An Introduction to L ...

Definition: It is a branch of linguistics that deals with the meaning of words and sentences. Usually, it deals with five subjects which are:

1/ Polysemy: means that the same morphological word has different meanings. As the word "polysemy" suggests, it expresses “many meanings".

Example:

“bear" is a verb that expresses different meanings which are:

• if you bear sth somewhere , you carry it there or take it there .
• if you bear sth such as a weapon , you told it or carry it with you .
• if one thing bears the weight of sth else , it supports the weight of that mark or characteristic .
• if sth bears a particular mark or characteristic , it has that mark or characteristic
• if you bear unpleasant experience , you accept it because you 're unable to do anything about it .
• if you can't bear sth someone , you dislike him very much .

2/ Synonymy: it is the relationship in which two or more words have similar meaning, and are very closely associated with each other.

Example:

inside = within, many = lot, clever = intelligent.
Synonymy is always partial, never complete. Absolute synonymy is when the synonyms belong to different languages: God= dieu= الله

3/ Antonymy: it is the relationship in which two or more words have opposite meanings.

Example:
behind/in front of, noisy/calm, forget/remember, always/never .
In English, there exist three types of antonymy:
a/ Implicitly Graded Antonyms: refer to pairs of words such as " big " and "small" old" and "young”= ‘bigger, smaller, younger, older”. There is a sense of grading according to a norm of comparison.
b/ Complementarity: refers to the existence of such pairs in which the existence of one involves certainly the denial of the other. For example: man/woman, paradise/hell, earth/sky, single/married.
c/ Converseness: is the relationship that holds between related pairs of sentences such as:
- The teacher teaches the pupil and the pupil learn from the teacher (teach and learn are in a converse relationship).
- The doctor treats the patient = the patient consults the doctor.
- The young boy got married to the beautiful girl = the beautiful girl got married to the young boy.

4/ Hyponymy: means that the meaning of some words is included in the meaning of others.

Example

- Animals: dogs, cats, birds, donkeys.
- Fruits: Orange, banana, strawberry, watermelon.
The including term is known as the "super-ordinate term" and the included items are known as "co-hyponyms”

5/ Idioms: it is a group of words which have a different meaning when used together from the one they would have if the meaning of each word is considered separately (non- literal use of language)

Example:
- kick the bucket = die
- add fuel to the fire = sth is done to make a bad situation ever worse than it is.
- hold your horses = means be patient
- lend me your ear = to politely ask for someone's full attention.
- spill the beans = reveal a secret
- at sixes and sevens = unwilling to agree