MODULE 2 Meaning and discourse in English

1. MODULE 2 Meaning and discourse in English LEXICAL RELATIONS Lesson 2

2. PARADIGMATIC & SYNTAGMATIC RELATIONS • Horizontal relationships are syntagmatic • Vertical relationships are paradigmatic • So semantic relationships are paradigmatic

3. Lexical relations - Hyponymy Flower daffodil tulip pansy rose Sheep ram ewe lamb • In this model one lexeme can substitute another: “X is a kind of Y”. • This relation is called HYPONYMY

4. Do these pairs mean the same thing?

5. Lexical relations - SYNONYMY • Synonyms are lexemes which have the same meaning • English has a lot of synonyms because its vocabulary comes from different sources (Anglo-Saxon, Latin, Greek, French) • But is it possible to have true synonyms, i.e. words with exactly the same meaning?

6. Distinguishing meanings • Some words only occur in particular contexts (e.g. dialect words, autumn-fall) • Some words only occur in certain styles (salt and sodium chloride) • Some words only occur in certain collocations (deep water but not profound water) • Some words are emotionally stronger (e.g. freedom, not liberty) • Some words overlap in meaning but are not identical (e.g. govern and direct)

7. Why is synonymy important for language students? • Because students often need to know “why do you say “x and not y” when x and y are very similar. • You will often find the answers in dictionaries or in concordances (see lecsson 3 - collocation)

8. Are these pairs the same kind of opposite?

9. Lexical relations - Antonymy • Gradable antonyms - these are capable of comparison (e.g. wetter, very wet) • Complementary (either-or) antonyms - if one applies the other does not (e.g. alive/dead) • Converse antonyms - these are mutually dependent; you cannot have one without the other (e.g. wife/husband)

10. How do we know antonyms? • By intuition. The antonym of little is big and the antonym of large is small. Large is not the antonym of little even though they are conceptual opposites.

11. Lexical relations - polysemy • Eye “Eye” is classified as one word with two different meanings. This happens when the difference in meaning is predictable or regular. There is a core meaning from which the other meanings (“eye” of a needle, “eye” of a tornado) can be predicted. Metaphors are often polysemous

12. Lexical relations -homonymy • Bank The word “bank” in “river bank” and “Lloyd’s bank” are classified as two different words with separate meanings even though they have the same form. This is because the meaning of one form is not predictable from the meaning of another.

13. Implications for students • Leaning groups of hyponyms is easier for students than learning words separately • It is important to know how to distinguish the meaning of synonyms especially at advanced levels • Polysemous words are easier for students to understand than homonyms. Polysemous and metaphorical meanings can be taught with “core” meanings.

14. Polysemy or Homonymy • Mai - you’ve got mail, chain mail • Pupil - student, part of the eye • Ear - ear of corn, • Face - face of a clock • Tongue - tongue of a shoe • Key - answer key, key to the door • Charge - electrical charge, price, military charge

15. A word is easier to understand when … • It is a cognate • The morphology is recognised • The context is understood (so you can make a good guess at the meaning) SO … you should always try to guess the meaning of a word when these factors are present Only use a dictionary when none of these factors are present, i.e. when you have NO CHANCE of understanding it!