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熊英
浙江省宁波市五乡中学
Abstract:
Words are arbitrary symbols and are independent in their spelling and sound. But semantically, all words are related in one way or another, hence relationship. In this paper, vocabulary units are classified on the basis of various meaning relations between words on the paradigmatic axis. They are hyponymy, synonymy, antonymy and homonymy.
Key words:
hyponymy, synonymy, antonymy, homonymy.
There exsist four kinds of semantic relationship between words, that is, hyponymy, synonymy, antonymy and homonymy.
Ⅰ Hyponymy and its application
Hyponymy deals with the relationship of semantic inclusion. The meaning of a more specific word is included in that of another more general word. (Lyons 1977, Jackson 1988) These specific words are known as hyponyms.
e.g. Tulip and rose are hyponyms of flower.
The flower is the superordinate terms. (gernus)
The tulip and rose are subordinate terms. (species)
We can use the skill of the articles in a terse style, i.e. ‘There was a fine rocking-chair that his father used to sit in, a desk where he wrote letters, a nest of small tables and a dark imposing bookcase. Now all this furniture was to be sold and with it his own past.’(《英语词汇学》P127). In this sentence, the furniture includes rocking-chair, desk, table, bookcase, which helps readers understand the purpose of the writer easily. It is the same with making sentences. Using these skills, we can make the sentence more correct, imaginative and concrete.
Ⅱ Synonymy but the difference in application
Synonyms can be defined as words different in sound and spelling but most nearly alike or exactly the same in meaning. Reasonable as it sounds, this definition is subject to disagreement. Synonyms can be classified into two major groups: absolute synonyms and relative synonyms. There are some differences between them. They may differ in degree of intensity. Some synonyms share the same denotation but differ in their stylistic appropriateness. Many words are synonyms in meaning but different in usage in simple terms. They form different collocations and fit into different sentence patterns. E.g. allow / let, we allow sb to do sth / let sb. do sth. Answer / reply. Answer is a transitive verb and takes direct object while reply is an instransitive verb and needs a preposition to function transitively. We can say ‘answer the letter’ but ‘reply to letter’. Nevertheless, ‘answer the door’ is perfect. However ‘reply to the door’ is unacceptable. Empty, vacant, blank are synonyms, but their collocations are not the same.
Ⅲ Antonymy and the application of Antonyms
Antonymy is concerned with semantic opposition. It can be defined as words which are opposite in meaning. There are a variety of oppositeness. They can be classified into three major groups: contradictory terms, contrary terms and relative terms
Antonyms have various practical uses and have long proved helpful and valuable in defining the meaning of words. Take fresh for example. It appears in a number of phrases of the same. Structure: fresh bread, fresh air, fresh flower, fresh look, yet it does not have the same meaning in each case. The different shades of meaning are clearly brought out by replacing them with antonyms: stale bread, stuffy air, fabled flowers, tired look. Antonyms are useful in enabling us to express economically the opposite of a particular thought, often for the sake of contrast. Many idioms are formed with antonyms. They look neat and pleasant, and sound rhythmic. e.g. rain or shine, now or never, here and there, thick and thin, and so on.
Ⅳ Homonymy and its application
Homonyms are generally defined as words different in meaning but either identical both in sound and spelling or identical only in sound or spelling. Based on the degree of similarity in spelling or sound, homonyms are often used to make puns in order to make the article more humorous and ironic. e.g. ‘On Sunday they pray for you and Monday they prey on you’ pray means 祈祷 prey means 掠夺. A good piece of writing often needs homonyms to achieve the desired effect.
Ⅴ Conclusion
Words may be classified according to the relation between their senses. The two major types of sense relation between words and synonymy field are joined together by a common concept, and they are likely to have a number of collocations in common. So the classification of words is very helpful to us in learning English. Although the contents of different kinds of semantic relationship are different, they are very useful in vocabulary, which makes English richer. Second, it makes the language vivid, exact and concrete, lively and colorful. Third, sometimes it has the use of ridicule; sometimes it accords with the need of the situation better. It’s a good way for us to master more English words and understand texts more exactly. It’s very important for us to learn it.
What’s more, the comparative study of semantic fields in different languages has held the interest of linguist and has proved helpful to some extent in foreign language learning.
References:
张维友:<英语词汇学>外语教学与研究教育出版社
陆国强: <现代英语词汇学>上海外语教育出版社
胡壮麟, 刘润清, 李延福: <语言学教程> 北京大学出版社
秦秀白: <英语文体学入门> 湖南教育出版社
张韵斐: <现代英语词汇学概论> 北京师范大学出版社
杨鑫南: <当代英语变迁> 外语教学与研究出版社
作者简介：熊英 （1977-3），女， 浙江省宁波市五乡中学；研究方向：英语教育。
论文作者:熊英
论文发表刊物:《语言文字学》2018年第11月
论文发表时间:2018/11/23
标签：英语论文; 词汇学论文; 宁波市论文; 教育出版社论文; 外语教学论文; 浙江省论文; 北京大学出版社论文; 《语言文字学》2018年第11月论文;