Lexis, Morphology & Semantics for English Language Teaching Exploration of semantic operations...

Lexis, Morphology & Semantics for English Language Teaching

Exploration of semantic operations 2:

Homonymy & Polysemy

Exploration of semantic operationsx 4 lectures

Interrelationship between denotation, connotation & collocation

Analysis of lexical sets, semantic fields & sense relations

Synonymy, antonymy, hyponymy & meronymy

Common conceptions of English semantic operations among Chinese-speaking learners

Exploration of semantic operations 2

Homonymy & polysemy- diachronic vs synchronic criteria

Homonyms- homophones & homographs- “syllabic-stress” homographs- absolute homonymy

Homonymic / Polysemic ambiguity- the bank problem- slang / taboo- the novel problem- the funny problem- zeugma

Construing homonymy / polysemy

A homonym is (I):

– a spelling / sound that has two or more different meanings [ common sense / “folk linguistics” ]

(or)– an orthographic / phonological word that can be

used to represent two or more distinct lexical words[ morphology ]

(or)– a written / spoken (word) form that can be used to

express two or more distinct (word) senses[ lexical semantics ]

A homonym is (II):

– a result of two or more originally distinct words having come, by accident, to be written / spoken in the same way,

i.e. historically, the distinct words:

a) originated from separate lexical sources,possibly different languages;

b) used to be differently spelt / pronounced;

c) lost, some time ago, the distinctions inspelling / pronunciation.

SYNCHRONICpresent

A homonym is (I):

– a spelling / sound that has two or more different meanings

(or)– an orthographic /

phonological word that can be used to represent two or more distinct lexical words

(or)– a written / spoken form that

can be used to express two or more distinct senses

DIACHRONICpast present

A homonym is (II):

– a result of two or more originally distinct words having come, by accident, to be written / spoken in the same way,i.e. historically, the distinct words:

a) originated from separate lexical sources,possibly different languages;

b) used to be differently spelt / pronounced;

c) lost, some time ago, the distinctions inspelling / pronunciation.

past present

diachronic synchronicparadigmatic syntagmatic

invisiblevisible

==========CONSTRUAL==========

HOMONYMS

Jackson & Ze Amvela (2000:61)“… two or more words with the same shape. Although they have the same shape, homonymshomonyms are considered distinct lexemeslexemes, mainly because they have unrelated meanings and different etymologiesetymologies.”

Same spelling: homographe.g. lead (metal), lead

Same sound: homophonee.g. right, rite, write

Homonymic ambiguity / clashHomophones

know no wrap rapknows nose wring ringknew new write rightknight night wrote rote

( the silent “kk” / “ww” )

[ GreenwichChiswick ]

Homonymic ambiguity / clashHomophones

A: Why does the pony cough?B: Because he’s a little hoarse.

C: You said “my son”. Do you mean this new doll?D: No, (pointing at the sky) that’s my sun.

E: Why don’t you give her a ring?F: What? You want me to propose marriage to her?

Homophon-ishambiguity / clash

a parent apparenta hundred an’ eighty a hundred an’ ninetyice cream I scream

(HK Cantonese learners of English)three / free / feeOne, two, f(r)eeThree for free, and three for a fee

Homophonic ambiguity / clash

Wordplay

The knight in the night …

Hear it here. Write it right.

The bare bear ate eight hare’s hairs.

(More words to play with:http://www.fun-with-words.com/nym_homonyms.html

http://www.michellehenry.fr/homonym.htmhttp://a4esl.org/q/h/homonyms.html )

Homonymic ambiguity / clashHomographs

lead (metal) lead (leader)

wind (air) wind (twist)

wound (injury) wound (wind)

Homonymic ambiguity / clash“Syllabic-stress” Homographs

content (contain) content (happy)

entrance (entry) entrance (trance)

process (operation)process (operate) process (walk)

Absolute HomonymyLyons, J. (1995) Linguistics Semantics. Cambridge University Press. p.55

Three conditions:– unrelated in meaning– identical in all forms (shape / sound /

grammatical forms)

– grammatical equivalence between identical forms

( any one of the conditions not satisfied

Partial HomonymyPartial Homonymy )

Absolute Homonymy

Three conditions:– unrelated in meaning

• bat (ball game) bat (animal)

• bank (money) bank (river)

– identical in all forms• shape / sound / grammatical forms

– grammatical equivalence between identical forms

Partially homonymous

(identical in shape/sound; grammatically equivalent)

Related in meaning?• violet (colour; noun) violet (flower; noun)

• orange (colour; noun) orange (fruit; noun)

• yellow (colour; adj) yellow (cowardly; adj)

