Transcript Words, Meaning and Vocabulary

Homework from last week
Last week I asked you to send me examples of long and
complex sentences. Please send me some!
IA901 2012 Session Eight
Semantics
From Ferdinand de Saussure’s Course in General Linguistics
tree
word / referent
oink!
oink!
word / referent
Essex
University
word / referent
????
word / referent
hope
word / referent
tree
word / referent
tree
word / denotata
Sense relations
“Sense is an internal meaning relation. Sense relations hold
between words within the vocabulary.”
(Jackson and Zé Amvela, 2000 : 106)
HOMOPHONY
Did you match any of
these words and
expressions?
HOMONYMY
What is the relationship
between these sets of
POLYSEMY
pairs?
flour and flower, meat and meet
South Bank and Lloyds Bank
Mickey Mouse, wireless mouse,
head in headache and head in
headteacher
HOMOPHONY
flour and flower, meat and meet
HOMONYMY
South Bank and Lloyds Bank
POLYSEMY
Mickey Mouse, wireless mouse,
head in headache and head in
headteacher
HYPONYMY
Did you match any
flower and rose
of these words and tree and oak
expressions?
building and house
What is the
relationship
between these sets
MERONYMY
of pairs?
house and dining room
hand and knuckle
day and afternoon
plant and shoot
HYPONYMY
flower and rose
tree and oak
building and house
MERONYMY
house and dining room
hand and knuckle
day and afternoon
plant and shoot
METAPHOR
Life is a…
METAPHOR
Life is a…
Hope is a…
METAPHOR
Life is a…
Hope is a…
Opportunity is a…
METAPHOR
Life is a…
Hope is a…
Opportunity is a…
Time is…
METAPHOR
Life is a…
Hope is a…
Opportunity is a…
Time is…
Love is a…
METAPHOR and When do babies start crawling?
METONYMY
The traffic crawled to a halt.
The morning crawled past.
The UK Government and Downing Street
The US President and The White House
Word
Association
What’s the first thing that comes into
your head when you see / hear the
word…
father
baby
puppy
cake
tree
Synonyms
You will see a number of word clouds. In each cloud,
match words with their synonyms, and try to find a
connection between all the words in the cloud.
What is the theme that unites these example synonyms?
Synonym 1
Connotation
Synonym 2
ambiguous
famous
hate
misuse
new
obtain
proud
recollection
simulate
deliberate
disreputably
equivocal
notorious
loathe
abuse
= novel
procure
haughty
reminiscence
feign
+
Synonym 1
Connotation
Synonym 2
ambiguous
famous
hate
misuse
new
obtain
proud
recollection
simulate
deliberate
disreputably
with disgust
equivocal
notorious
loathe
abuse
= novel
procure
haughty
reminiscence
feign
+
Synonym 1
Connotation
ambiguous
famous
hate
misuse
new
obtain
proud
recollection
simulate
deliberate
disreputably
with disgust
privilege of power
+
Synonym 2
equivocal
notorious
loathe
abuse
= novel
procure
haughty
reminiscence
feign
Synonym 1
Connotation
ambiguous
famous
hate
misuse
new
obtain
proud
recollection
simulate
deliberate
disreputably
with disgust
privilege of power
strikingly
+
Synonym 2
equivocal
notorious
loathe
abuse
= novel
procure
haughty
reminiscence
feign
Synonym 1
Connotation
ambiguous
famous
hate
misuse
new
obtain
proud
recollection
simulate
deliberate
disreputably
with disgust
privilege of power
strikingly
with effort
+
Synonym 2
equivocal
notorious
loathe
abuse
= novel
procure
haughty
reminiscence
feign
Synonym 1
Connotation
ambiguous
famous
hate
misuse
new
obtain
proud
recollection
simulate
deliberate
disreputably
with disgust
privilege of power
strikingly
with effort
with distain
+
Synonym 2
equivocal
notorious
loathe
abuse
= novel
procure
haughty
reminiscence
feign
Synonym 1
Connotation
ambiguous
famous
hate
misuse
new
obtain
proud
recollection
simulate
deliberate
disreputably
with disgust
privilege of power
strikingly
with effort
with distain
with pleasure
+
Synonym 2
equivocal
notorious
loathe
abuse
= novel
procure
haughty
reminiscence
feign
Synonym 1
Connotation
ambiguous
famous
hate
misuse
new
obtain
proud
recollection
simulate
deliberate
disreputably
with disgust
privilege of power
strikingly
with effort
with distain
with pleasure
with craftiness
+
Synonym 2
equivocal
notorious
loathe
abuse
= novel
procure
haughty
reminiscence
feign
Antonyms
What’s the opposite of…?
