Development of Meaning

Theme 4: Lexical Meaning as a Linguistic Category.

1. Comment on the terms:

Lexical meaning is more concrete; it refers our mind to some concrete object, phenomenon (real or imaginary) of objective reality, to some concept. Lexical meaning is the component of the meaning proper; it is recurrent in all the forms of the words and in all possible distributions of these forms. Both the lexical and grammatical meaning comprise the word meaning.

Grammatical meaning refers our mind to relations between words and structures /constructions bearing upon their structural functions in the language-as-a system/. Grammatical meaning is the component of meaning recurrent in identical sets of individual forms of different words (see, for instance, the grammatical meaning of plurality in winters, girls, tables, joys). Grammatical meaning is more abstract than lexical meaning.

referential approachformulates the essence of meaning by establishing the interdependence b/w LM and reality (the object proper) and thinking (a notion as a mental reflection of an object recording its most essential properties)

functional approachstudies the functions of a word in speech. The functional approach maintains that the meaning of a linguistic unit may be studied only through its relation to other linguistic-units and not through its relation to either concept or referent. It follows that in the functional approach (1) semantic investigation is confined to the analysis of the difference or sameness of meaning; (2) meaning is understood essentially as the function of the use of linguistic units

?basic triangle? - referential model of meaning is represented as the approach distinguishes b/w the 3 components closely connected with meaning: the sound-form, the concept and the referent (that aspect of reality to which this linguistic sign refers). Thus, LM originates from a referent, correlates with a notion about this referent, is attached to a certain plane of expression, but not identical to any of the 3.

All major works on semantic theory are based on referential concepts of meaning. This approach distinguishes b/w the 3 components closely connected with meaning: the sound-form, the concept and the referent (that aspect of reality to which this linguistic sign refers). This referential model of meaning is represented as the so- called ?basic triangle?

denotative component reproduces reality by correlating with a C

connotative component express the speaker? a attitude to the object named.

semeis a meaningful unit of l-ge which correlates with a notion and serves as a part of LM.

types of connotations:

1) degree or intensity (like-admire-love-adore-worship),

2) of duration (stare-glare-gaze-glance-peep-peer),

3) emotive (tremble-shiver-shudder) different nature os emotions,

4) evaluative (speaker?s attitude) famous-notorious,

5) causative (sparkle ?posotive emotion, glitter ? negative emotion),

6) manner (feelings of different type),

7) attendant circumstances/ features (beautiful ? classic features, pretty ? delicate features),

8) stylistic (girl ? girlie (coll), lassie (dial), maiden (poet)).

Historical/ extra-linguistic causes ? changes in a nation?s social life, culture, knowledge, technology, arts: new objects, concepts, phenomena appeared. e.g. carriage ? a vehicle drawn by horses; a railway car.

Linguistic causes - influence of other words, mostly synonyms e.g. steorvian: OE ? to perish, ME ? to starve when ?to die? was borrowed from Scandinavian. Deer: OE ? any animal.

Metaphor-transference based on resemblance (similarity). A new meaning is a result of associating 2 objects due to their outward similarity. e.g. eye of a needle, neck of a bottle, branch, star.

Metonymy -transference based on contiguity. It is based on psychological links b/w different objects and phenomena: common situations, a part and a whole, cause and effect, common function, material and object made of it. e.g. glad, sad, foot of a mountain, leg of a bed, arms of an armchair.

Date: 2016-06-12; view: 297