English Lexicology

3 Year, 5th Semester

rd

Practical class № 1
Word-Meaning. Polysemy.
Problems for Discussion

1. Semasiology as a branch of linguistics

2. Types of meaning:
2.1.1. lexical vs. grammatical;
2.1.2. denotative vs. connotative.
3. Types of connotation.
4. Componential analysis.
5. Polysemy and its types. The notion of lexico-semantic variant (LSV).
6. Monosemantic words.

Recommended Literature
1. АрнольдИ.В. Лексикологиясовременногоанглийскогоязыка / И.В. Арнольд; наангл. яз. 3-
еизд. М.: Высш. шк., 1986. C. 27–55.
2. Вежбицкая А. Прототипы и инварианты / А. Вежбицкая // Язык. Культура. Познание.
М., 1996. С. 201 – 231.http://www.philology.ru/linguistics1/wierzbicka-96a.htm
3. Харитончик З.А. Лексикология английского языка: Учеб. пособие. Минск:
Вышэйшаяшкола, 1992.С. 25–63.
4. Lemmens M. Cognitive Semantics. Routledge Handbook of Semantics, Routledge, pp.90-105,
2015.https://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/halshs-01511838/document

Practical Assignment
1. Consult Macmillan / Oxford / Longman Dictionary, etc. and analyze the following word
forms classifying them on the grounds of common grammatical or lexical meaning and its
elements (denotative / connotative):

2. telephones, desks, paintings, curtains, men, books, students; Grammatical meaning of Plurality
Denotative
3. asked, reflected, smiled, smoked, told, wished, brought; Grammatical meaning of tense.
Denotative
4. happiest, bravest, best, most interesting; Grammatical meaning of degree of comparison.
Connotative
5. smell, scent, odour, aroma; Lexicaal meaning. The same semantic component. Denotative
6. intelligent, clever, alert, quick-witted, bright, smart, brainy, sharp, shrewd, canny; Lexical
meaning. Connotative
7. jail, clink, trunk, jug, can, cooler; Lexical meaning. Denotative
8. head, nob, nut, bean, upper storey, belfry. Lexical meaning. Denotative.

9. Consult the dictionary and determine the denotative and connotative meanings of the
following pairs of words in the sentences, dwell on the type of connotation in each case:
fat vs plump
You'llget fat if you eat all that chocolate.
The baby's nice and plump.

plump (denotative)having a full rounded shape.

fat-(denotative)notable for having an unusual amount of fat
1
Don't be so obstinate!
I wish you’d stop being so pig-headed!

obstinate( denotative)not easily subdued, remedied, or removed obstinate fever

( conotative) unwilling to change your opinion or action despite argument or persuasion; stubborn:

pig-headed(connotative)-stupidly obstinate
(denotative) If you describe someone as pig-headed, you are critical of them because they refuse to
change their mind about things,

infant vs kid
Infants and elderly people are particularly at risk.
There was a group of kids playing football in the street.
infant(donotative)-a child in the first period of life
(connotative)being in an early stage of development
kid(donotative) a young person especially between infancy and puberty a play for both children and
adults
КОНОТАТИВНОГО НЕ НАШЛА

beg vs implore
I begged Helen to stay, but she wouldn't listen.
'Don't go,' I implored her.
beg(connotative)to ask for as a gift, as charity, or as a favor: to beg alms; to beg forgiveness. to ask
(someone) to give or do something; implore
beg(denotative)to ask (someone) for (something or leave to do something) formally, humbly, or
earnestlyI beg forgiveness
implore( denotative)to make an earnest request to
implore(con. )- to say (something) as a serious or emotional request.

