SEMANTICS.

MID-TERM TEST PAPER

(Historical semantics, Structural Semantics)
I. Historical semantics;
a) llmann!s classi"ication o" semantic c#an$es ($i%e e&am'les)
() T#e sources o" t#e En$lis# %oca(ular). Anal)se t#e "ollo*in$ *or+s "rom t#is 'oint o" %ie*,
(rot#er, #ouse, -in$, street, 'rison, (is#o', mansion, s-irt, allusion, nou%eau ric#e,
s#er(et, cousin, .ent.
c) De"ine an+ i" 'ossi(le illustrate, semantic c#an$e/ le&ical c#an$e, $enerali0ation/
s'eciali0ation, amelioration, +e$ra+ation.
+)Semantic c#an$e an+ social c#an$e.Mention t#e semantic e%olution o" social ran- terms li-e,
-na%e, c#url, 'rince no(le. 1#at +o t#ese c#an$es tell us a(out t#e i+eolo$) o" t#e users 2
e) 1#at is Sa&onmania 2 3i%e e&am'les.
II.4)3i%e +e Saussure!s +e"inition o" t#e lin$uistic si$n. Its 'ro'erties, t#e conce't o" %alue. T#e
si$n as +e"ine+ () H5elmsle%. 1#at is t#e structuralist 'osition on t#e constitution o" meanin$ an+
conce'ts2
6) Discuss t#e "ollo*in$ *or+s "rom t#e 'oint o" %ie* o" lin$uistic moti%ation,
(to )s#ill)-s#all), un+ersi$n, un+erta-e, ras'(err), inconcei%a(le, conce'tion, *riter, #ammer, co-
e+, (runc#
7) Discuss !%alue! in t#e "ollo*in$ e&am'les,
tras# collector, sanitation en$ineer; 'rett) *omen, #an+some *oman, carreer *oman, s'inster,
(ac#elor $irl; *or-in$ mot#er, *or-in$ "at#er. He cannot carr) a tune in a (as-et.
8) Denotati%e semiotics an+ Connotati%e smiotics (H5elmsle%, 9art#es),
a) Discuss t#e "ollo*in$ *or+s or +iscourses re$ar+in$ t#eir connotation ("unctional st)les an+
re$ister)
"all/autumn; (u++)/"rien+; into&icate+, +run-, ine(riate+, slos#e+, ti's); 'us# u' +aisies/+ie
:#, 1#at a cute little $irl; ;
A, 1#at!s )our name, (o)2
9, Dr. Poussaint, I!m a '#)sician.
A, 1#at!s )our "irst name, (o).
9, Al%in.
I" an) 'erson #as in #is 'ossession an) "irearms, or ammunition *it# intent () means t#ereo" to
en+an$er li"e or cause serious in5ur) to 'ro'ert), #e s#all (e $uilt) o" "elon) an+, in con%iction t#ereo" or
in+ictment s#all (e lia(le to im'risonment "or a term not e&cee+in$ "ourteen )ears.
() T)'es o" connotation in t#e En$lis# %oca(ular),
a. De"ine ta(oo terms an+ $i%e t*o e&am'les.
(. De"ine clic#<s. 1rite a sentence containin$ t*o clic#<s.
c. 3i%e t#ree e&am'les o" 'oliticall) correct terms. 1#at is 'olitical correctness.
+. 1#at is r#)min$ slan$ 2 3i%e t*o e&am'les.
c) 1#at is re$ister 2 = re"er to le%els o" "ormalit), startin$ "rom t#e *or+ P::R, DRN..
III. Com'onential anal)sis.
a)3i%e a 'lausi(le com'onential anl)sis o" t#e "ollo*in$ set, D:NE
car, (us, t*o- seater, (ic)cle, se+an, cart.
()De"ine , semes, sememes, le&emes, semantic +imension. 1#at are t#e assum'tions an+ aims
o" com'onential anal)sis2 1#at are t#e assume+ 'ro'erties o" semes2 1#at are t#e limitations o"
com'onential anal)sis2
c)1#at is a com'onential +e"inition 2 3i%e at least t*o +e"initions "or t#e *or+ M:THER/
>ATHER
.
I?. Distri(utional anal)sis.
a)T#e 'rinci'les o" +istri(utional anal)sis as a met#o+ o" semantic anal)sis.
()Distri(utional anal)sis an+ t#e anl)sis o" 'ol)semous *or+s.
