搜索
Chapter5Semantics1.Whatarethemajorviewsconcerningthestudyofmeaning?答：(1)ThenamingtheoryproposedbytheancientGreekscholarPlato.Accordingtothistheory,thelinguisticformsorsymbols,inotherwords,thewordsusedinalanguagearesimplylabelsoftheobjectstheystandfor.Sowordsarejustnamesorlabelsforthings.(2)Theconceptualistviewhasbeenheldbysomephilosophersandlinguistsfromancienttimes.Thisviewholdsthatthereisnodirectlinkbetweenalinguisticformandwhatitrefersto(i.e.,betweenlanguageandtherealworld);rather,intheinterpretationofmeaningtheyarelinkedthroughthemediationofconceptsinthemind.(3)Thecontextualistviewheldthatmeaningshouldbestudiedintermsofsituation,use,context––elementscloselylinkedwithlanguagebehaviour.TherepresentativeofthisapproachwasJ.R.Firth,famousBritishlinguist.(4)Behavioristsattemptedtodefinethemeaningofalanguageformasthe“situationinwhichthespeakeruttersitandtheresponseitcallsforthinthehearer.”Thistheory,somewhatclosetocontextualism,islinkedwithpsychologicalinterest.2.WhatarethemajortypesofsynonymsinEnglish?答：Themajortypesofsynonymsaredialectalsynonyms,stylisticsynonyms,emotiveorevaluativesynonyms,collocationalsynonyms,andsemanticallydifferentsynonyms.Examples（略）3.Explainwithexamples“homonymy”,“polysemy”,and“hyponymy”.答：(1)Homonymyreferstothephenomenonthatwordshavingdifferentmeaningshavethesameform,i.e.,differentwordsareidenticalinsoundorspelling,orinboth.Whentwowordsareidenticalinsound,theyarehomophones.Whentwowordsareidenticalinspelling,theyarehomographs.Whentwowordsareidenticalinbothsoundandspelling,theyarecompletehomonyms(2)Whiledifferentwordsmayhavethesameorsimilarmeaning,thesameonewordmayhavemorethanonemeaning.Thisiswhatwecallpolysemy,andsuchawordiscalledapolysemicword.TherearemanypolysemicwordsinEnglish,Thefactisthemorecommonlyusedawordis,themorelikelyithasacquiredmorethanonemeaning.(3)Hyponymyreferstothesenserelationbetweenamoregeneral,moreinclusivewordandamorespecificword.Thewordwhichismoregeneralinmeaningiscalledthesuperordinate,andthemorespecificwordsarecalleditshyponyms.Hyponymsofthesamesuperordinateareco-hyponymstoeachother.Hyponymyisarelationofinclusion;intermsofmeaning,thesuperordinateincludesallitshyponyms.Examples（略）4.Howcanwordsoppositeinmeaningbeclassified?Towhichcategorydoeseachofthefollowingpairsofantonymsbelong?north/southvacant/occupiedliterate/illiterateabove/belowdoctor/patientwide/narrowpoor/richfather/daughter答：Theycanbegradableantonyms,complementaryantonymsandrelationaloppositeGradableantonyms:literate/illiteratewide/narrowpoor/richComplementaryantonyms:vacant/occupiedRelationalopposite:north/south,doctor/patient,father/daughter,above/below5.Identifytherelationsbetweenthefollowingpairsofsentences:Tom'swifeispregnant.Mysisterwillsoonbedivorced'Tomhasawife.Mysisterisamarriedwoman.Helikesseafood,Theyaregoingtohaveanotherbaby.Helikescrabs.Theyhaveachild.答：“Tom'swifeispregnant”presupposes“Tomhasawife.”“Mysisterwillsoonbedivorced”presupposes“Mysisterisamarriedwoman.”“Helikesseafood”isentailedby“Helikescrabs.”“Theyaregoingtohaveanotherbaby”presupposes“Theyhaveachild.”6.Inwhatwayiscomponentialanalysissimilartotheanalysisofphonemesintodistinctivefeatures?答：Theybothbaseonthebeliefthatthemeaningofawordcanbedissectedintomeaningcomponents.7.Whatisgrammaticality?Whatmightmakeagrammaticallymeaningfulsentencesemanticallymeaningless?答：Grammaticalityreferstothegrammaticalwell-formednessofasentence.Theviolationoftheselectionalrestrictions,i.e.,constrainsonwhatlexicalitemscangowithwhatothers,mightmakeagrammaticallymeaningless.8.Trytoanalyzethefollowingsentencesintermsofpredicationanalysis:Themansellsice-cream.Isthebabysleeping?Itissnowing.Thetreegrowswell.答：Themansellsice-cream.MAN,ICE-CREAM(SELL)Isthebabysleeping?BABY(SLEEP)Itissnowing.(SNOW)Thetreegrowswell.TREE(GROW)