exercises on semantics (1)

Chapter 6

Lexical Semantics

Exercise 6.1: Traditional Semantics

1. Consult a number of dictionaries on the meaning of the word hero.

Then consider the meaning of the word in contemporary usage (in

magazines, newspapers, and casual conversation). Does the dictionary

meaning reect the current meaning, or would you say that the mean-

ing has changed and that dictionaries have not kept pace with this

change?

2. For the following words, explain the background or contextual infor-

mation which is necessary to understand the meaning of the word.

(a) reconcile

(b) generous

(c) procrastinate

(d) patient

(e) reputation

3. Discuss the following expressions in respect to the concepts of exten-

tion and intension:

(a) the instructor of Linguistics 101

(b) the day before yesterday

(c) the capital of Brazil

Exercise 6.1 Laurel J. Brinton The Structure of Modern EnglishWorkbook, Page 106 John Benjamins Publishing Company

Exercise 6.2: Basic Semantic Concepts

1. For the following words, list as many synonyms as you can think of and

discuss the connotations that these synonyms have.

(a) frugal

(b) thin (of a person)

2. Fill in the columns below with the appropriate synonym. In each case,

the word in column A is of English origin and the word in column B is

of French or Latin origin. Can you make a general statement about the

connotations of the words in columns A and B?

A B

feed ____________

____________ conceal

____________ people

begin ____________

____________ aid/assist

mistake ____________

____________ labor

____________ vision

middle ____________

____________ altitude

3. Describe the semantic relationship expressed by each of the following

sentences.

(a) Im allergic to nuts. There are walnuts in the cookies.

(b) Flight 2048 arrives and departs at 8:00 a.m.

(c) George is a pig.

(d) That is a large bat.

(e) I appreciate your help. You helped me.

(f) That is a well-known club.

(g) My brother married a doctor. My male sibling joined in

wedlock with a physician.

(h) In walked the corpse.

(i) The corpse is alive.

(j) Professor Mulhausen went to his oce. Professor Mulhausen


went to the university.

(k) He cleaned the keys of the piano.

(l) They have a love-hate relationship.

(m) The escaping convict accidentally assassinated the guard.

(n) Jane ate a piece of chicken. Jane ate a piece of poultry.

(o) My husband is living. I am a widow.

(p) She stepped on an idea.

(q) Edith amused the salad.

(r) My brother is an only child.

(s) He unintentionally committed perjury.

(t) She wore a colorless pink dress.

(u) He dusted the plants.

(v) Othello killed Desdemona. Desdemona died.

(w) He descended from the ground oor to the attic.

4. Determine whether the following are cases of homophony or polysemy.

(a) ne superior in quality

a sum of money paid as a penalty

(b) bank an incline of land adjoining a river

a nancial institution

(c) monitor a pupil who assists a teacher

a device that receives video signals from a computer

(d) tattoo a permanent design on the skin

a military exercise

(e) school an institution for instruction

a large group of sh

(f) leech a bloodsucking worm

a physician

a hanger-on, a sycophant

(g) horn a structure projecting from the head of an animal

a musical instrument

(h) ear the organ for hearing

the seed-bearing spike of a cereal plant

(i) spell to name or write the order of the letters in a word

a magical formula

a period of time


(j) butt to hit with the head

a target (for jokes)

the larger or thicker end of an object

(k) pilot one who operates an aircraft or ship

a television program produced as a prototype of a

series

5. Say what is presupposed by each of the following sentences.

(a) Is Frank playing that loud music?

(b) What I want for my birthday is a new computer.

(c) Alistair didnt go to work today.

(d) Grace stopped playing the piano several years ago.

(e) When did Tara go back to school?

(f) Sally renewed her subscription to Peoplemagazine.

6. Which of the following are factive and which nonfactive?

(a) John criticized Mark for not working hard enough.

(b) John acknowledged that Mark was not working hard enough.

(c) I was hoping that the game was cancelled.

(d) It turns out that the game was cancelled.

(e) The student forgot that the assignment was due today.

(f) The student assumed that the assignment was due today.

(g) Its nice that you could get away.

(h) Its nice to get away.

(i) I realized that he had stolen the money.

(j) I suspected that he had stolen the money.


Exercise 6.3: Structural Semantics

1. Identify the superordinate term in each set.

(a) house, shed, building, garage, cottage, hut

(b) plate, saucer, cup, soup bowl, dish, serving bowl

(c) stream, river, rivulet, creek, brook, tributary

(d) glance, peep, stare, leer, look (at), view, watch

(e) hurricane, tornado, gale, storm, typhoon

2. Identify the relationship of oppositeness expressed in the following

sentences.

(a) The window pane is open, but it should be shut.

(b) This class is better than last years class.

(c) This painting is similar to that one.

(d) He pushed the lever forwards instead of backwards.

