Unit 6
Word Meaning and Semantic Relations
John Lyons gives us ten sentences
to discuss what meaning is:
1)What is the meaning of
“sesquipedalian?”
(signify)
2)I did not mean to hurt you
(intend)
3)He never says what he means.
(suggesting the possibility of
saying one thing and meaning
another.)
4)She rarely means what she says.
(suggesting the possibility of saying
one thing and meaning another.)
5)Life without faith has no
meaning.
(significance,value)
6)what do you mean by the
word”concept”?
(intend to say)
7)He means well but he is rather
clumsy.
(intends)
8)Fame and richness mean nothing to
the true scholar.
(have no significance for)
9) Dark clouds mean rain.
(are a sign of)
10)It was John I meant nor Harry.
(have in mind)
Semantics refers not only to word
meaning but also to sentence meaning.
E.g.
1) His typewriter has bad intentions.
Anomalous
2)my unmarried sister is married to a
bachelor.
contradictory
3)John was looking for the glasses.
Ambiguous
4)a,The needle is too short.
B,The needle is not long enough.
synonymous
5)a.Many of the students were
unable to answer your
question.
B,Only a few students grasped
your question.
(The meaning of one sentence
follows from the other.)
6) a,How long did Archibald
remain in Monte Carlo?
B,Archibald remained in Monte
Carlo for some time.
(the first implies the second.)
Meaning and Motivation
Onomatopoeic Motivation
Primary onomatopoeia
Primary onomatopoeia means
the imitation of sounds by
sounds.
Apes gibber.
Bears growl
Bulls bellow
Cats mew ( purr)
Eagles scream.
Frogs croak.
Goats bleat.
Asses bray.
Beetles drone.
Camels grunt.
Ducks quack.
Flies buzz.
Geese cackle (gabble).
Horses neigh ( snort).
Hens cluck,Larks warble
Lions roar Magpies chatter.
Mice squeak Owls hoot (screech)
pigeons coo,Pigs squeal ( grunt).
Snakes hiss,Wolves howl.
Turkeys gobble.
模仿金属的声音：
clash,clank,ting,tinkle,clang,
jangle,ding-dong,tick-tack
模仿水等液体声：
splash,bubble,sizz,sizzle,splish-
splosh,drip-drop
Secondary onomatopoeia
It means that certain sounds
and sound sequences are
associated with certain senses
in an expressive relationship
Sn-
1) breath-noise,sniff,snuff,snore,
snort
2)quick separation or movement,
snip,
snap,snatch
3)creeping,snake,snail,sneak,snoop
Sl-
1) slippery,slide,slip,slither,
slush,
sluice,sludge
2) pejorative sense,slattern,slut,
slang,sly,sloppy,slovenly
Sk-,与表面接触：
skate,skim,skin,skid,skimp
-ump,表示圆形体：
plump,chump,rump,hump,stump,
dump,mump
/h/表示猛烈使劲时的气喘声：
heavy,haste,hurry,hit,heave,
hoarse,hurl等
Wh-表示“剧烈”的拟声词：
wham,whang,whap,whop,wheeze,
whicker,whinny,whomp,whoop
2, G r a m m a t i c a l m o t i v a t i o n
Words which were formed by means
of grammatical structure belong to the
category of motivation by grammar.
E.g
teacher,a person who teaches
autobiography
contradict
Motivation by meaning (semantic
Motivation)
It refers to the mental associations
sugges ted by the conceptual
meaning of a word,It explains the
connection between the literal sense
and figurative sense of the word.
Metonymy:
1)use a person’s name to refer to the
things related;
He read Shakespeare.
2)use a container to refer to what is
inside;
The kettle is boiling
He is addicted to the bottle.
Please drink a cup
3,use part of body organs to
refer to their functions:
an ear for music
Don’t let your heart rule your
head.
4) use the place name to refer to the
product produced there.
I could do with a cup of canary.
Canary is a place where this kind of
grape wine is produce.
5,Use prominent features to refer to
the person concerned
The blue eyes walked into the room.
Synecdoche (提喻）
Use the part for the whole,or the
whole for the part or the material
for the thing;
smiling year,spring
sail,ship
copper,coin
Motivation by analogy
Words are created in imitation
of other words:
telethon,talkathon,from
marathon
Colour analogy
black list,white list,gray list
blue-collar workers,white collar
workers,gray-collar workers（服务
性行业的人）
number analogy
First family
first lady
the Fourth world
Place and space analogy
landscape,moonscape,
marscape
surnrise,earthrise
arthquake,starquake
Antonymous analogy
moonlight( 白天工作，晚上兼职
）
daylight
with-it入时的
without-it过时，守旧的
Word Meaning and Semantic Relations
John Lyons gives us ten sentences
to discuss what meaning is:
1)What is the meaning of
“sesquipedalian?”
