Ôn tập Ngữ nghĩa học ( giữa kỳ )

1. Semantic feature /semantic components or semantic properties (nét nghĩa)

- A semantic feature is the basic unit of meaning in a word. The meanings of words
may be described as a combination of semantic features.
- We identify the meaning of a word by its semantic features
Binary oppositions ( thế đối lập có- không) vs: father [+male], [-femal]
- We identify the meaning of a word according to its primitive ( gốc ) semantic
features first and then with the assistance of its other semantic features.
- Diferent words may share the same sematic feature.
Ex: doctor, engineer, teacher, physicist, chemist, tailor,hairdresser
[+professional]
Ex: mother, father, son, daughter, sister,aunt, uncle [+kinship]
2. Referent, reference and sense

- Referent ( vật sở chỉ) : the referent of an expression is often a thing or a person in

a word
- Reference ( sở chỉ ) : the relationships between language and the world
- Variable reference (sở chỉ không cố định) : when one linguistic expression refers
to different referents. ( tùy vào thời gian, địa điểm mà chỉ người hay vật khác
nhau)
- Constant reference ( sở chỉ cố định) : when one linguistic refers to the same
referent. ( luôn luôn ổn định chỉ một vật, sự vật, tổ chức ) vd: the sun, the moon
- Co-reference ( đồng sở chỉ ) : when two or more linguistic refers to the same
referent ( có nhiều cách để gọi để chỉ một người hay một vật)
- Sense (nghĩa) : the sense of a word shows the internal relationship between that
word and others in the vocabulary of a language. ( nghĩa của từ cho thấy mối
quan hệ bên trong giữa cái từ ấy với các từ khác trong từ vựng của một ngôn
ngữ)
- Sense of an expression is its place in a system of semantic relationships with
other expression in the language ( nghĩa của một cách biểu đạt là cái chỗ của nó
trong một hệ thống của các mối quan hệ ngữ nghĩa với những cách biểu đạt khác
trong cái ngôn ngữ ấy)
- The relationship between reference and sense: the notions of sense and
reference are central to study of meaning. The idea of reference is the relatively
soild ( có cơ sở, chắc chắn) and easy to understand. The idea of sense is more
elusive ( khó hiểu): it’s a bit like electricity, which we all know how to use and
even talk about it in various way, without being sure what exactly it is.
3. Denotation ( nghĩa sở thị ) vs Connotation ( nghĩa liên tưởng)
- Denotation also called denotative meaning or referential meaning of a word is
the core or central meaning of the word found in a dictionary ( nghĩa cơ bản
trong từ điển)
- Connotation or connotaative meaning of a word is the additional meaning that
the word has beyond its denotative meaning. It shows people’s emotions and/or
 attitudes towards what the word refers to. ( nghĩa khác ẩn sau nghĩa gốc thể hiện
cảm xúc hay thái độ )
4. Hyponymy (inclusion) : quan hệ bao nghĩa
- Hyponymy is a sense relation in which the sense of a word is included in the
sense of another word. In the other words, hyponymy is the relationship
between each of hyponyms ( the lower) and its superordinate ( the higher)
- A Hyponym = subordinates : hạ danh
- A superodinate = hyperonyms : thượng danh
- Hyponyms often exist at more than one level, resulting in mutiple layers of
hyponymic relationships.
5. Synonymy: quan hệ đồng nghĩa
- Synonymy is a sense relation in which various words have different written and
sound forms but have the same or nearly the same meaning.
- True synonymy ( perfect synonymy/ absolute synonymy) : quan hệ đồng nghĩa
tuyệt đối, toàn phần
- Partial synonymy is a sense relation in which the senses of polysemous word is
synonymous with another word: quan hệ đồng nghĩa bộ phận
6. Antonymy : quan hệ trái nghĩa
- Binary antonymy ( quan hệ trái nghĩa nhị phân/ loại trừ) also called
compementary antonymy is a sense realtion in which two members of a pair of
antonyms
Ex: alive—dead, married—single
- Gardable antonymy ( quan hệ trái nghĩa có thang độ ) is a sense relation in which
two members of a pair of antonyms
Ex: hot—cold, difficult—easy
- Reational antonymy ( quan hệ trái nghĩa nghịch đảo) also called converses.
Ex: buy-sell, employer-employee, thinner-fatter , teach-learn, send-recieve, lend-
borrow, import-export, own-belong to
7. Homonymy : quan hệ đồng âm
- Homonyms are different words that are pronounced the same but may or may
not be spelled the same.
- A case of homonymy is one where differnent words are pronounced the same
but may or may not be spelled the same.
- A case of homonymy is one of an ambigous word ( từ mơ hồ về nghĩa) whole
different senses are far apart from each other and not obviously related to each
other in any way ( đồng âm là một trường hợp của một từ mơ hồ về nghĩa, các
nghĩa của nó thì rất khác nhau và rõ ràng là không có quan hệ với nhau theo bất
kỳ kiểu nào dựa trên trực giác của người bản ngữ. Các trường hợp đồng âm chắc
chắn chỉ là sự trùng hợp ngẫu nhiên.
- True homonymy: A case of true homonymy is one where different words are
pronounced and spelled the same but have different meaning.
Ex: bear : large animal bear : give birth to
 - Homophony ( đồng âm dị tự) : A case of homophony is one where different
words are pronounced the same but are not be spelled the same and have
different meaning.
Ex: our vs hour
- Homography ( đồng tự ) : A case of homography is one where different word are
spelled the same but are not pronounced the same and have different meanings.
Ex : lead /li:d/ (verb) lead/led/ (noun)
8. Polysemy : quan hệ đa nghĩa
- Polysemy is a sense relation in which a single word has two or more slightly
different but closely related meanings.
Ex: chip
- A case of polysemy is one where a word has several very closely related senses.
In other words, a native speaker of the language has clear intuitions that the
different senses are related to each other in some way.
Ex : mouth of a river vs mouth of an animal
9. Figures of speech ( phép tu từ, biện pháp tu từ, mỹ từ pháp)
- A figure of speech is a word or phrase that is used for special effect and does not
have its usual or literal meaning
- Smile ( tỷ dụ, phép so sánh hiển ngôn, ví von) is the use of comparison of one
thing with another
Ex: as brave as a lion
A face like a mask
As cold as ice
- Metaphor ( ẩn dụ, phép so sánh ngầm) is the use of a word or a phrase to
indicate something different from ( though related in some way ) to the literal
meaning.
Ex : I’ll make him eat his words
She has a heart of stone.

