Seminar №6

Semantics

Outline

1. Meaning. Semantic triangle

2. Lexical meaning and concept

3. Types of lexical meaning

4. Semantic change

Exercises & Tasks

Exercise 1. Trace the process of narrowing the meaning in the following words.

Bread, cattle, deer, fowl, garage, girl, hospital, meat, starve, team, voyage, wife.

Exercise 2. Trace the process of changing the meaning in the following words. State the way of changing the meaning.

Fiction ‒ вигадка → белетристика;

Follow ‒ іти слідом → шпигувати;

Producer ‒ виробник → продюсер фільму;

Rival ‒ той, хто живе на другому березі ріки → суперник;

Stock ‒ запас дров → запас будь-яких товарів.

Exercise 3. Trace the process of degradation of meaning of the following words.

Boor, gossip, idiot, silly, vulgar.

Exercise 4. With the help of an etymological dictionary comment on the results of semantic changes in denotation and connotation, comparing the present-day and former meanings of the words in bold type.

A. Extension of meaning

1. When the season opened, the huntsman, in red coat would blow the small horn – and they were away.

2. The prices were so ruinous that even foreigners blenched at them.

3. Sir Charles called his few witnesses, the prisoner himself went into the box and told his story.

4. Don't agree that we've rather neglected that channel of inquiry.

5. It doesn't necessarily mean that the man's a dangerous criminal. Lots of respectable citizens fall in love with other people's wives.

6. She had expected a wire in reply appointing some rendezvous, but nothing had come.

7. He sat long about his meal until a white-faced maid came to clear the table.

B. Narrowing of meaning

1. John had a view ‒ the fox racing across a skyline,... tail straight up in the air to leave no scent. But the hounds had the view as well, and they were after it.

2. There was no orchard and even cooking-apples had to be purchased -but there she was lucky as John did not care much for fresh fruit.

3. Wonder how he's getting on? The sort of fellow who could be starving and sleeping in the street and he'd never complain.

4. As a girl she wanted to be a movie star.

5. There's a certain responsibility about having been the wife of genius.

6. There was only one room, a room in which everything could be seen from the doorway.

7. He sat down and examined all the details of the tapestry picture. A man... had just killed a deer with an arrow.