Questions and Tasks

1. What is the subject matter of semasiology?

2. What are the main approaches to the investigation of word meaning?

3. What are the types of word meaning?

4. What are the types of lexical meaning?

5. What is the ?semantic structure of word? and ?a lexico-semantic variant??

Give examples of lexico-semantic variants of any polysemantic word.

6. What are linguistic and extra-linguistic causes of semantic change?

7. What associations underlie semantic changes?

8. What are the results of semantic change?

Exercises

I. Which of the following words are monosemantic (use a dictionary)?

Abandon, abdicate, aphorism, apathy, application, arch, band, behold, bronchitis, catapult, central, denture, divide, flabby, flask, intercede, measure, memorial, mischance, miser, minx, plangent, prominent, promise, promote, prompt, sinecure, upstanding, wreath, xenophobia.

II. Group together the following pairs of words according to the LSVs they represent. Use dictionaries if necessary.

Smart, adj.

smart clothes, a smart answer, a smart car, a smart lawyer, a smart blow, a smart officer, a smart garden, a smart punishment

golden, adj.

a golden ring, golden hair, a golden opportunity, a golden chain, golden wedding, the golden age

sound, adj.

sound health, sound views, sound teeth, sound advice, a sound whipping, a sound fruit, a sound constitution, a sound sleeper, a sound tennis-player

root, v.

the root of the tree, edible roots, the root of the tooth, the root of the matter, the root of all evil, square root, cube root

perform, v.

to perform a task, to perform an operation, to perform one?s duty, to perform a dance, to perform a play

III. Define the meanings of the italicized words in the following sentences. Say how meanings of the same word are associated one with another.

1. I began to search the flat, looking in drawers and boxes to see if I could find a key. I tumbled with a sort of splash upon the keysof a piano. Now the orchestra is playing yellow cocktail music and the opera of voices pitches a key higher. 2. I sat down with my head in my hands, until I heard the phone taken up inside and the butler?s voice calling a taxi. G.Quarterman possessed more power than many heads of the state. 3. I walked into Hyde Park, fell flat upon the grass and almost immediately fell asleep. 4. Her mouth opened crookedly half an inch, and she shot a few words at one like pebbles. Would you like me to come to the mouth of the river with you? I put the letter into the mouth of the box and let it go.

IV. Explain the logical associations in the meanings of the same words in the following word combinations. Define the type of transference which has taken place.

A wing of a bird - a wing of a building ? on wings of joy; an eye of a man ? an eye of a needle; the heart of a man ? the heart of the matter; a hand of a man ? a hand of a clock ? a farm hand; a foot of a man ? the foot of a mountain; the coat of a girl ? the coat of a dog; a star in the sky ? a film star; a green leaf ? green years ? green with envy; warm weather ? a warm welcome; black shoes ? black winter ? black despair; the father of the family ? the father of invention; nickel (metal) ? a nickel (coin); bronze ? a bronze; glass ? a glass; Ford (proper name) ? a Ford (car); Kashmir (town in North India) - cashmere.

Date: 2016-06-12; view: 642