- Dead metaphor ( ẩn dụ chết, ẩn dụ mòn cũ) are used so often that they lost their
metaphoric characteristic. ( cố định, không đổi, thành ngữ )
Ex : the leg/face of the table
The back of the chair
- Live metaphor ( ẩn dụ sống) are implied or indirect comparisons which have a
variety of figurative meanings though their endless use.
Ex: Tom is a pig.

- Pesonification ( phép nhân cách hóa) is a special kind of metaphor in which some
human characteristic is attributed to an inanimate object or an abstract notion;
that is, a lifeless thing or quality is stated as if it were living
Ex: pitiless cold, cruel hot, the thirsty ground.
- Metonymy ( hoán dụ, phép dùng tên gọi của sự vật này để chỉ sự vật khác): dùng
bộ phận để nói về đặt trưng của thứ khác, is the substitution of the name of one
thing for that of another to which it is related/ with which is associated.

- Synecdoche ( phép cải dung, phép đổi sức chứa) is a special kind of metonymy in
which a part of aspect of a person, object meant to refers to the whole peson,
object ( dùng bộ phận để nói cái toàn thể)

- Hyperbole ( ngoa dụ, phép nói khoa trương) overstatement, is the use of
exaggerated statement that is made for special effect and is not meant to be
taken literally.

- Litotes ( khiêm dụ, phép nói giảm, nói khiêm tốn) also called meiosis, is the use of
deliberately gentler, milder or weaker statements to express something in
controlled way.

- Irony( biếm dụ, phép nói mỉa, phép nói châm biếm) is the expression of one’s
meaning by saying the direct opposite of one’s thoughts in order to be emphatic,
amusing, sarcastic.

Ex : what a lovely day! Everything I had went wrong.

- Euphemism ( uyển dụ, phép nói khéo) is the use of pleasant, mild or indirect
word or phrases in place of more accurate or direct ones.
Ex: handicapped ( khuyết tật)
- A taboo word ( từ kiêng kị) dirty word Ex: crippled (què)