friend vs crony
She told this to only a few trusted friends.
He spent the evening drinking with his cronies.
friend(denotative)-a person who has a strong liking for and trust in another person
friend(conotative)-a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard
crony(conotative)-While a crony is basically just a good pal or sidekick, the word sometimes has a
negative connotation — that you and your crony are up to no good together. It also implies the idea of
cronyism, or unfairly giving friends jobs or promotions they're not qualified for.
crony(denotative)- close friend especially of long standing

fragrance vs reek
The garden flower had a rich fragrance.
The reek of cigarettes and beer filled the room.
fragnance(denotative) something (such as a perfume) compounded to give off a sweet or pleasant odor.
connotative- sweet or pleasant odo
reek(connotative)smell strongly and unpleasantly; stink.
( denotative): to emit smoke or vapor

love vs adore
I've always loved children.
Betty adores her grandchildren.
I simply adore chocolate.
I’m lovin’ it (McDonald’s advertising jingle)

2
love(denotative)1 : a feeling of strong or constant affection for a person motherly/maternal love
fatherly/paternal love See More Examples. Hide. 2 : attraction that includes sexual desire : the strong
affection felt by people who have a romantic relationship a declaration of love He was just a lonely
man looking for love.
(connotative)an intense feeling of deep affection.
adore(connotative)to honor and admire profoundly and respectfully.
(denotative)to regard with loving admiration and devotion

talent vs genius
She had an obvious talent for music.
She was a mathematical genius.
talent (denotative)a special natural ability or aptitude
connotative- mental power : ability
genius (connotative)-a very smart or gifted person
denotative- extraordinary intellectual power especially as manifested in creative activity.

gobble vs eat
I exercise and eat right and get plenty of sleep.
She gobbled down her lunch.
gooble(denotative)-to swallow or eat greedily
connotative- to swallow or eat hastily or hungrily in large pieces
eat(connotative)to take into the mouth and swallow for nourishment; chew and swallow (food).
denotative- to take food or a meal.

3. Conduct the componential analysis of the following set of lexical units and represent their
meaning in the form of a structurewith an appropriate combination of the semantic features:
Example: Father=
Human-seme
Adult-seme
Male-seme
Parent-seme

1. man A
2. boy C
3. mother F
4. girl D
5. bull B
6. cow B
7. calf H
8. boarI
9. sow E
10. pigletG

a) human
b) animal
c) male
d) female
e) adult
f) parent
g) non-adult
3
h) bovine
i) porcine

4. Group together the following words according to the lexico-semantic variants (LSVs) they
represent. Use dictionaries if necessary.What context (lexical or grammatical) actualizes the
meaning in each case?

smart, adj.
You're looking very smart in your new clothes!
Smart kids get good grades and go off to college.
He got a smart blow on the head.
Virtual reality, ‘smart’ materials, biosensors have become an integral part of our life.
We had dinner in one of the smartest restaurants.

golden, adj.
She received a golden ring as a present.
The girl has got beautiful golden hair.
He wasted a golden opportunity when he missed from the penalty spot.
They celebrated golden wedding anniversary yesterday.
The 19th century is traditionally referred to as the "Golden Era" of Russian literature.

sound, adj.
The book is full of sound advice.
He is lucky to have a sound constitution and sound teeth.
He has a sound knowledge of English.
The child got a sound whipping.
He was a sound sleeper.

root, n.
These plants produce a number of thin roots.
The love of money is the root of all evil.
Jazzhas its roots in the folk songs of the southern states of the US.
Alex Haley's story about hissearch for his roots became a bestseller.
The word 'coldness' is formed from the root 'cold' and the suffix 'ness'
2 is the fourth root of 16.

to perform, v.
The children perform two plays each school year.
Surgeons performed an emergency operation.
The party had performed poorly in the elections.

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

abandon, abdicate, aphorism, apathy, application, arch, band, behold, bronchitis, central, denture,
divide, measure, memorial, mischance, prominent, promise, promote, prompt, sinecure, xenophobia.

6.In “Through the Looking Glass” Lewis Carroll makes Humpty Dumpty say the following:
“When I use a word it means just what I choose it to mean – neither more nor less”. Discuss the
statement. What are linguistic implications?