(e) This plant was sick, but now its healthy.

(f) My poor relatives envy my rich relatives.

(g) Western Bank merged with Eastern Bank.

(h) It is better to give than to receive.

3. Below is one member of a set of scalar adjectives. Identify the other

member of the set; if an alternative member exists (in a dierent

context), list that as well.

(a) hard

(b) strong

(c) short

(d) happy

(e) light

(f) cheap

4. Give the end-of-scale equivalents for these normal scalar adjectives

(a) tired

(b) wet

(c) poor

(d) sad

(e) hot


5. Name the structural relation expressed by each of the following pairs of

words.

(a) casual/informal (n) intelligent/smart

(b) parent/ospring (o) employ/use

(c) university/college (p) mathematics/history

(d) right/wrong (q) glass/tumbler

(e) right/left (r) doctor/patient

(f) odd/even (s) own/belong to

(g) odd/unusual (t) ancestor/descendant

(h) bring/take (u) predator/prey

(i) rude/polite (v) benefactor/donor

(j) wind/breeze (w) enter/leave

(k) moist/damp (x) rise/fall

(l) present/absent (y) dress/undress

(m) fair/foul (ball)

6. Identify whether the following pairs are examples of antonymy or

complementary. Are these concepts gradable?

(a) clean/dirty

(b) drunk/sober

(c) fresh/stale


Exercise 6.4: Semantic Fields

Related to the concept of hyponymy, but more loosely dened, is the

notion of a semantic eld or domain. A semantic eld denotes a segment

of reality symbolized by a set of related words. The words in a semantic

eld share a common semantic property. Most often, elds are dened by

subject matter, such as body parts, landforms, diseases, colors, foods, or

kinship relations. Internally, these may be organized hierarchically (e.g.,

royalty, military ranks), part to whole (e.g., body parts), sequentially (e.g.,

numbers), or cyclically (e.g., days of the week, months of the year), as well

as with no discernible order. A thesaurus is generally organized according

tosubstantiveelds (althoughit alsomakesuseofhyponymyandsynonymy).

The words which are part of a semantic eld enter into sense or mean-

ing relationships with one another. Each word delimits the meaning of the

next word in the eld and is delimited by it; that is, it marks o an area or

range within the semantic domain. However, theremay be a fair amount of

overlap in meaning between words in a domain, and it is often dicult to

ndmutually delimiting terms.Within a domain, some words are marked,

while some are unmarked; the unmarked members are more frequent,

more basic, broader in meaning, easier to learn and remember, not meta-

phorical, and typically one morpheme or single lexical item. The marked

members often consist of more than one lexical item and may denote a

subtype of the unmarked member.

Lets consider some examples of semantic elds. The eld of parts of

the face (see the table below, part a) is a substantive eld of part to whole.

Terms within the eld are arranged spatially and quite clearly delimited,

though there is some overlap between terms such as forehead and temple.

Terms such as bridge of the nose or eyelids would constitute marked mem-

bers of the eld. The eld of stages of life (see b) is arranged sequentially,

though there is considerable overlap between terms (e.g., child, toddler) as

well as some apparent gaps (e.g., there are no simple terms for the dierent

stages of adulthood). Note that a term such a minor or juvenile belongs to

a technical register, a term such as kid or tot to a colloquial register, and a

term such as sexagenarian or octogenarian to a more formal register. The

semantic eld of water (see c) could be divided into a number of sub-

elds; in addition, there would appear to be a great deal of overlap between

terms suchas sound/fjordor cove/harbor/bay. The semanticeldof clothing


(see d) is a particularly rich one, with many unmarked terms (such as dress

or pants) as well as many marked terms (such as pedal-pushers or smoking

jacket). The eld of clothing might be organized in many dierent ways

by sex of wearer, by occasion of wearing, by body part covered, and so on.

Finally, the eld of jewelry (see e) would seem to include quite well-

delimited terms, with a number of unmarked terms.

Examples of Semantic Fields: (a) Parts of the Face, (b) Stages of Life, (c)

Water, (d) Clothing, and (e) Jewelry

(a) parts of the face

forehead brow temples

nose nostrils bridge/tip of the nose

septum mouth lips

eyes eyebrows eyelids eyelashes

chin cheeks jaw jowls

(b) stages of life

new-born young adult

infant adult

nursling, suckling grown up person

baby, babe middle aged person

child, kid senior citizen

toddler, tot mature person

preschooler aged person

youngster senior citizen, senior

adolescent old {lady, man, person}

youth sexagenarian

lad/lass septuagenarian

preteen octogenarian

teenager, teen nonagenarian

juvenile, minor centenarian

(c) water

forms: ice, water, steam, vapor, sleet, rain, snow, hail

bodies of water: ditch, slough, swamp, narrows, strait, inlet, bight,

bayou, brine, deep, rth, loch, tarn, well, reservoir, rth, pool, sea,

ocean, lake, pond, bay, inlet, estuary, fjord, sound, gulf, lagoon,


cove, harbor

water in motion: creek, river, waves, billows, stream, rain, brook,

rivulet, tributary, spring

frozen water: ice, snow, crystal, sleet, hail, icicle, iceberg, rime,

hoarfrost, glacier

gas: vapor, steam

(d) clothing

dress (cocktail-, strapless-,

shirtwaist-)