• purple (colour; noun) purple (status/rank; noun)

Lexical productivity

•violet (colour; noun) violet (flower; noun)

•orange (colour; noun) orange (fruit; noun)

? violetish / orangish ?vs

yellowish / purplish

•yellow (colour; adj) yellow (cowardly; adj)

•purple (colour; adj/noun) purple (status/rank; adj/noun)

A polyseme is (I):

– a spelling / sound that has two or more different meanings [ common sense ]

(or)– an orthographic / phonological word that can be used to

represent two or more different meanings[ morphology ]

(or)– a written / spoken (word) form that can be used to

express two or more different (word) senses[ lexical semantics ]

A polyseme is (II):

– a result of a lexical word having come to acquire one or more additional meanings/ senses,

i.e. historically, the lexical word with the (now) different meanings/senses:

a) originated from one lexical source;

b) used to have one meaning/sense;

c) came to acquire, some time ago, additional meanings/senses by semantic extension.

SYNCHRONICpresent

A polyseme is (I):

phonological word that can be used to represent two or more different meanings

can be used to express two or more different senses

DIACHRONICpastpresent

A polyseme is (II):

– a result of a lexical word having come to acquire one or more additional meanings or senses,i.e. historically, the lexical word with its different meanings / senses:

a) originated from one lexical source;

b) used to have one meaning / sense;

c) came to acquire, some time ago, additional meanings / senses by semantic extension.

A homonym is (I):

phonological word that can be used to represent two or more distinct lexical words

can be used to express two or more distinct senses

A polyseme is (I):

phonological word that can be used to represent two or more different meanings

can be used to express two or more different senses

How do you decide whether a word• has different meanings?

• expresses distinct meanings / senses?• is a homonym or a polyseme?

In what way can we be certain whether a word has just one, or more than one, distinct sense?

In what way can we be certain that one sense of a word is, or is not, a semantic extension of another sense of the word?

How do you decide whether a word• has different meanings?

• expresses distinct meanings / senses?• is a homonym or a polyseme?

Homonymy (same-name)- seemingly one (orthographic / phonological) word- but in fact more than onein fact more than one (lexical) word

Polysemy (multi-sense)

- (by definition) one lexical word- but in fact more than onein fact more than one sense

Homonymic / Polysemic ambiguityThe Bank Problem

A: My house is on the bank.B: Do you get a good view of the river, or

the bankers’ goodwill?

C: This bank is very valuable.D: I would rather have money than blood.

E: Bank with us to get the best returns.F: I won’t bank on you.

Homonymic / Polysemic ambiguitySlang / Taboo

cock roosterass donkeyrubber eraserpiss off kiss off

(flea flee)

Homonymic / Polysemic ambiguityThe identity test: “but”

Siu-ming’s coat is light, but Tai-ming’s is dark.Ray’s coat is light, but Roy’s is heavy.

? Siu-ming’s coat is light in colour, but Roy’s is heavy.? Ray’s coat is light in weight, but Tai-ming’s is dark.

?(?) Siu-ming’s coat is light in colour, but not Roy’s.?(?) Ray’s coat is light in weight, but not Tai-ming’s.

Homonymic / Polysemic ambiguityThe identity test: “so”

Siu-ming’s coat is light, but Tai-ming’s is dark.Ray’s coat is light, but Roy’s is heavy.

? Siu-ming’s coat is light, so is Ray’s.?(?) Tai-ming’s coat is dark, so is Roy’s.

Polysemic ambiguityThe Novel Problem

the red book ??the red novel

the Little Red Book the red novel

the dirty book the dirty novel

the two books the two novels

Polysemic ambiguityThe Funny Problem

This banknote looks a bit funny. It’s not like what we usually have.

I felt a bit funny after drinking the bottle of wine.

He went a bit funny after his wife passed away.

I don’t want to get involved in your funny business.

Do you meanfunny ha-hafunny ha-ha or funny peculiarfunny peculiar?

Ways of seeing word meaningsZeugma

Mary was wearing a pair of sunglasses and a smile.

Jane opened the door and her heart to Peter.

The policeman caught the thief and a flu.

She smoked the salmon and the cigar.

The trader and his trading licence expired yesterday.

Let’s hang together or we’ll hang separately.

We’ll have friends for tea and chicken for dinner.

Time flies, but I don’t.

We’ll have friends for tea and chicken for dinner.

Time flies, but I don’t.

homonyms(same name / word-forms;

different lexical words)

synonyms(together names)

< construing similarity >

polysemes(multi meanings;

but one word)

antonyms(anti/against names)

Construing meaning / Making sense / Building identity

Partially homonymous?

