第五章语义学习题1.doc

(完整word版)第五章语义学习题1
第5章语义学 Core Exercise I.
Define the following terms.
1.semantics——Semantics can be simply defined as the study of meaning in language.
2.the conceptualist theory——Conceptualism is a philosophical theory that explains universality of particulars as conceptualized frameworks situated within the thinking mind.
3.sense——Sense is concerned with the inherent meaning of the linguistic form. It is the collection of all the features of the linguistic form it is abstract and de -contextualized.
4. reference——Reference means what a linguistic form refers to in the real physical world it deals with the relationship between the linguistic element and the non-linguistic world of experience
5.Componential Analysis——Componential analysis is a way to analyze word meaning. It was proposed by structural semanticists. The approach is based on the belief that the meaning of a word can be divided into meaning components which are called semantic features.
6.gradable antonyms——These describe something which can be measured and compared with something else. For example small and big hot and cold dry and wet clean and dirty.
7.absolute synonyms——Absolute synonyms also known as complete synonyms are words which are identical in meaning in all its aspects i.e. both in grammatical meaning and lexical meaning including conceptual and associative meanings.
8.superordinate——related to a particular proposition of the same quality and containing the same terms in the same order.
9.homophones——Homophones are words that sound the same but have different spellings/meanings.
10.entailment——In pragmatics linguistics entailment is the relationship between two sentences where the truth of one A requires the truth of the other B.
II. Decide whether each of the following statements is true or false.
F 1. In the classic semantic triangle the symbol is directly related to the referent.
改：The symbol refers to the linguistic elements (words, phrases)
F 2. Stylistic synonyms differ in style because they come from different regions.
改：dialectal synonms
F 3. Homographs are words which are pronounced alike.
改：homophones 同形异音异义
T4. The superordinate term is more inclusive in meaning than its hyponyms.
F 5. In a pair of complementary antonyms there exist some intermediate forms between the two extremes.
F 6. Antonyms contrast each other only on a single dimension such as “hot” vs. “cold”.
改：different dimensions 次元
T7. All the grammatically well-formed sentences are not necessarily semantically well-formed.
T 8. One advantage of componential analysis is that by specifying the semantic features of words it will be possible to show how these words are related in meaning.
T 9. A predicate is something said about an argument.
III Fill in each of the following blanks with the proper word which begins with the letter given.
1. Selectional_____ restrictions are constraints on what lexical items can go with others.
2. There are often intermediate forms between the two members of a pair of gradable_____ antonyms.
3. The various meanings of a polysemy______ word are related to some extent.
4. Linguistic forms having the same sense may have different references______ in different situations.
5. According to Wittgenstein for a large class of cases the meaning of a word is in its use____ in the language.
6. Hyponymy is the relation of entailment a superordinate entails all hyponyms______.
7. “Buy” and “sell” are a pair of relationnal_______ opposites.
8. In semantic analysis of a sentence the basic unit is called predicyion_______.
9. There is an important difference between entailment and presupposition that is presupposition unlike entailment in not vulnerable to negation_______.
10. A semantically anomalous________ sentence is absurd in the sense that it presupposes a contradiction. IV. Choose the answer that can best complete each of the following statements.
1. The classic semantic triangle reflects the ________.
A. naming theory B. conceptual view C. contextualism D. behaviorist theory
2. Bloomfield drew on ______psychology when trying to define the meaning of linguistic forms. A. Gestalt B. conceptualist C. behaviorist D. contextual
3.The linguistic _______is known as context.
A. situation B. context C. contextualization D. situation of context
4. The noun “tear” and the verb “tear” are _______.
A. homophones B. homographs C. polysemic word D. complete homonyms
5.The meaning relationship between the two words “couch” and “table” is______.
A. synonymy B. polysemy C. hyponymy D. co-hyponym
V. Answer the following questions and exemplify if necessary.
1. First offer the respective antonym for each of the following words and then tell to which category they belong.
1.boy----- 2.wide------
3.sell------ 4.thin------
5.interviewer------ 6.teacher-----
7.dead------ 8.lengthy------
2. Name the category to which each of the following pairs of synonyms belong.
1.lift/elevator
2.kid/child/offspring
3.rotten/addled/sour
4.politician/statesman
5.escape/flee
6.amaze/astoud
3. Identify the relation between the following pairs of sentences.
1 a. Carl was a bachelor all his life. b. Carl never married all his life.
2a. This is my first visit to Europe. b. I have been to Europe before.
3a. Ted bought two magazines. b. Ted bought two things.
4 a.. He has three girls. b. He is a father.
5 a.. He has no sister. b. His younger sister is beautiful.
4. What is Componential Analysis ? What is the advantage of Componential Analysis ? Componential analysis proposed by structural semanticists is a way to analyze word meaning. The approach is based on the belief that the meaning of a word can be divided into meaning components which are called semantic features. Plus and minus signs are used to indicate whether a certain semantic feature is present or absent in the meaning of a word and these feature symbols are usually written in capitalized letters. For example the word “man” is analyzed as consisting of the semantic features of HUMAN ADULT ANIMATE MALE There is one advantage of CA. By specifying the semantic feature of certain words it will be possible to show how these words are related in meaning.
1. What are the major views concerning the study of meaning?
答：(1) The naming theory proposed by the ancient Greek scholar Plato. According to this theory, the linguistic forms or symbols, in other words, the words used in a language are simply labels of the objects they stand for. So words are just names or labels for things. (2)The conceptualist view has been held by some philosophers and linguists from ancient times. This view holds that there is no direct link between a linguistic form and what it refers to (i. e., between language and the real world); rather, in the interpretation of meaning they are linked through the mediation of concepts in the mind.
(3) The contextualist view held that meaning should be studied in terms of situation, use, context –– elements closely linked with language behaviour. The representative of this approach was J.R. Firth, famous British linguist.
(4) Behaviorists attempted to define the meaning of a language form as the “situation in which the speaker utters it and the response it calls forth in the hearer.” This theory, somewhat close to contextualism, is linked with psychological interest.
2. What are the major types of synonyms in English?
答：The major types of synonyms are dialectal synonyms, stylistic synonyms, emotive or evaluative synonyms, collocational synonyms, and semantically different synonyms. Examples（略）
3. Explain with examples “homonymy”, “polysemy”, and “hyponymy”. 答：(1) Homonymy refers to the phenomenon that words having different meanings have the same form, i.e., different words are identical in sound or spelling, or in both.
When two words are identical in sound, they are homophones.
When two words are identical in spelling, they are homographs.
When two words are identical in both sound and spelling, they are complete homonyms
(2) While different words may have the same or similar meaning, the same one word may have more than one meaning. This is what we call polysemy, and such a word is called a polysemic word. There are many polysemic words in English, The fact is the more commonly used a word is, the more likely it has acquired more than one meaning.
(3) Hyponymy refers to the sense relation between a more general, more inclusive word and a more specific word. The word which is more general in meaning is called the superordinate, and the more specific words are called its hyponyms. Hyponyms of the same superordinate are co-hyponyms to each other. Hyponymy is a relation of inclusion; in terms of meaning, the superordinate includes all its hyponyms. Examples（略）