gown (evening-, ball-)

toga shift jumper smock

jumpsuit suit pantsuit sports coat

vest pajamas nightgown smoking jacket

bathrobe tee-shirt shirt blouse

undershirt turtleneck pants/slacks trousers

shorts knickers cut-os skorts

culottes skirt peddle-pushers bloomers

underwear panties brassire girdle

hat cap beret tam

toque scarf headband earmus

belt tie suspenders gaiters, spats

socks tights pantyhose stockings

gloves mittens mu muer

shawl cape coat (sports-, rain-, over-, top-,

lab-)

jacket parka wind-breaker anorak

sweater pullover cardigan apron

(e) jewelry

ring earring nose-ring brooch

watch wristwatch pocket-watch stud

pin pendant necklace choker

crown tiara bracelet anklet

cuinks stick-pin tie-clasp belt buckle

Now try to list the possible members of the following semantic elds:

1. vocalization


2. types of roads

3. personality traits


Exercise 6.5: Semantic Features (Nouns)

1. Using the inherent features of nouns discussed in the chapter, analyze

the underlined noun in each of the following sentences:

(a) Have you made plans for tonight?

(b) He had the u last week.

(c) The group made its way through the forest.

(d) He has a very healthy appetite.

(e) We have managed to stay within our budget.

(f) She spilled the coee grounds on the oor.

(g) Have you any grounds for making such a claim?

(h) After the long boat trip, it felt good to stand on solid ground.

(i) Do you like seafood?

(j) My grandparents are coming for visit.

(k) A herd of caribou crossed the road.

(l) Our vacation begins next week.

(m) She has symptoms of the u.

(n) You should take responsibility for the planning.

(o) The scenery here is so beautiful.

(p) Where is the receiver?

(q) My clothes need to ironed.

(r) The doctor prescribed bed rest.

(s) The scissors are missing.

(t) Are there any requirements for this course?

2. Give two dierent feature analyses for each of the following.

(a) bank

(b) response


Exercise 6.6: Semantic Features (Verbs)

1. Analyze the predicates in the following sentences using the inherent

verbal features [STATIVE] [DURATIVE] [TELIC] [VOLUN-

TARY]

(a) The skaters are practicing.

(b) She skated around the rink.

(c) She skates gracefully.

(d) She bumped into another skater.

(e) He polished her skates for her.

(f) Pam has a cold.

(g) Pam recently recovered from her illness.

(h) Pam caught a cold last week.

(i) Pam was coughing loudly.

(j) Pam cured herself with large doses of vitamin C.

(k) Charles and Julia got married yesterday.

(l) The ceremony lasted an hour.

(m) They have been engaged a long time.

(n) Julias mother was crying.

(o) He studied for the test.

(p) The test began at 9:00.

(q) While studying, he drank lots of coee.

(r) He is happy with the results.

(s) After the exam, he got drunk.

2. Often the same verb can denote a number of dierent situations. Below

are verbs used in several dierent ways. Analyze using the four inherent

features of verbs.

(a) HEAR I heard a strange noise.

I hear well.

I heard a Mozart symphony last night.

I hear the waves.

(b) LIE The book is lying on the desk.

He is lying on the bed.

Then he lay down.


(c) HELP She is helping him.

She is helping him wash the car.

(d) IDENTIFY He nally identied the insect.

She identies with her idol.

(e) DRESS She dresses well.

It took ten minutes for her to dress.

(f) SINK The house is sinking.

The ship is sinking

(g) REGRET She regrets her words.

She regretted it as soon as she said it.

(h) TASTE The dinner tastes good.

He bent over and tasted the soup.

Then he tasted the mint in the drink.

3. Answer the following using the verb play.

(a) (i) Give a sentence of the form NV (N) which is an

activity.

(ii) Give a sentence of the form NVPP which is an

activity.

(iii) Give a sentence of the form NVPrt which is an

activity.

(b) (i) Give a sentence of the form NVN [+COUNT]

[+SINGULAR] which is an accomplishment.

(ii) Give a sentence of the form NVN [+COUNT]

[+PLURAL] which is an accomplishment.

(iii) Give a sentence of the form NVPP [COUNT]

[+PLURAL] which is an accomplishment.

(c) Give a sentence of the form NVN [COUNT] which is an

activity.