(identical in shape/sound; not grammatically equivalent)

Related in meaning?• willing (adj) willing

(verb+ing)

Partially homonym-ish?

(Not identical in shape/sound; nor grammatically equivalent)

Related in meaning?herself her self(reflex / emph pron) (poss. pron + noun)

will (v.) – O.E. *willan, wyllan "to wish, desire, want" (past tense

wolde), from PIE *wel-/*wol- "be pleasing." The unusual use as a future auxiliary was already developing in O.E. The implication of intention or volition distinguishes it from shall, which expresses or implies obligation or necessity. Contracted forms, especially after pronouns, began to appear 16c., as in sheele for "she will." The form with an apostrophe is from 17c.; won't for will not is first recorded mid-15c. as wynnot, later wonnot (1584) before the modern form emerged 1667. Willing is O.E. willendliche.

will (n.) – O.E. will, willa, related to *willan "to wish" (see will (v.)),

from P.Gmc. *weljon. The meaning "written document expressing a person's wishes about disposition of property after death" is first recorded c.1380.

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=will&searchmode=none

Partially homonymous?(identical in shape/sound; not grammatically equivalent)

(verb+ing)

The crowd is willing Joan to win the fight.

Joan is willing / wills herself to win the fight.

Joan will win / is able to win the fight tomorrow.

Joan is willing to win the fight tomorrow.

Partially homonymous?(identical in shape/sound; not grammatically equivalent)

(verb+ing)

The crowd is willing Joan to win the fight.

Joan is willing / wills herself to win the fight.

Joan will win / is able to win the fight tomorrow.

Joan is willing to win the fight tomorrow.

boring (adj) boring (verb+ing)

[ Bauer, L. (1983) English Word-formation. CUP. P.212: ]

Compounds of other form classes are … rare and of extremely low productivity. Compound … pronouns are the -self forms and somebody, anyone, etc. compound conjunctions include … even and/or.

[ Bauer, L. (1983) English Word-formation. CUP. P.212: ]

Compounds of other form classes are … rare and of extremely low productivity. Compound … pronouns are the -self forms and somebody, anyone, etc. compound conjunctions include … even and/or.

A previous e810 participant asked: “Did you say function words do not form new words?”

PRONOUNS (function words)

I, you, she, he, it, we, you, theyme, you, her, him, it, us, you, themmyself, yourself, herself, himself, yourselves,

themselves(poss pron): mine, yours, hers, his, yours, theirs(poss det): my, your, her, his, its, our, your, their

New words? Where?

“heir sylfa”“heir sylfa/selfes” “selfes”“herself” “the self”

Which one was the new word (i.e. newly formed lexical word): “herself” or “self”?

Partially homonym-ish?(Not identical in shape/sound; nor grammatically equivalent)

Ways of seeing word meanings

To construe or not to construe Homonymy / Polysemy

piggy bank small bank tall bankHigh Street bank friendly bankbank(ing) hours bank holiday

data bank blood bank sperm bank

river bank steep bank snow bank

dark bank (of clouds) fog bank

bank with bank on

Semantic / lexical field

redorangeyellowgreenblue

indigoviolet

Cognitiveframes / domain

Semantic / lexical field

hungchaangwong

lukchinglaam

Cognitiveframes / domain

Ways of seeing word meaningsTo construe or not to construe Homonymy / Polysemy

To construe or not to construe Homonymy / Polysemy (of “ish”)

blue (adjective)blue (noun)blue (verb)bluish (adjective): tending towards blue

purplish (adjective): rather purple in colour

green (adjective)greenish (adjective): somewhat greengreen (noun)

To construe or not to construe Homonymy / Polysemy

blue (adj): colour of clear sky/sea; sad/depressedblue (noun):blue (verb): bluish (adjective): tending towards blue

purplish (adjective): rather purple in colour

green (adj): colour of growing grass; immaturegreenish (adj): somewhat greengreen (noun):

To construe or not to construeCross-cultural Homonymy / Polysemy

blue in Chinese & Japanesehttp://www.websters-online-dictionary.org/definition/blue

green in Chinese & Japanesehttp://www.websters-online-dictionary.org/definition/green

blue, green & qing in Chinese & Englishhttp://www.arts.cuhk.edu.hk/Lexis/Lindict/

Homonymy & polysemy- diachronic vs synchronic criteria

Homonyms- homophones & homographs- “syllabic-stress” homographs- absolute homonymy

Homonymic / Polysemic ambiguity- the bank problem- slang / taboo- the novel problem- the funny problem- zeugma

Construing homonymy / polysemy

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