What do the words in each box have in common?
To recap…
SYNONYMY (LOOSE)
find and discover
pavement and sidewalk
famous and notorious
new and novel
western and occidental
(STRICT)
heaven and sky, ghost and spirit
GRADABLE
ANTONYMS
happy and unhappy, logical and
illogical
long and short, young and old,
beautiful and ugly
COMPLEMENTARY
ANTONYMS
alive and dead, asleep and awake
CONVERSES
above and below, husband and
wife
Sense
What is a fish?
What components define a fish?
COMPONENTIAL ANALYSIS
Item / Components
Human
Mature
Male
man
+
+
+
woman
+
+
-
boy
+
-
+
girl
+
-
-
What’s the difference between a knife, fork,
spoon, and chopsticks?
COMPONENTIAL ANALYSIS
Item /
cutlery
component
knife
+
can be
used to
eat soup
-
has a
handle
comes as
a pair
cuts
safe for
children
+
-
+
-
has
prongs
(tines)
-
fork
+
-
+
-
-
-
+
spoon
+
+
+
-
-
+
-
chopsticks
+
-
-
+
-
-
-
What’s the difference between….
cook,
boil,
bake,
fry,
braise,
stew,
grill,
and
poach?
Item /
pan
components
dish
covered
uses
liquid
uses
water
uses oil
inside
the
oven
on a
hob
heat
can be
applied done to
from
eggs
above
cook
+/-
+/-
+/-
+/-
+/-
+/-
+/-
+/-
+/-
+/-
boil
+
-
-
+
+
-
-
+
-
+
bake
-
+
-
-
-
-
+
-
-
-
fry
+
-
-
+
-
+
-
+
-
+
braise
-
-
+
+
-
+
-/+
-/+
-
-
stew
+
+
+
+
-
-
-/+
-/+
-
-
grill
+/-
+/-
-
-
-
-
-/+
-
+
-
poach
+
-
-
+
+
-
-
+
-
+
Definitions and difficulties
COMPONENTIAL ANALYSIS
Item /
cutlery
component
knife
+
can be
used to
eat soup
-
has a
handle
comes as
a pair
cuts
safe for
children
has
prongs
+
-
+
-
-
fork
+
-
+
-
-
-
+
spoon
+
+
+
-
-
+
-
chopsticks
+
-
-
+
-
-
-
A ______ is a piece of cutlery which has a handle and is used for cutting food.
It neither has prongs nor comes in pairs. It cannot be used to eat soup and it
is not safe for children to use.
But…is this a spoon?
…is this a cat?
PROTOTYPES
Imagine a bird…
Does it look like this?
PROTOTYPES
PROTOTYPES
Beg, entreat, beseech, implore, supplicate and importune all
signify the making of an appeal which is likely to be refused or
begs
demurred at. A person ________for
what he/she cannot claim as
beg suggests earnestness, insistence, and sometimes
a right; ________
entreat
self-abasement. By ________ing
someone, one hopes to persuade
Beseech and
him / her by earnest pleading and reasoning. ________
implore convey eager anxiety which seeks to inspire sympathy or
________
Implore
beseech with a suggestion
pity. ________may
be stronger than ________,
entreat a
of tearfulness or evident anguish. Supplicate
________ adds to ________
Importunedenotes persistence with
humble, prayerful attitude…________
one’s requests to the point of annoyance or even harassment.