4. Answer the questions in (3) in respect to the verb read.


Exercise 6.7: Modal Auxiliaries

1. Determine whether the following sentences withmodal expressions, in

normal readings, have deontic or epistemicmeaning or are ambiguous:

(a) I must be getting sick.

(b) You may be pregnant.

(c) Nitric acid will dissolve zinc.

(d) John must leave now.

(e) He can miss the class.

(f) You could clean your room.

(g) He must have passed the examination.

(h) You might have fallen,

(i) Cocktail parties can be boring.

(j) She could be discouraged.

(k) I will marry her.

(l) You ought to be ashamed of yourself.

(m) You cant be serious.

(n) Harris has to retire next year.

(o) He might try a bit harder to pass the course.

(p) She can be very obstinate.

(q) Guests may not use their cellular phones in the restaurant.

(r) Only experts can advance to the next stage of the competition.

(s) She must be careful with her money.

(t) Grant is in New York now, I guess.

(u) The movie shouldnt be violent.

(v) The revised paper could be better.

2. For the following, say whether the modal or the main verb is negated.

(a) You mustnt say a thing.

(b) She doesnt have to resit the examination.

(c) I cant reach the upper shelf.

(d) I wont interfere.


Exercise 6.8: Prototypes

For the concept of furniture, list the core, or prototypical,members and the

peripheral members. Justify your distinction between core and periphery.

What are the dening characteristics of this concept?


Exercise 6.9: Figurative Language

1. Give the selectional restrictions for the following words:

(a) study

(b) surprise

(c) slither

(d) invest

2. Identify the type of gurative expression in each of the following:

(a) a smooth wine

(b) an autobiography of her life

(c) passive aggressive

(d) wildlife management

(e) Orders are orders.

(f) an endowed chair

(g) a hard-hitting report

(h) the paper

(i) a loud color

(j) a new initiative

(k) The pen is mightier than the sword.

(l) a new set of wheels

(m) Death, thou shalt die. (John Donne)

(n) a hot topic

(o) the hands of a clock

(p) blood, sweat, and tears

(q) an on-o relationship

(r) The trac is crawling.

(s) search ones soul

(t) Enough is enough.

(u) room and board

(v) live on borrowed time

(w) table linen

(x) an aide

(y) The law is the law.

(z) be under the weather

(aa) sell for money


(bb) circumnavigate around

(cc) working vacation

(dd) close proximity

(ee) extinct life

3. Explain what is wrong with each of the following expressions using

semantic features and the notion of selectional restrictions.

Example: a fatherless orphan

Answer: fatherless has the feature [FATHER], while orphan also has the

feature [FATHER]; thus, this expression is tautological.

(a) pregnant pause

(b) eloquent silence

(c) misery loves company

(d) bitter reproach

(e) joint partnership

4. State the principle upon which each of the following metaphors is

based. (Do not simply paraphrase the metaphors.)

(a) Thats food for thought.

(b) He is a giant among lm directors.

(c) Let me put in my two cents worth.

(d) She is a member of the upper class.

(e) His health is declining.

(f) His mood is down/depressed.

5. Give a focus and vehicle interpretation of the following metaphors.

(a) My thoughts are ripe in mischief. (Shakespeare)

(b) But ye lovers that bathen in gladnesse. (Chaucer)

(c) That time of year thou mayst in me behold/When yellow

leaves, or none, or few, do hang/Upon the boughs

(Shakespeare)


Answer to Exercise 6.1

1. A hero is generally dened as a person who exhibits extraordinary

bravery or greatness of soul and who is admired for his or her achieve-

ments and noble qualities. Furthermore, this bravery is usually in the

face of danger and is seless.

Does this denition seem to coincide with the use of the word in

contexts such as sports hero? How would the denition need to be

modied?

2. (a) reconcile: once there was a friendly relationship between two or

more parties; something happened to create a rift or distancing;

now this rift has healed (through some action of the parties) and

they are once more close.

(b) generous: describes a person who is willing to give or share; this

giving or sharing is perhaps above the norm of what is expected;

this quality is considered a virtue or a sign of nobility of charac-

ter.

(c) procrastinate: describes the tendency to put o something or

delay in doing something; the thing delayed is unpleasant in some

way but is deemed necessary or is expected; procrastination is

often habitual and is seen as resulting from carelessness or lazi-

ness; hence, procrastinating is judged negatively or is seen as a

character defect.

(d) patient: describes the quality of enduring or bearing something

with equanimity or calmness; this something is unpleasant (pain,

diculty, deprivation, etc.) but unavoidable; patience is seen as a

positive characteristic, a virtue.

(e) reputation: describes the quality of being well (or ill) thought of;

this recognitionmust be generally acknowledged andmust be the

result of actions over an extended period of time.

