Semantic Relations and the Lexicon: Antonymy, Synonymy and other Paradigms

Cover......Page 1
Half-title......Page 3
Title......Page 5
Copyright......Page 6
Dedication......Page 7
Contents......Page 9
Acknowledgments......Page 10
Symbols and typographical conventions......Page 11
Part I Paradigmatic relations, generally......Page 13
1 Why lexical relations?......Page 15
1.1 Approaching semantic relations......Page 16
1.2 Relations and ’nyms: some definitions......Page 20
1.3.1 Basic assumptions......Page 24
1.3.2 Lexical items and lexical entries......Page 26
1.3.3 The dictionary metaphor and the nature of meaning......Page 28
1.4 Words, concepts, and concepts of words......Page 33
1.5 Summary and next steps......Page 36
2 A pragmatic approach to semantic relations......Page 37
2.1 Properties of semantic relations......Page 38
2.1.1 Productivity......Page 39
2.1.2 Binarity......Page 40
2.1.3 Variability......Page 41
2.1.4 Prototypicality and canonicity......Page 43
2.1.5 Semi-semanticity......Page 46
2.1.6 Uncountability......Page 48
2.1.7 Predictability......Page 49
2.1.8 Universality......Page 52
2.2 Semantic relatedness as metalinguistic knowledge......Page 54
2.2.1 Relation by Contrast......Page 55
2.2.2 Relevance and other relational criteria......Page 56
2.3.1 Canonical and non-canonical relations......Page 59
2.3.2 Metaphorical extensions......Page 60
2.3.3 Paradigmatic shift......Page 61
2.3.4 Errors in language processing......Page 62
2.3.5 Categorization and word families......Page 69
2.3.6 Stylistic competence......Page 71
2.4 Summary......Page 72
3 Other approaches......Page 73
3.1.1 Philosophy......Page 74
3.1.2 Linguistics......Page 77
3.1.3 Anthropology......Page 81
3.1.4 Psychology......Page 86
3.1.5 Computer science......Page 92
3.1.6 Next steps......Page 96
3.2.1 Componential analysis of vocabulary......Page 97
3.2.2 Summary and commentary......Page 101
3.3 Relations beside meanings: dictionary/thesaurus models......Page 103
3.3.1 Fields and frames......Page 104
3.3.2 Cruse’s contextual relations......Page 109
3.3.3 Lexical functions in Meaning Text Theory......Page 111
3.3.4 Summary and commentary......Page 115
3.4 Relations as primary: meaning postulates......Page 116
3.4.1 Atomism and meaning postulates......Page 117
3.4.2 WordNet......Page 119
3.4.3 Comments on networks and associationism......Page 125
3.5.1 Relation elements......Page 129
3.5.2 Relations as prototypes......Page 138
3.6 Summary and next steps......Page 140
Part II Paradigmatic relations, specifically......Page 143
4.1 A pragmatic approach to synonymy......Page 145
4.1.1 Defining and deriving synonym relations......Page 146
4.1.2 Fixed mental representations of synonymy......Page 147
4.1.3 What is similar enough? What is different enough?......Page 148
4.1.4 Specifying difference rather than similarity......Page 153
4.2 Aspects of meaning and subtypes of synonymy......Page 155
4.2.1 Words, sentences, meanings, or things?......Page 156
4.2.2 Identity and similarity in denotative meaning......Page 158
4.2.3 Beyond denotation......Page 162
Grammatical categories......Page 164
Expressive elements of meaning......Page 166
Collocation, selectional restrictions, and frequency......Page 168
4.3.1 Reflexive, symmetrical, transitive......Page 169
4.3.2 Substitutable, interchangeable......Page 171
4.4 Synonymy’s effects on vocabulary......Page 172
4.4.1 Avoidance of synonymy......Page 173
4.4.2 Sense contagion among synonyms?......Page 178
4.5 Synonymy and other relations......Page 179
4.6 Summary......Page 180
5.1.1 Defining and deriving antonyms and contrast sets......Page 181
5.1.2 Canonical antonymy and contrast......Page 188
5.2.1 Binarity: Opposition versus contrast......Page 193
5.2.2 Symmetry and markedness......Page 196
5.3 Types of antonymy (and contrast)......Page 200
5.3.1 Classical antonymy: Gradable contraries......Page 201
5.3.2 Complementary antonymy and contrast......Page 206
5.3.3 Converse, reverse, and directional antonyms......Page 208
5.3.4 Unclassified and complex oppositions......Page 210
5.4.1 Morphologically related and unrelated antonyms......Page 213
5.4.2 Discourse functions of antonymy......Page 215
5.4.3 Antonymy and semantic change......Page 217
5.4.4 Acquisition of antonyms......Page 221
5.4.5 Antonymy cross-culturally......Page 225
5.5 Conclusions......Page 227
6.1 Hyponymy and hyperonymy......Page 228
6.1.1 Definitions of hyponymy......Page 229
6.1.2 Types of hyponymy, and types of words that are hyp(er)onyms......Page 231
6.1.3 Properties of hyponymy and taxonomies......Page 234
6.1.4 Words, intensions, or extensions? What hyponymy relates......Page 238
6.1.5 The metalexical approach to hyponymy......Page 240
6.2.1 Definitions, types, and properties of meronymy......Page 242
6.2.2 What meronymy relates......Page 246
6.3 Other relations......Page 247
6.4 Summary: The asymmetric relations in the metalexical approach......Page 248
7.1 Is semantic organization of the lexicon necessary?......Page 249
7.2 What is a plausible model of the lexicon?......Page 251
7.3 Whither metalinguists?......Page 254
Appendix: Relation elements......Page 255
1 WHY LEXICAL RELATIONS?......Page 257
3 OTHER APPROACHES......Page 258
4 SYNONYMY AND SIMILARITY......Page 260
5 ANTONYMY AND CONTRAST......Page 261
6 HYPONYMY, MERONYMY, AND OTHER RELATIONS......Page 264
References......Page 266
Index......Page 286