Group 1:
Nguyễn Thị Ngọc Anh
Phùng Kim Anh
Vũ Hà Chi
Nguyễn Thị Thu Hà
Lê Thị Thùy Dung
Đặng Thị Khánh Huyền
Hoàng Thùy Linh
Semantic fields




Lexical gaps

Referent, reference and sense

Denotation and connotation

Multiple senses of lexical items

2.3 Semantic fields
1: Definition
2: Ways of organizing semantically similar items
What is Semantic field
A semantic field is “the organization of related words and expressions into a system which shows their relationship to one another.”
A semantic field can be also be defined as “ a set of words with identifiable semantic affinities.”
For example
The semantic field of
Kinship terms: father, mother, brother, sister, uncle,etc
Adjectives describing human emotional states: angry, sad, happy, afraid, etc
Drinking vessels: cup, mug, tumbler, wine glass, beer glass, etc
Ways of organizing senmantically similar items

A. Items related by topics:

Types of fruit


Pieces of furniture


Terms of colour

B. Items similar in meaning:


Ways of cooking



Ways of looking

C. Terms describing people whose weight is below normal



D. Items which form pars of antonyms
E. Items which form pairs or trios of synonyms: smart/bright/intelligent, conserve/preserve/ safeguard, etc.
F. Items grouped as an activity or process:


Do the housework: clean the room, do the washing, iron the clothes, etc.

Do research: make hypotheses, collect data, analyze data.
G.Items classified according to:
Age: grown-ups, adults, elderly people, teenagers, children, infants, etc

Sex Male: waiter, tiger, actor, host, etc.
Female: waitress, tigress, actress, hostess, etc.

Age and sex

Horse  stallion: [+male], [+fully grown]
mare: [+female], [+fully grown]
Exercise 4: Organize the given words ( probably those of your own) into three sematic fields: shirts, end, forward(s), new, hats, lend, coats, shorts, beginning, trousers, amble, out, limp, tiptoe, plod, socks, trudge, borrow, stomp, in, stump, old, backward(s), and tramp.



shirts, hats, coats, shorts, socks, trousers



amble, limp, plod, tiptoe, trudge, stomp, stump



end/beginning, new/old, lend/borrow, out/in, forward/backward
2.4 Lexical gaps
What is a lexical gap?
A lexical gap is the absence of a word in a particular place in a lexical field of a language.
Lexical gap or lacuna is when there is no world in another language to describe a concept.
For example
- English “blue” versus Russian “sinevoy” (dark blue) and “goluboy” (light blue)
2.5 Referent, reference and sense
2.5.1. Distinction between Referent, reference and sense
In semantic, a distinction is often made between Referent, reference and sense
2.5.1.1: A referent is an object or an entity in the real word or in the word of your imagination:

School
Classmates
Teacher
Talked about
Several word, especially the so-called function words8, have no obvious referents: the, could, in, since, and, …
8: It is commonly believed that function words like prepositions(of, in, ect), definite and indefinite article(the,a/an), conjunction(if, however, or,ect), and auxiliaries(may, should, will, ect) only “signal grammatical relation”
[Finegan, 1994: 175]
2.5.1.2. the reference of a word9
or a linguistic expression is the relationship between that word or expression
The thing
The action
The event
The quality
9: Or, tobe more precise, a lexical item
For example, the reference of Peter’s house is the relationship between this English noun phrase and the house that belongs to Peter.
REFERENCE
Peter’s house
(in the Eng.language)
The house that belongs to Peter (in the real world)
2.5.1.3. The Sense10 of a word or a linguistic expression11 shows the internal relationship between that word or expression and others in the vocabulary
Ex1. Teacher and student have the sense relationship of the former is the one who gives a lesson and the latter is the one who has the lesson given by the former
10: It is necessary to notice that the two linguistic terms sense ad meaning will be used interchangeably from now on in this text.
11: “The SENSE of an expression is its indispensable hard core of meaning””
A dog is chasing a cat
Has some sense
A dog is human
Has no sense
Ex3: The King of Vietnam is bald.
Has some sense
Its sense is constructed by its individual lexical components and its syntactic structure.
However
This sentence has no reference: it does not refer to any real person because the King of Vietnam does not exist nowadays.
Consider the following table and identify referent, reference and sense via their main features.
2.5.2 Distinction between variable reference, constant reference and co-reference

2.5.2.1 When the same linguistic expression refers to different referents, it has variable reference.


EX 1 : There are as many potential referents for the phrase “your right hand as” there are “people with a right hand in the world”.