3. (a) The phrase the instructor of Linguistics 101 has a single inten-

sion, but dierent extensions, as dierent people may teach this

course from year to year or even in any given year.

(b) The phrase the day before yesterday has a single intension as

well, but the actual day referred to diers depending upon which

Answer to Exercise 6.1 Laurel J. Brinton The Structure of Modern EnglishWorkbook, Page 123 John Benjamins Publishing Company

day this phrase is spoken.

(c) The phrase the capital of Brazil has a single intension, but in

fairly recent history the extension has changed from Rio de

Janeiro to Braslia.



1. (a) neutral to positive in connotation: careful (with ones money),

prudent, thrifty, scotch

negative in connotation: stingy, penny-pinching, tight (wad),

parsimonious,miserly

(b) neutral to positive in connotation: slender, lean, slim, twiggy,

delicate, lanky, slight, spare, lightweight, svelt

negative in connotation: skinny, scrawny, skeletal, puny,

underweight, spindly, gangly, anorexic, wasted, emaciated

2. A B

feed nourish

hide conceal

folk people

begin commence

help aid/assist

mistake error

work labor

sight vision

middle center

height altitude

The words in Column B all have a more elevated or more positive

connotation than the words in Column A.

3. (a) inclusion

(b) contradiction

(c) ambiguity literal/metaphorical

(d) ambiguity homonymy

(e) presupposition

(f) ambiguity polysemy

(g) paraphrase

(h) anomaly

(i) contradiction

(j) entailment

(k) metaphor

(l) contradiction


(m) anomaly

(n) entailment

(o) contradiction

(p) anomaly

(q) anomaly

(r) contradiction

(s) contradiction

(t) contradiction

(u) ambiguity polysemy

(v) entailment

(w) contradiction

4. (a) homophony

(b) homophony

(c) polysemy

(d) homophony

(e) homophony

(f) polysemy

(g) polysemy

(h) homophony

(i) homophony

(Actually, the rst two denitions are part of the same word,

though they are now so far removed from one another in mean-

ing that they are listed as separate words in the dictionary.)

(j) homophony

(k) polysemy

5. (a) Someone is playing loud music.

(b) I want something for my birthday.

(c) Normally Alistair goes to work on this day.

(d) Grace used to play the piano.

(e) Tara went back to school.

(f) Sally already had a subscription, and it had run out or was

about to run out.

6. Factive: (b), (d), (e), (g), (i)

Nonfactive: (a), (c), (f), (h), (j)



1. (a) building

(b) dish

(c) river

(d) look (at)

(e) storm

2. (a) complementarity (e) complementarity

(b) converseness (f) antonymy

(c) symmetry (g) recprocity

(d) complementarity (h) converseness

3. (a) hard: soft (as in hard/soft bed)

hard (= dicult): easy (as in hard/easy question)

hard is unmarked

(Soft is in opposition to loud when referring to a sound or

voice.)

(b) strong : weak (as in strong/weak person or tea)

strong : mild (as in strong/mild cheese)

strong is unmarked

(c) short : long (as in short/long rope or novel)

short : tall (as in short/tall person or building)

short is marked

(d) happy : sad/unhappy

happy is unmarked

(e) light : dark (as in light/dark color)

light : heavy (as in light/heavy box or housework)

light is marked

(f) cheap/inexpensive : expensive

cheap is marked

4. (a) exhausted (d) despondent

(b) drenched, soaking (e) scorching

(c) destitute

5. (a) synomymy (n) synonymy

(b) converseness (o) synonymy


(c) cohyponyms (p) cohyponyms

(d) complementarity (q) superordinate hyponym

(e) converseness (r) converseness

(f) complementarity (s) converseness

(g) synonymy (t) converseness

(h) converseness (u) converseness

(i) antonymy (v) synonymy

(j) superordinate hyponym (w) reversive

(k) synonymy (x) reversive

(l) complementarity (y) reversive

(m) complementarity

6. All would appear to be examples of antonymy since they are gradable:

very {clean, drunk, fresh} or cleaner, drunker, fresher. However, wemight

also conceive of these as complementary concepts in some contexts:

e.g., a dish is either clean or not, and legally, one is either drunk or not.



1. whisper, yell, growl, murmur, cry, shout, bellow, whine, shriek, bark,

roar, grunt, groan, call, bawl, whoop, howl, scream, squeal, grumble,

screech, shriek, pipe, holler, etc.

2. street, alley, lane, path, avenue, way, cul-de-sac, bay, thoroughfare,

freeway, highway, carriage-way, expressway, toll road, interstate,

secondary road, back-road, etc.

3. friendly, sullen, morose, cheerful, reserved, depressed, compulsive,

obsessive, prissy, prudish, aected, snobbish, conceited, sociable,

vain, vivacious, gregarious, sensitive, self-condent, self-centered,

vicious, spiteful, duplicitous, sneaky, repressed, mean, nasty,

pretentious, kind, straight-forward, extroverted, introverted, etc.