(signify)
2)I did not mean to hurt you
(intend)
3)He never says what he means.
(suggesting the possibility of
saying one thing and meaning
another.)
4)She rarely means what she says.
(suggesting the possibility of saying
one thing and meaning another.)
5)Life without faith has no
meaning.
(significance,value)
6)what do you mean by the
word”concept”?
(intend to say)
7)He means well but he is rather
clumsy.
(intends)
8)Fame and richness mean nothing to
the true scholar.
(have no significance for)
9) Dark clouds mean rain.
(are a sign of)
10)It was John I meant nor Harry.
(have in mind)
Semantics refers not only to word
meaning but also to sentence meaning.
E.g.
1) His typewriter has bad intentions.
Anomalous
2)my unmarried sister is married to a
bachelor.
contradictory
3)John was looking for the glasses.
Ambiguous
4)a,The needle is too short.
B,The needle is not long enough.
synonymous
5)a.Many of the students were
unable to answer your
question.
B,Only a few students grasped
your question.
(The meaning of one sentence
follows from the other.)
6) a,How long did Archibald
remain in Monte Carlo?
B,Archibald remained in Monte
Carlo for some time.
(the first implies the second.)
Meaning and Motivation
Onomatopoeic Motivation
Primary onomatopoeia
Primary onomatopoeia means
the imitation of sounds by
sounds.
Apes gibber.
Bears growl
Bulls bellow
Cats mew ( purr)
Eagles scream.
Frogs croak.
Goats bleat.
Asses bray.
Beetles drone.
Camels grunt.
Ducks quack.
Flies buzz.
Geese cackle (gabble).
Horses neigh ( snort).
Hens cluck,Larks warble
Lions roar Magpies chatter.
Mice squeak Owls hoot (screech)
pigeons coo,Pigs squeal ( grunt).
Snakes hiss,Wolves howl.
Turkeys gobble.
模仿金属的声音：
clash,clank,ting,tinkle,clang,
jangle,ding-dong,tick-tack
模仿水等液体声：
splash,bubble,sizz,sizzle,splish-
splosh,drip-drop
Secondary onomatopoeia
It means that certain sounds
and sound sequences are
associated with certain senses
in an expressive relationship
Sn-
1) breath-noise,sniff,snuff,snore,
snort
2)quick separation or movement,
snip,
snap,snatch
3)creeping,snake,snail,sneak,snoop
Sl-
1) slippery,slide,slip,slither,
slush,
sluice,sludge
2) pejorative sense,slattern,slut,
slang,sly,sloppy,slovenly
Sk-,与表面接触：
skate,skim,skin,skid,skimp
-ump,表示圆形体：
plump,chump,rump,hump,stump,
dump,mump
/h/表示猛烈使劲时的气喘声：
heavy,haste,hurry,hit,heave,
hoarse,hurl等
Wh-表示“剧烈”的拟声词：
wham,whang,whap,whop,wheeze,
whicker,whinny,whomp,whoop
2, G r a m m a t i c a l m o t i v a t i o n
Words which were formed by means
of grammatical structure belong to the
category of motivation by grammar.
E.g
teacher,a person who teaches
autobiography
contradict
Motivation by meaning (semantic
Motivation)
It refers to the mental associations
sugges ted by the conceptual
meaning of a word,It explains the
connection between the literal sense
and figurative sense of the word.
Metonymy:
1)use a person’s name to refer to the
things related;
He read Shakespeare.
2)use a container to refer to what is
inside;
The kettle is boiling
He is addicted to the bottle.
Please drink a cup
3,use part of body organs to
refer to their functions:
an ear for music
Don’t let your heart rule your
head.
4) use the place name to refer to the
product produced there.
I could do with a cup of canary.
Canary is a place where this kind of
grape wine is produce.
5,Use prominent features to refer to
the person concerned
The blue eyes walked into the room.
Synecdoche (提喻）
Use the part for the whole,or the
whole for the part or the material
for the thing;
smiling year,spring
sail,ship
copper,coin
Motivation by analogy
Words are created in imitation
of other words:
telethon,talkathon,from
marathon
Colour analogy
black list,white list,gray list
blue-collar workers,white collar
workers,gray-collar workers（服务
性行业的人）
number analogy
First family
first lady
the Fourth world
Place and space analogy
landscape,moonscape,
marscape
surnrise,earthrise
arthquake,starquake
Antonymous analogy
moonlight( 白天工作，晚上兼职
）
daylight
with-it入时的
without-it过时，守旧的
