receptacle, kill/slay, deadly, husbandry, salary

IV. Identify the type of these synonyms: a) absolute; b) ideographic; c) stylistic.

1. brainy – intelligent; 2. fog – mist; 3. to begin – to commence; 4. wet – humid; 5. a fag – a cigarette; 6. to tremble – to shiver; 7. breathed (consonants) – voiceless (consonants); 8. a border – a margin; 9. nearly – approximately; 10. to mend – to repair – to patch; 11. a patella – a kneecap; 12. lean – lanky; 13. to end – to terminate.

V. Establish the sources of synonymy:

a) borrowing from other languages; b) borrowing from the dialects and variants of English; c) affixation; d) conversion; e) shortening; f) postpositivation.

1. to ask – to question – to interrogate; 2. to postpone – to put off; 3. a wireless – a radio; 4. a professor – a prof; 5. a fiddle – a violin; 6. laugh – laughter; 7. to lift – to pick up; 8. to rise – to mount – to ascend; 9. effectivity – effectiveness; 10. a tube – a subway – an underground; 11. an examination – an exam; 12. a belly – a stomach – an abdomen.

VI. Is the word in bold type a) synonymic dominant or b) a generic term (hypernym)?

1. colour, tint, hue, shade, dye, paint

2. disease, flue, pneumonia, rheumatism, chickenpox, mumps

3. mistake, error, blunder, slip, inaccuracy, fault

4. spice, curry, cinnamon, ginger, pepper, mustard

5. aim, target, goal, mark, destination, objective.

VII. Give meanings of the following synonyms. State the difference in the connotational aspect of their meaning.

Model: love – worship

love – an intense feeling of deep affection worship – the feeling of profound reverence and strong adoration

Emotive charge and expressiveness (intensity) are different.

Confidence – assurance; to satisfy – to delight; alone – lonely; to create – to manufacture; to blush – redden; to tremble – to shudder.

VIII. State the difference in the pragmatic aspect of meaning of the given synonyms. Consult a dictionary.

Model: to see – to behold

The verb to behold is formal, whereas the verb to see is neutral.

Car – automobile; refreshment – bite; soldier – warrior; to begin – to commence; face – puss; to leave – to abandon; hand – fin; to cry – to weep.

IX. Look up in a dictionary meanings of the given pairs of synonyms. Classify synonyms into stylistic, ideographic and ideographic-stylistic.

Model: mum – mother

The words have the same denotational meaning ‘a female parent’, but they differ in the pragmatic aspect of meanings as the word mum is informal. Thus, this pair of synonyms belongs to the group of stylistic synonyms.

Information – data; associate – pal; infectious – contagious; to ask – to interrogate; to meet – to encounter; to reckon – to estimate; mum – mother; faculty – talent; to foretell – to predict; to walk – to promenade; blemish – flaw; heaven – sky; intelligent – smart; affair – business.

X. Find the synonymic dominant in the following groups of synonyms.

To sob – to weep – to cry; to brood – to reflect – to mediate – to think; to glare – to peep – to stare – to glance; strange – quaint – odd – queer; terror – fear – horror; to flash – to gleam – to sparkle – to blaze – to shine; angry – furious – enraged.

XI. Give derivational antonyms to the following:

1. underestimate, v 2. powerful, adj 3. uniform, adj 4. forethought, n 5. godly, adj 6. wrap, v 7. benevolent, adj 8. overcharge, v 9. bilateral, adj 10. postdate, v 11. needless, adj 12. employee, n 13. profitable, adj 14.convergence, n.

XII. Establish the types of these antonyms:

a) antonyms indicating place; b) antonyms indicating time; c) antonyms indicating direction; d) antonyms indicating shape; e) antonyms indicating quantity; f) antonyms indicating quality.

1. undergarment – overgarment; 2. pre-war – post-war; 3. narrow – wide; 4. monomorphic – polymorphic; 5. chivalrous –cowardly; 6. smooth – uneven; 7. inwards- outwards; 8. glorify – defame; 9. local – national; 10. shortage – abundance

XIII. To each of the following gradable antonyms add the rest of the scale.

1. cold – hot 2. big – small 3. love – hate 4. beautiful – ugly.

XIV. Give antonyms to the following words. Group them into antonyms of the same root (a) and antonyms of different roots (b).

Model: artistic

The antonym of the word artistic is inartistic. These words belong to the group of antonyms of the same root (group a).

Happy (adj), careful (adj), dwarf (adj), obedience (n), criticism (n), above (adv), regular (adj), asleep (adj), back (adv), polite (adj), trumph (n), hope (n), artistic (adj), appear (v), prewar (adj), far (adv), logical (adj), love (n), known (adj).

XV. Classify antonymous pairs into contradictories, contraries and incompatibles. To prove the division give intermediate members of the antonymous set where it is necessary, or give other members of the group which are excluded in the given antonymous pair.

Model: arid – awash

These antonyms refer to the group of contraries as they are polar members of a gradual opposition which has the following intermediate members: dry – wet.

Poetry – prose, inch – foot, man – woman, old – young, beautiful – ugly, Monday – Sunday, teacher – pupil, to adore – to loathe, one –thousand, tremendous – tiny, iron – copper, to accept – to reject, round – square, creditor – debtor, immaculate – filthy, boy – man, day – night, clever – stupid, red – brown, arid – awash, inside – outside, open – shut, November – March, evil – good.

XVI. Suggest the words that might be included in a semantic field of ‘drinking vessels’. Can they be organized within the field in someway? Are any of the sense relations relevant?

Recommended Literature:

I.V. Arnold. The English Word. М., 1986, pp. 21–25, 182–206, 209–215, 226–229.

R.S.Ginzburg. A course in Modern English Lexicology. М., 1979, pp. 39–46, 51–61, 21–23.

G.B.Antrushina. English lexicology. М., 1999, pp. 184–197, 209–218.