MODULE 2

Meaning and discourse in English

LEXICAL RELATIONS
Lesson 2

PARADIGMATIC &
SYNTAGMATIC RELATIONS

Horizontal relationships are syntagmatic

Vertical relationships are paradigmatic
So semantic relationships are
paradigmatic

Lexical relations - Hyponymy

Flower
daffodil

tulip

pansy

rose

Sheep
ram

ewe

lamb

In this model one lexeme can substitute another: X is a

kind of Y.
This relation is called HYPONYMY

Do these pairs mean the

same thing?

enough
sufficient

insane
mad

rancid
rotten

autumn
fall

regal
kingly

deep
profound

fraternal
brotherly

sodium
chloride

freedom
liberty

endless
everlasting

purchase
buy

Lexical relations SYNONYMY

Synonyms are lexemes which have the same

meaning
English has a lot of synonyms because its
vocabulary comes from different sources
(Anglo-Saxon, Latin, Greek, French)
But is it possible to have true synonyms, i.e.
words with exactly the same meaning?

Distinguishing meanings

Some words only occur in particular contexts

(e.g. dialect words, autumn-fall)
Some words only occur in certain styles (salt and
sodium chloride)
Some words only occur in certain collocations
(deep water but not profound water)
Some words are emotionally stronger (e.g.
freedom, not liberty)
Some words overlap in meaning but are not
identical (e.g. govern and direct)

Why is synonymy important

for language students?

Because students often need to know

why do you say x and not y when x
and y are very similar.

You will often find the answers in

dictionaries or in concordances (see
lecsson 3 - collocation)

Are these pairs the same kind

of opposite?
alive
dead

big
little

buy
sell

clumsy
dexterous

dry
wet

first
last

happy
sad

husband
wife

large
small

married
single

over
under

hot
cold

Lexical relations - Antonymy

Gradable antonyms - these are capable of

comparison (e.g. wetter, very wet)
Complementary (either-or) antonyms - if one
applies the other does not (e.g. alive/dead)
Converse antonyms - these are mutually
dependent; you cannot have one without the
other (e.g. wife/husband)

How do we know antonyms?

By intuition.
The antonym of little is big and the
antonym of large is small. Large is not
the antonym of little even though they
are conceptual opposites.

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Lexical relations - polysemy

Eye
Eye is classified as one word
with two different meanings.
This happens when the
difference in meaning is
predictable or regular.
There is a core meaning
from which the other meanings
(eye of a needle, eye of a
tornado) can be predicted.
Metaphors are often
polysemous

QuickTime e un
decompressore
(Non co
sono
necessari perTIFF
visualizzare

QuickTimeTIFF
e un(Non compresso)
decompressore
sono
necessari per visualizzare
quest'immagine.
QuickTime

e un
decompressore
sono
necessari perTIFF
visu(

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Lexical relations -homonymy

Bank
The word bank in river bank
and Lloyds bank are
classified as two different
words with separate meanings
even though they have the
same form.
This is because the meaning
of one form is not predictable
from the meaning of another.

QuickTime e un
decompressore
(Non comp
sono necessari perTIFF
visualizzare
qu

QuickTime e un
decompressore
(Non c
sono
necessari perTIFF
visualizza

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Implications for students

Leaning groups of hyponyms is easier for students

than learning words separately

It is important to know how to distinguish the

meaning of synonyms especially at advanced levels

Polysemous words are easier for students to

understand than homonyms. Polysemous and
metaphorical meanings can be taught with core
meanings.

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Polysemy or Homonymy

Mai - youve got mail, chain mail

Pupil - student, part of the eye
Ear - ear of corn,
Face - face of a clock
Tongue - tongue of a shoe
Key - answer key, key to the door
Charge - electrical charge, price, military
charge

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A word is easier to understand

when

It is a cognate
The morphology is recognised
The context is understood (so you can make a
good guess at the meaning)
SO you should always try to guess the meaning
of a word when these factors are present
Only use a dictionary when none of these factors
are present, i.e. when you have NO CHANCE of
understanding it!

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