(from the 1991 Longman Dictionary of the English Language)
Can you identify the following four words from their definitions,
taken from the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary Online?
1._____________: of a high standard or quality [≠ bad, poor]
2._____________: [uncountable] a feeling of unhappiness
because something is not as good as you expected, or has not
happened in the way you hoped
3._____________: when something _____________, there is an
event, especially one that is not planned [= occur]
4._____________: to happen
SEMANTIC
PRIMITIVES
from Jackson and Zé Amvela (2000 : 127) after Wierzbicka (1996)
Semantic fields
????
Semantic sets and collocation
Hoey (2005)
Train as a…
Hoey (2005)
train
trains
trained
training
as a
teacher
doctor
nurse
lawyer
painter
dancer
barrister
chef
Braille shorthand typist
Hoey (2005)
train
trains
trained
training
as a
teacher
doctor
nurse
lawyer
painter
dancer
barrister
chef
Braille shorthand typist
SKILLED ROLE OR OCCUPATION
Semantic Set
Verbs following the pattern VERB +
(from Francis et for + NP
al, 1996)
endure, keep, live, last
extend, stretch
wait
plan, arrange, provide
prepare, study, train
pay, answer, apologise
report, sign on, show up, enrol
hunt, look, shop, listen
beg, send, shout, call
act, fight, play, speak
substitute, stand in
pray, speak up, vote
feel, grieve
Purpose of + for NOUN (Willis)
Semantic Set
Verbs following the pattern VERB +
(from Francis et for + NP
al, 1996)
Purpose of + for NOUN (Willis)
LAST
endure, keep, live, last
TIME
LAST
extend, stretch
DISTANCE
WAIT
wait
REASON WHY
PLAN
plan, arrange, provide
REASON WHY
PREPARE
prepare, study, train
REASON WHY
COMPENSATE
pay, answer, apologise
REASON WHY
VOLUNTEER
report, sign on, show up, enrol
REASON WHY
SEARCH
hunt, look, shop, listen
ASK / LOOK FOR
ASK
beg, send, shout, call
ASK / LOOK FOR
WORK
act, fight, play, speak
WHO WANTS OR NEEDS
DEPUTISE
substitute, stand in
WHO WANTS OR NEEDS
ARGUE
pray, speak up, vote
WHO WANTS OR NEEDS
CARE
feel, grieve
WHO WANTS OR NEEDS
Back to the sentence…
Hoey (2005) takes the opening sentence from a Bill Bryson travel book:
In winter Hammerfest is a thirty-hour ride by bus from Oslo, though why
anyone would want to go there in winter is a question worth considering.
and compares it to:
Through winter, rides between Oslo and Hammerfest use thirty hours up in a
bus, though why travellers would select to ride there then might be pondered.
The explanation is provided by attention to COLLOCATION and COLLIGATION.
For example, Hoey’s corpus tells him that:
•59% of uses of IN WINTER relate to a clause whose verb is PRESENT SIMPLE
•54% of uses of IN THE WINTER relate to a clause whose verb is PAST SIMPLE
•IN WINTER is more likely to occur with “relational process verbs” than
“material process verbs”
What do you already know about the University of Essex? Make
notes on your answers to the following questions:
Where is Essex university? How many campuses are there?
How old is it?
How many students are there? (who are they?)
Is the university famous for anything?
Is it a good university?
Do you know any interesting 'facts' about the university?
GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY :
PATTERNS AND SENTENCE STRUCTURE
Students from families with incomes
of up to £25,000 will be entitled to a
more generous student maintenance
grant of up to £3,250, which is nonrepayable.
GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY :
PATTERNS AND SENTENCE STRUCTURE
Students from families with incomes
of up to £25,000 will be entitled to a
more generous student maintenance
grant of up to £3,250, which is nonrepayable.
GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY :
PATTERNS AND SENTENCE STRUCTURE
Students from families with incomes
of up to £25,000 will be entitled to a
more generous student maintenance
grant of up to £3,250, which is nonrepayable.
GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY :
PATTERNS AND SENTENCE STRUCTURE
Students from families with incomes
of up to £25,000 will be entitled to a
more generous student maintenance
grant of up to £3,250, which is nonrepayable.
GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY :
PATTERNS AND SENTENCE STRUCTURE
Students from families with incomes
of up to £25,000 will be entitled to a
more generous student maintenance
grant of up to £3,250, which is nonrepayable.
GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY :
PATTERNS AND SENTENCE STRUCTURE
Students from families with incomes
of up to £25,000 will be entitled to a
more generous student maintenance
grant of up to £3,250, which is nonrepayable.
GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY :
PATTERNS AND SENTENCE STRUCTURE
Students from families with incomes
of up to £25,000 will be entitled to a
more generous student maintenance
grant of up to £3,250, which is nonrepayable.
GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY :
PATTERNS AND SENTENCE STRUCTURE
Students from families with incomes
of up to £25,000 will be entitled to a
more generous student maintenance
grant of up to £3,250, which is nonrepayable.
GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY :
PATTERNS AND SENTENCE STRUCTURE
Students from families with incomes
of up to £25,000 will be entitled to a
more generous student maintenance
grant of up to £3,250, which is nonrepayable.
GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY :
PATTERNS AND SENTENCE STRUCTURE
Students from families with incomes
of up to £25,000 will be entitled to a
more generous student maintenance
grant of up to £3,250, which is nonrepayable.
GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY :
PATTERNS AND SENTENCE STRUCTURE
Students from families with incomes
of up to £25,000 will be entitled to a
more generous student maintenance
grant of up to £3,250, which is nonrepayable.
GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY :
PATTERNS AND SENTENCE STRUCTURE
Students from families with incomes
of up to £25,000 will be entitled to a
more generous student maintenance
grant of up to £3,250, which is nonrepayable.
GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY :
PATTERNS AND SENTENCE STRUCTURE
Students from families with incomes
of up to £25,000 will be entitled to a
more generous student maintenance
grant of up to £3,250, which is nonrepayable.
GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY :
PATTERNS AND SENTENCE STRUCTURE
Students from families with incomes
of up to £25,000 will be entitled to a
more generous student maintenance
grant of up to £3,250, which is nonrepayable.
GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY :
PATTERNS AND SENTENCE STRUCTURE
Students from families with incomes
of up to £25,000 will be entitled to a
more generous student maintenance
grant of up to £3,250, which is nonrepayable.
References and further reading
Ballard, K. 2007 The Frameworks of English, 2nd Edition, Palgrave MacMillan
Cobb, T. 2004 The Compleat Lexical Tutor. Available online at http://teslej.org/ej31/m2.html [Accessed 27 November 2011]
Culpeper, J. et al (eds) 2009 English Language: Description, Variation and Context.
Palgrave Macmillan
Francis, S., Hunston, S. and Manning, E. 1996 Grammar Patterns 1: Verbs. Harper
Collins
Hoey, M. 2005 Lexical Priming, Routledge
Jackson, H. and Ze Amvela, E. 2000 Words, Meaning and Vocabulary : An
Introduction to Modern English Lexicology, Continuum
Leech, G. 1974 Semantics, Penguin
Schmitt, N. 2000 Vocabulary in Language Teaching. Cambridge University Press
Wierzbicka, A. 1996 Semantics: Primes and Universals. Oxford University Press
Willis, D. 2003 Rules, Patterns and Words, Cambridge University Press
Yule, G. 1985 The Study of Language, Cambridge University Press
Don’t forget…
…to send me some examples of long and complex
sentences.