R.

Albu, Semantics WORKSHEET 2

SEMANTIC PROPERTIES - EXERCISES

1.(Preparatory) To be done at home) For each of the following sets of predicates indicate the one which does not
belong to the same natural class as the others (the ‘odd man out”). Then indicate the conceptual element(s) the
other share:
(1) pine, elm, ash, oak, dandelion, sycamore, fir
(2) alive, tall, asleep, dead, married, pregnant
(3) sing, talk, dance, speak, shout, whisper, mutter
(4) ooze, trickle, drip, seep, slide, gush, squirt
(5) rub, scratch, graze, wipe, scrape, brush, push (all transitive verbs)
(6) at, of, in, on, under, below, near
(7) square, circular, triangular, spherical, hexagonal, rectangular, polygonal

2. For each group of words given below, state what semantic property or properties are shared by the (a) words and
the (b) words, and what semantic property or properties distinguish between the classes of (a) words and (b) words.
Example: a. widow, mother, sister, aunt, seamstress
b. widower, father, brother, uncle, tailor
The (a) and (b) words are "human".
The (a) words are "female" and the (b) words are "male".

A. a. bachelor, man, son, paperboy, pope, chief

b. bull, rooster, drake, ram
B. a. table, stone, pencil, cup, house, ship, car
b. milk, alcohol, rice, soup, mud
C. a. book, temple, mountain, road, tractor
b. idea, love, charity, sincerity, bravery, fear
D. a. pine, elm, ash, weeping willow, sycamore
b. rose, dandelion, aster, tulip, daisy
E. a. book, letter, encyclopedia, novel, notebook, dictionary
b. typewriter, pencil, ballpoint, crayon, quill, charcoal, chalk
F. a. walk, run, skip, jump, hop, swim
b. fly, skate, ski, ride, cycle, canoe, hang-glide
G. a. ask, tell, say, talk, converse
b. shout, whisper, mutter, drawl, holler
H. a. alive, asleep, dead, married, pregnant
b. tall, smart, interesting, bad, tired
I. a. alleged, counterfeit, false, putative, accused
b. red, large, cheerful, pretty, stupid
(Hint: Is an alleged murderer always a murderer?)

3. Explain the semantic ambiguity of the following sentences by providing two sentences that paraphrase the two
meaning. Example: She can't bear children can mean either She can't give birth to children or She can't tolerate
children.
a. He waited by the bank.
b. Is he really that kind?
c. The proprietor of the fish store was the sole owner.
d. The long drill was boring.
e. It takes a good ruler to make a straight line.

HOMONYMY OR POLYSEMY?
Discuss: a. bank 1 = side of a river; bank 2 = financial institution
b. neck 1 = part of the body;
neck 2 = part of shirt or other garment;
neck 3 = part of bottle;
neck 4 = narrow strip of land etc.

All standard dictionaries respect the distinction between homonymy and polysemy. But how do they draw the line
between the two?