Ex2. The referent of the phrase the present prime minister used in Britain in 1944 is Mr. Churchill and in 1982 is Mrs. Thatcher.
2.5.2.2 When one linguistic expression refers to one and the same referent, it has constant reference: the sun, the moon, the People`s Republic of China, Australia , the United Nations, WHO, UNESCO, etc.

2.5.2.3 When two or more linguistic expressions share the same referent, they have coreference.
Ex1. The morning star and the evening star both refer to the planet called Venus.

Ex2. Conversation about Britain in 1982, the Prime Minister and the leader of the Conservative Party share the referent: Mrs Thatcher.

Ex3. If we are talking about a situation in which John is standing alone in the corner, John and the person in the corner share the same referent.
2.6 Denotation and connotation

Denotation
Is the core, central or referential meaning of the word found in a dictionary.
II. Connotation
Is the additional meaning that the word has beyond its denotative meaning. It shows people’s emotions or attitudes towards what the word refers to.
attitude
emotion
Denotation
Connotation
Light
Sun
Energy
glow
feather
Faith
Light

Noun: the natural agent that stimulates sight and make things visible.

Verb: provide with light

Adjective: of little weight something very light



Denotation
Connotation
Dark
Despair
scare
Evil
Sadness
Fear
Dark

Adjective: with little or no light

Noun: the absence of light in a place.
Exercise 7: Identify all the possible connotations associated with word Christmas
The word Christmas could call up images of Christ trees, family gathering, decorations and gift, father christmas, candy cane, candle, feast,…
2.7 Multiple senses of lexical items
2.7.1
The first and foremost distinction made in multiple senses of a word is between its meanings.
2.7.1.1 The primary meaning
Definition: The primary meaning of a word (or, to be more precise, a lexical item) is the first meaning or usage that the word will suggest to most people when it is said in isolation.
For example: The primary meaning of some words:
Noun “foot’’ is the part of the body at the bottom of the leg on which a person or animal stands.



Verb “eat” is put or take food into the mouth, chew it and swallow it.
2.7.1.2 Secondary meaning
Definition: Secondary meanings of a word are the meanings beside its primary meaning. They are said to be not central but peripheral.
In addition, secondary meaning of a word are context-bound whereas its primary meaning is not.
For example:
Noun “foot” is walking
Are you going by bicycle or on foot?
Verb “eat” is corrosive or spoiled.
Acids eat metals.
2.7.2 Literal meaning vs Figurative meaning
“The basic or usual meaning of a word” is usually called its Literal meaning.
The figurative meaning of a word is one which is different from its usual meaning create vivid mental images to readers or listeners.
Some literal meanings are recognized via context in the noun “wing”
Part that projects from the side of
an aircraft and supports it in the air
Eg: I could see the plane`s wing out of my window.


Part of a building that connects to a side of the main part
Eg: My house is in the west wing of the Lotte Centre.
One of the four parts at the side of a car that go over the wheel
Eg: Look in your wing mirror!

Part of a political party or organization that holds certain views or has a particular function

Eg: The president is on the left wing of the White House.
Some figurative meanings of the noun “wing”
To wing it = to do sth without preparation or to improvise

Eg: I didn’t have anytime to prepare for the presentation so I’m just going to wing it.
On a wing and a prayer = with a very small chance of success

Eg: The inexperienced football team was on a wing and a prayer as they prepared to play the defending champions.
Spread one’s wings = extend or start new interests and activities.

Eg: She`d been working for the same company for 15 years and it was time to leave and spread her wings.
Take under one’s wings = give protective care to someone or sth.

Eg: A mother bird takes her chicks under her wings.