Topic for presentation

· Hyperbole, litotes and irony

Seminar 4. Polysemy and Context

Polysemy. The semantic structure of the polysemantic word as a hierarchy of its lexico-semantic variants. Types of polysemy (chain, radial, mixed). Types of context: linguistic (phonetical, morphological, lexical, phrasal) and extralinguistic (situation) contexts.

Test Questions

1. What is the definition of a polysemantic word?

2. What causes polysemy?

3. What is a lexico-semantic variant?

4. What is meant by the historical changeability of semantic structure of the word?

5. What types of semantic structure are traditionally singled out? Illustrate each type with an example of your own.

6. How do you understand the term ‘context’?

7. What types of linguistic context do you know?

Tasks and assignments

1. Classify the given words according to the semantic principle into monosemantic and polysemantic ones:

corona, corolla, venom, ozonoscope, amplifier, paronomasia, value, VAT, log, mill.

Consult a dictionary and name all lexico-semantic variants of the following polysemantic words. Which semes are invariant for all LSVs of the word?

1. Chicken (noun). 2. Club (noun). 3. Mind (noun). 4. Round (adj.). 5. Way (noun). 6. Reach (verb). 7. Branch (n.). 8. Peel (verb). 9. Contest (noun). 10. Bright (adj.)