词汇学期末考试

词汇学

1. In what aspects do synonymous words differ? Give examples to illustrate each aspect.

Firstly,

synonymous

words

mean

two

or

more

than

two

words

which

are

of

the

same

language and grammatical category that have the same essential or general meaning in denotation

but may differ in connotative meaning. For example: see, look, watch

Secondly, there are mainly two kinds of synonyms.

Complete

synonyms

(absolute/

perfect

synonyms):

Complete

synonyms

mean

synonymous

words

that

are

identical

in

every

aspect,

no

matter

in

denotation

or

connotation.

For

example:

word building and word formation; compounding and composition. However, complete synonyms

are very rare.

Relative synonyms (partial synonyms): words are similar or nearly the same in denotation,

but

embrace

other

different

connotative

meanings.

Relative

synonyms

mainly

differ

in

the

following three connotations.

1: In degree of a given quality or in shades of meaning. A. In degree of a given quality, for

example, in different degrees of intensity: small, tiny, diminutive, minute, microscope. These are

synonyms, but they denote different degrees of smallness. B. IN shades of meaning, for example:

refuse, reject, and decline. In shades of meaning, generally speaking, decline, reject, refuse

2. In affective meaning and stylistic meaning. A. Some words have emotional coloring but

some have not. Take small and little for example, both mean not big, not old. However, when we

associate emotion with the designation, we will say little boy instead of small boy, for the word

small has no affective meaning. B. In stylistic meaning

。

In this case, synonyms refer to the same

thing but belong to different stylistic layers, which means some words of the same synonyms are

used at a certain situation. For example: man, fellow, bird, chap, guy. This is a group of synonyms

with the same denotative meaning but with different stylistic layers.

collocation and distribution. A. Though many synonyms share the common denotative

meaning, they are used in different collocation. Take pretty and handsome for example. We say

pretty girl/ child/ flower, but we can only say handsome boy/ man/house/car. Tough the two words

share the common denotation of

”

good- looking

”

B. Sometimes two words of a synonymous pair

also distribute in different places. For example: living, alive

He is the greatest artist alive. He is the greatest living artist.

All

in

all,

in

terms

of

relative

synonyms,

there

are

still

some

differences

in

connotative

meaning. Such as in degree of a given quality( intensity, displeasure

…

), in shades of meaning; in

affective/emotional meaning and in stylistic meaning; in collocation and in distribution.

2. When we talk about antonyms, what is meant by contraries, complemetaries and conversives?

Give examples to illustrate the characteristic of each type.

Firstly,

antonym

refers

to

all

types

of

oppositions

and

it

means

a

word

having

a

meaning

opposite to that of another word. For example, the word wet is an antonym of the word dry.

Secondly, antonyms can be classified on the basis of morphological structure and semantic

contrast.

Based

in

the

semantic

contrast,

there

are

three

types

of

antonyms:

contraries,

complementaries and conversives.

Contraries: polar members of a gradual opposition which may have intermediate terms. Most

of the antonyms are contraries. For example, we have cold, cool, warm, hot. Cold and hot are a

pair of contrary antonyms. Cool and warm are two intermediate terms. More examples like: deep

and shallow, rich and poor, heavy and light, old and young. The contrast is relative intermediate

terms.

Complementaries:

complementaries

or

contradictories

represent

a

type

of

binary,

semantic

opposition. In complementary pair, the contrast between the two terms is absolute, which means

one term denies the other term and there is no way for both existing. Take dead and alive, male

and female, regular and irregular for example. One people, he is either male or female. There is no

other choices.

What’s

more,

unlike

contrary

terms,

complementaries

are

nongradable

and

admit

no

intermediate

members.

Say,

he

is

very

old(

gradable

term),

but

we

never

say

he

is

very

dead( nongradable term).

Conversives:

conversives,

relational

opposites,

is

one

type

of

binary

oppositions.

They

denote

one

and

the

same

thing

viewed

from

different

points

of

views.

There

is

an

independent

meaning. One of them cannot be used without suggesting the other. For example: lend and borrow,

give and receive, buy and sell, before and after, widow and widower.

In case of conversive pair, one term used as subject indicates the other term which is used as

object. More often, conversives are about reciprocal social roles, spatial relationships and so on.

For example: A is B

’

s husband, then without any questions, B is A

’

s wife.

Compared

with

contraries,

there

is

no

graduation

between

the

opposites;

compared

with

complementaries,

the

contrast

between

the

opposites

is

not

absolute.

The

opposition

in

conversives is only relational.

In conclusion, the three types of antonyms are contraries, complementaries and conversives.

Contraries

are

the

two

polar

members

of

a

group

of

gradable

terms;

complementaries

are

two

absolute independent terms which are nongradable; conversives are antonyms that most are of a

relationship such that one member of a pair presupposes the other.