T#ere are +e$rees o" 'ol)sem), %er(s are more 'ol)semous t#an nouns
Anal)se t#e meanin$s o" RN/ 3R:1, usin$ +istri(utional anl)sis.
He ran "rom t#e #ouse to t#e tree He can run a mile in 4@!./1#at "ilm *ill (e runnin$ ne&t *ee-,
'lease2/ T#e *ell #as run +r). 1e are runnin$ out o" time./ He #as run t#e s#o* "or man) )ears. He
cannot run #is o*n s#o'./ He #as a run t#rou$# t#e 'ar- e%er) e%enin$.
T#e) $ro* tuli's. Rice $ro*s in *arm climates. It!s $ro*in$ +ar-. T#e) $re* to lo%e #im. T#is
tune is sim'l) $ro*in$ on )ou./ S#e #as $ro*n into a "ine *oman./ S#e *ill ne%er $ro* u'./ Her $ro*in$
an&iet) *as %isi(le no*.
?.Com'onential anal)sis an+ $enerati%e $rammar.
a) Ae&ical +ecom'osition, a #)'ot#esis on t#e meanin$ o" 're+icates. Ar$ue t#at t#e %er(s (elo*
#a%e com'le& conce'tual structure, #ierarc#icall) or$ani0e+; use t#e sco'e o" t#e un+erline+ a+%er(ials
as an ar$ument.
I lent #im t#e (ic)cle until tomorro*.
T#e) (rou$#t Sc#u(ert (ac- to li"e, (ut t#en a "ello* com'oser -ille+ #im a$ain.
()In+icate t#e le&ical structure an+ "ormation o" t#e "ollo*in$ 're+icates in a 39 +escri'tion o"
t#e le&icon, lau$#, "latten, 5ail, "oal.
c)1#at are t#e ontolo$ical cate$oties assume+ to corres'on+ to t#e ma5or le&ical cate$ories2
+) sin$ )our anal)sis in () or ot#er e&am'les $i%e con"i$urational +e"initions to t#e "ollo*in$
conce'ts2
CASE, A3ENT, THEME, CHAN3E
?I.a) De"ine an+ illustrate t#e main #ierac#ical relations (et*een terms.
()De"ine an+ illustrate t#e main t)'es o" (inar) contrasti%e relations,
c)T)'es o" le&ical sets ($i%e e&am'les)
?II.4)a)Putnam!s criticism o" t#e t#esis t#at intension +etermines e&tension.
()Putnam!s realism.His %ie* on t#e +etermination o" t#e e&tension o" t#e terms.
?III. 1#at *or+ "ormation 'rocesses are res'onsi(le "or +eri%in$ t#e "ollo*in$ *or+s,
A. to (e$, ta&i, 'lane, mo%ie, laun+romat, to tiile-tattle, NAT:, #ome-(ase+ (in+ustr)) "amil)
antiBue
(. to a$$ress, $ra+, (roll), 'u(, (oatel, *is#)-*as#),>9I, +iet-conscious('erson) 'icture (oo-
State 1>R rules "or t#e a""i&es in%ol%e+ in +eri%in$ t#e "ollo*in$ *or+s. (s'eci") t#e meanin$ o"
t#e a""i& as *ell).
a) s'acecra"t, sta$ecra"t/// mi&er, s#oe-ma-er /// "latter), sno((er)/// (rot#er#oo+, "rien+liness///
'ro"essors#i', mar-smans#i' /// "ailure arro$ance /// me+ia-s'ea-, s-)-sca'e.
() aircra"t, *itc#cra"t/// coo-er, Aon+oner, ///(re*er), (ra%er)///c#il+#oo+, ten+erness/// o*ners#i',
+ra"tsmans#i'/// +isclosure, "ra$rance /// com'uter-s'ea-, cit)-sca'e.
Com'osition
a) Anal)se t#e "ollo*in$ com'oun+s ( mor'#o-s)ntactic structure, inter'retation))
a. $utter lan$ua$e, se& scan+al, s#oc- treatment, co-e mac#ine, cit) "ol-, sil-)-#aire+,
time-ser%er, late slee'er
(. +ru$ +eat#, "arm (o), s*eat $lan+s, arro* #ea+, ni$#t "li$#t, rat-*#is-ere+, stan+ar+-
(earer,
() 3i%e e&am'les o" %er(-(ase+ su(5ectC%er(m, %er(-o(5ect, %er(C a+5unct com'oun+s