1. (a) plans [+COMMON] [+COUNT] [CONCRETE]

[COLLECTIVE]

(b) u [+COMMON] [COUNT] [CONCRETE]

[COLLECTIVE]

(c) group [+COMMON] [+COUNT] [+CONCRETE]

[+ANIMATE] [HUMAN] [MALE] [+COLLECTIVE]

(d) appetite [+COMMON] [COUNT] [CONCRETE]

[COLLECTIVE]

(e) budget [+COMMON] [+COUNT] [CONCRETE]

[COLLECTIVE]

(f) grounds [+COMMON] [COUNT] [+CONCRETE]

[ANIMATE] [+COLLECTIVE]

(g) grounds [+COMMON] [COUNT] [CONCRETE]

[COLLECTIVE]

(h) ground [+COMMON] [COUNT] [+CONCRETE]

[ANIMATE] [COLLECTIVE]

(i) seafood [+COMMON] [COUNT] [+CONCRETE]

[+ANIMATE?] [HUMAN] [+COLLECTIVE]

(j) grandparents [+COMMON] [+COUNT] [+ANIMATE]

[+HUMAN] [MALE] [-COLLECTIVE]

(k) herd [+COMMON] [+COUNT] [+CONCRETE]

[+ANIMATE] [HUMAN] [MALE] [+COLLECTIVE]

(l) vacation [+COMMON] [+COUNT] [CONCRETE]

[COLLECTIVE]

(m) symptoms [+COMMON] [+COUNT] [+CONCRETE]

[ANIMATE]

or [COUNT] [+COLLECTIVE]

(n) responsibility [+COMMON] [COUNT] [CONCRETE]

[COLLECTIVE]

(o) scenery [+COMMON] [COUNT] [+CONCRETE]

[-COLLECTIVE]

(p) receiver [+COMMON] [+COUNT] [+CONCRETE]


or [+ANIMATE] [HUMAN] [MALE]

(q) clothes [+COMMON] [COUNT] [+CONCRETE]


[ANIMATE] [+COLLECTIVE]

(r) bedrest [+COMMON] [COUNT] [CONCRETE]

[COLLECTIVE]

(s) scissors [+COMMON] [COUNT] [+CONCRETE]


(t) requirements [+COMMON] [+COUNT] [CONCRETE]

[-COLLECTIVE]

2. (a) bank (institution) [+COMMON] [+COUNT] [CONCRETE]

bank (building) [+COMMON] [+COUNT] [CONCRETE]

[ANIMATE]

(b) response (verbal/written) [+COMMON]

[+COUNT][+CONCRETE] [ANIMATE]

response (reaction) [+COMMON] [COUNT]

[CONCRETE]



1. (a) [STATIVE] [+DURATIVE] [TELIC] [+VOLUNTARY]

(b) [STATIVE] [+DURATIVE] [+TELIC] [+VOLUNTARY]

(c) [+STATIVE] [+DURATIVE] [TELIC] [VOLUNTARY]

(d) [STATIVE] [DURATIVE] [+TELIC] [VOLUNTARY]

(bumping may be either intentional or not)

(e) [STATIVE] [+DURATIVE] [+TELIC] [+VOLUNTARY]

(f) [+STATIVE] [+DURATIVE] [TELIC] [VOLUNTARY]

(g) [STATIVE] [+DURATIVE] [+TELIC] [VOLUNTARY]

(h) [STATIVE] [DURATIVE] [+TELIC] [VOLUNTARY]

(i) [STATIVE] [+DURATIVE] [TELIC] [VOLUNTARY]

(Presumably, coughing is involuntary in this case, though in He

coughed to catch her attention, it is voluntary.)

(j) [STATIVE] [+DURATIVE] [+TELIC] [+VOLUNTARY]

(k) [STATIVE] [DURATIVE] [+TELIC] [+VOLUNTARY]

(l) [STATIVE] [+DURATIVE] [+TELIC] [VOLUNTARY]

(m) [+STATIVE] [+DURATIVE] [TELIC] [VOLUNTARY]

(Engagement might seem [+TELIC] since it leads up to

marriage, but even if marriage does not occur, the couple can

be said to have been engaged.)

(n) [STATIVE] [+DURATIVE] [TELIC] [VOLUNTARY]

(o) [STATIVE] [+DURATIVE] [+TELIC] [+VOLUNTARY]

(p) [STATIVE] [DURATIVE] [+TELIC] [VOLUNTARY]

(q) [STATIVE] [+DURATIVE] [TELIC] [+VOLUNTARY]

(r) [+STATIVE] [+DURATIVE] [TELIC] [VOLUNTARY]

(s) [STATIVE] [DURATIVE] [+TELIC] [VOLUNTARY]

(Although drinking (to excess) is voluntary and durative,

getting drunk is not really voluntary but is a change of state that

simply happens.)

2. (a) [STATIVE] [DURATIVE] [+TELIC] [VOLUNTARY]

[+STATIVE] [+DURATIVE] [TELIC] [VOLUNTARY]

[STATIVE] [+DURATIVE] [+TELIC] [+VOLUNTARY]

[STATIVE] [+DURATIVE] [TELIC] [VOLUNTARY]

(b) [+STATIVE] [+DURATIVE] [TELIC] [VOLUNTARY]

[STATIVE] [+DURATIVE] [TELIC] [+VOLUNTARY]


[STATIVE] [DURATIVE] [+TELIC] [+VOLUNTARY]

(c) [STATIVE] [+DURATIVE] [TELIC] [+VOLUNTARY]


(d) [STATIVE] [DURATIVE] [+TELIC] [+VOLUNTARY]

[+STATIVE] [+DURATIVE] [TELIC] [VOLUNTARY]

(e) [+STATIVE] [+DURATIVE] [TELIC] [VOLUNTARY]


(f) [STATIVE] [+DURATIVE] [TELIC] [VOLUNTARY]

[STATIVE] [+DURATIVE] [+TELIC] [VOLUNTARY]

(g) [+STATIVE] [+DURATIVE] [TELIC] [VOLUNTARY]

[STATIVE] [DURATIVE] [+TELIC] [VOLUNTARY]

(h) [+STATIVE] [+DURATIVE] [TELIC] [VOLUNTARY]

[STATIVE] [DURATIVE] [+TELIC] [+VOLUNTARY]

[STATIVE] [DURATIVE] [+TELIC] [VOLUNTARY]

3. (a) (i) Adele is playing (the piano).

(ii) Adele played on the piano.

(iii) Adele played on.

(b) (i) Adele played a game of chess.

(ii) Adele played two sets of tennis.

(iii) Adele played from 3 oclock to 4 oclock.

(c) Adele played popular music on the piano.

4. (a) (i) Adrian read yesterday.

(ii) Adrian read in the novel.

(iii) Adrian read on.

(b) (i) Adrian read a novel.

(ii) Adrian read two novels.

(iii) Adrian read to the end of the novel.

Adrian read out the words. (actually NVPrtN)

(c) Adrian read science ction.



1. (a) E It is possible that I am getting sick.

(b) E It is possible that you are pregnant; I think you are.

(c) E It is certain that nitric acid dissolves zinc; I know it does.

(d) D John is obliged to leave now; he has reasons to do so.

(e) DHe has permission to miss class or he is able to miss class.

(f) D You are obliged to clean your room; I want you to do so.

(g) A It is likely that he did pass the examination, judging from

appearances (E).

It is necessary that he have passed the examination, in order to

graduate (D). (More common in this case to say He must pass

the exam.)

(h) E It is possible that you could have fallen.

(i) E Cocktail parties are likely to be boring.

(j) A We could do something to discourage her (D).

It is possible that she is discouraged (E).

(k) D I intend to marry her. (This is the strict reading. The

sentence has a looser meaning of prediction, hence an epistemic

reading.)

(l) D It is your obligation to be ashamed of yourself.

(m) E It is not possible that you are being serious.

(n) DHarris is obliged to retire.

(o) A It is possible that he will try harder (E).

He is obliged to try harder (D).

(p) E It is possible for her to be very obstinate.

(q) D Guests are not permitted to use their cellular phones.

(r) D Only experts have permission or have the ability to

advance.

(s) A She is obliged to be careful with her money (D)

From appearances, I deduce that she is careful (E).

(t) E It is likely that Grant is in New York.

(u) A It is possible that the movie wont be violent (E).

I am requiring that the movie not be violent (D).

(v) E It is possible that the revised paper will be better (E).

The revised paper is not as good as it should be (E).


2. (a) main verb You are obliged not to say a thing.

(b) modal She is not obliged to resit the exam.

(c) modal I am not able to reach the upper shelf.

(d) main verb I am willing not to interfere.



core members:

chair, stool, bench, rocking chair, armchair, couch, sofa, divan, chaise

longue, daybed, loveseat, recliner, easy-chair, table (coee-, dining-),

desk, console, crib, cradle, bed, cot, bookcase, stereo/t.v. cabinet,

sideboard, buet, dresser, bureau, chest, wardrobe, coat rack, hat rack,

umbrella stand

peripheral members:

throne, dais, cupboard, cabinet, counter, bunk, stretcher, hammock,

altar, pulpit, lectern, podium, workbench, sink, toilet, lamp, mirror,

carpet, picture, drapes, blinds, dishwasher, washing machine, dryer,

picnic table, lawn chair (may be core?)

Core members must be moveable, not built in, used inside the home for

everyday use.

lectern, podium, pulpit, altar not used in the home

cabinet, cupboard, workbench, altar, sink, toilet not moveable

throne, dais, stretcher not for everyday use

hammock, workbench, picnic table, lawn chair not used inside the

home

sink, toilet not moveable, would be considered xtures

mirror, lamp, picture, carpet, drapes, blinds would be considered

furnishings

dishwasher, washing machine, dryer not moveable, would be

considered appliances



1. (a) study requires [+HUMAN] subject

(b) surprise requires [+ANIMATE] object

(c) slither requires [+SNAKE] or [+WORM] subject

(d) invest requires [+HUMAN] subject and [+MONETARY]

object

2. (a) synesthesia

(b) tautology

(c) oxymoron

(d) paradox

(e) apparent tautology

(f) metonymy (= a professorship)

(g) personication

(h) synedoche

(i) synesthesia

(j) tautology

(k) metonymy (pen = writing; sword = ghting)

(l) synecdoche (= a car)

(m) personication/tautology

(n) synesthesia

(o) metaphor

(p) metonymy (= great eort, hard work)

(q) oxymoron

(r) metaphor

(s) metaphor

(t) apparent tautology

(u) metonymy (board = food)

(v) metaphor

(w) synecdoche (However, table linen is often not made of linen

anymore.)

(x) metonymy

(y) apparent tautology

(z) metaphor

(aa) tautology

(bb) tautology


(cc) oxymoron

(dd) tautology

(ee) oxymoron

3. (a) The adjective pregnant has the restriction that it cooccur with a

noun that is [MALE]; pause is [ANIMATE], and the feature of

maleness is hence not relevant. In this case, it is the secondary

feature of [+EXPECTANT] in pregnant which seems to be in the

forefront. The expression is metaphorical.

(b) Eloquent has the restriction that it cooccur with a noun with the

feature [+SPEECH] or at least [+ORAL]; silence is [ORAL].

Therefore, this expression is an oxymoron.

(c) The verb love selects a subject which is [+ANIMATE], and proba-

bly [+HUMAN] as well. The noun misery is [CONCRETE],

hence [ANIMATE]. In this case, however,misery seems to have

taken on the feature [+ANIMATE] by a process of personica-

tion.

(d) Bitter selects a noun which is [+GUSTATORY], while reproach is

[+SPEECH]; hence, this expression is a case of synesthesia.

(e) Both joint and partnership contain the notion of [+JOINING];

thus, this expression is tautological.

4. (a) Ideas are food to be consumed.

(b) Reputation/renown is equated with physical size.

(c) Ideas are equated to money.

A conversation is like a container which collects things.

(d) Social rank is equated to height on a vertical scale.

(e) Physical well-being is equated to height on a vertical scale.

(f) Emotional well-being equated to height on a vertical scale.

5. (a) focus interpretation: the thoughts are fully formed or developed

(like ripe fruit)

vehicle interpretation: the thoughts are like fruit/vegetables

organic, capable of growth tomaturity, nourishing, perhaps even

on the verge of rotting if not eaten (acted upon).

(b) focus interpretation: the lovers are luxuriating in, indulging,

enjoying their happiness (as one does water in a bath)


vehicle interpretation: gladnesse, or lovers happiness, is like

bath water soothing, warming, cleansing, revitalizing, restor-

ing

(c) focus interpretation: one can see in the poet the eects of aging

vehicle interpretation: the eects of aging resemble a tree in the

late fall barren, desolate, stark, depleted, reduced from some

prior, richer state.


Table of ContentsPreface1. The Nature of Language and Linguistics2. English Consonants and Vowels3. English Phonology, Phonotactics, and Suprasegmentals4. The Internal Structure of Words and Processes of Word Formation in English5. Grammatical Categories and Word Classes6. Lexical SemanticsExercise 6.1: Traditional SemanticsExercise 6.2: Basic Semantic ConceptsExercise 6.3: Structural SemanticsExercise 6.4: Semantic FieldsExercise 6.5: Semantic Features (Nouns)Exercise 6.6: Semantic Features (Verbs)Exercise 6.7: Modal AuxiliariesExercise 6.8: PrototypesExercise 6.9: Figurative LanguageAnswer to Exercise 6.1Answer to Exercise 6.2Answer to Exercise 6.3Answer to Exercise 6.4Answer to Exercise 6.5Answer to Exercise 6.6Answer to Exercise 6.7Answer to Exercise 6.8Answer to Exercise 6.9

7. Phrasal Structure and Verb Complementation8. Adverbials, Auxiliaries, and Sentence Types9. Finite and Nonfinite Clauses10. Sentence Semantics11. Information Structuring and Speech ActsAppendix: Linguistics in Language Teaching

exercises on semantics (1)

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