SEMANTIC GROUPING OF THE ENGLISH LEXICON

I.True or false?

1) Conceptual groupings in the lexicon are paradigmatic.

2) Semantic fields derive from reality.

3) The scope of the word's meaning is determined not only by its reference but also by its relations to other items within vocabulary.

4) All members of a semantic field belong to the same part of speech.

5) All members of a semantic field express one concept therefore they are characterised by a common denominator of meaning.

6) All members of a semantic field are incompatibles.

7) All semantic fields have a certain kind of order.

8) The whole of the vocabulary is structured into overlapping semantic fields.

II.Give at least five members of each semantic field:

SLEEP, FEELING, THINK.

III.Are the following lexico-semantic groups ordered? If so, state the type of order.

MEAL: dinner, lunch, snack, supper, breakfast ...

COLOUR: blue, red, yellow, green, orange, brown ...

MEASURES OF WEIGHT: pound, ounce, stone, grain, quarter ...

PART OF DAY: morning, midday, evening, night, afternoon ...

IV.How is the following LSG structured? Which items belong to the core, to the periphery? Explain your answer.

Add some more words to the core and to the periphery.

PARTS OF THE BODY: arm, leg, head, face, finger, limb, pancreas, spleen ,intestine, guts, belly, mug, loaf, eye, colon, extremities, pins.

V.What is hyponymy? Why is hyponymy a hierarchical relation, or the relation of inclusion?

Group the following words into hyponymic structures: Identify the hyporonym; add some more hyponyms to each set.

officer, car, to murder, to poison, to execute, vehicle, vessel, to electrocute, to kill, colonel.

VI.Study this three diagram. Can you add more words to the tree? State the type of relationship between all the words in the diagram.

 

 

 

VII.Can you give the hyporonym?

1. boots, bootees, wellingtons;

2. ketch, sailing-boat, dinghy, yacht;

3. bowler, hat, trilby, sombrero, boater.

VIII.What is a thematic group?

Which are more important in language learning: semantic fields or thematic groups. Explain your answer.

 

 

IX.Complete this bubble-network for the word CAT.

Add as many other bubbles as you like. What are the associations between the words?

 

X.Draw a word-tree for HOLIDAYS or for SCHOOL.

 

 

 

SYNONYMY AND ANTONYMY

I. Answer the following questions.

1) How are synonyms traditionally defined?

What are the criteria of synonymy?

Which is the main criteria? Why?

2) Can synonyms be opposed to each other? Give examples.

3) What types of synonyms are identified in Academician Vinogradov's classification?

What aspects of this classification are open to criticism?

4) What other classification of synonyms do you know? Illustrate them with examples.

5) What is a synonymic set? What criteria are used in order to identify the dominant synonym? Give examples.

6) What is a characteristic pattern of English synonymic sets?

 

II.Are these synonyms? Why or why not?

(1) to cry – to weep – to sob;

(2) wife – spouse – consort;

(3) to bring – to take – to carry – to fetch;

(4) to glance – to peep – to stare – to gaze – to glare;

(5) to shout – to yell – to roar – to shriek;

(6) to see – to watch – to look.

 

III.Provide Anglo-Saxon Synonyms for these Latin words:

credible, avarice, immaculate, verbose, enchant, indefatigable, mundane.

 

IV.What is the semantic difference between the following synonyms? State their type.

(1) smell – perfume – odour – stink;

(2) to grin – to leer – to smile – to smirk;

(3) child – baby – babe – infant – tot – brat – urchin.

Can you identify the dominant synonyms in the above sets?

 

V.Give as many synonyms to the word "overweight" as you can. How can you classify them? Are they interchangeable?

 

VI.Can you define these terms?

euphemism, dysphemism, a taboo word, doublespeak, political correctness.

 

VII.Аmeriса is awash in euphemisms and doublespeak, argues William Lutz, author of The New Doublespeak (HarperCollins). Sее if уоu саn match the euphemisms on the left, which have been used in government and business, with the plain English versions on the right.

 

 

А. Stolen goods В. Junkyard С. Plastic D. Bag of ice cubes E. Bribe F. Death G. Liar H. Vinyl I. Failed J. Lower test scores

1. Sufferer from fictitious disorder syndrome

2. Sub-optimal

3. Temporarily displaced inventory

4. Negative gain in test scores

5. Synthetic glass

6. Normal gratitude

7. Vegetarian leather

8. Thermal theraру kit

9. Substantive negative outcome

10. Reutilization marketing yard

 

 

VIII.Can you guess what the following euphemisms refer to? Identify the reason for using the euphemisms.

(1) The rebel fighters were neutralized.

(2) The Prime Minister was economical with the truth.

(3) Could you please regularise your bank account?

(4) This is not a non-risk policy.

(5) When is the happy event going to be?

(6) Would you like to wash your hands?

(7) His cousin is a guest of Her Majesty for six months.

 

IX.Which do you think is the more PC expression? Why?

(1) an unmarried mother – a single parent;

(2) children with special needs – educationally subnormal children;

(3) slum – substandard housing;

(4) fireman – firefighter;

(5) vertically-challenged – short;

(6) African-American – Black American.

 

X.Translate the following word-combinations into English. What difficulty can they present? Explain.

содержание романа, избирательная кампания, лежать на солнце, потерять сознание, накрыть на стол, молочные продукты, чистая совесть, вести дневник, содержимое кармана, приятная компания.

 

XI.What is the relationship between

deathly – deadly, considerate – considerable, contemptible – contemptuous?

Give three more examples of your own.

XII.Could you complete the statements?

1) Antonymy is ...

2) Antonyms are ...

3) There are different types of oppositeness: ...

 

XIII.Can you give the opposites of the following words? State the type of the antonyms:

pleasant, sane, patient, legal, friendly, convenient, to dress, to pronounce, regular, fast, personal, heavy, left, behind, female, reject, borrow, rent, enemy.

 

XIV.Could you recall at least five proverbs and sayings with antonyms? Fill in the gap with a suitable word.

Success always occurs in private, and ... in full view.

The hardness of the butter is proportional to the ... of the bread.

 

 

WORD-FORMATION

 

I. Could you define the following terms?

morpheme, allomorph, morph, root, affix, prefix, suffix, free morpheme, bound morpheme, semi-bound morpheme, IC, UC.

 

II. Do the morphemic analysis of the words below:

inseparability, oversimplified, subconsciously, consumer, gooseberry, undernourishment, presidential.

 

III. Answer the following questions.

1) What is word-formation?

2) What is the difference between morphemic and derivational analysis?

3) What are the principle ways of English word-building?

4) What do we mean by productivity and activity in word-formation?

5) What are the main functions of word-formation?

а. а group of words built after the same pattern b. а word that has two derivational structures с. а group of derivationally related words with the same root d. а set of derivational steps necessary to produce а derivative е. а formula describing the structure of derived words f. the source of а derivative g. а unit of secondary nomination motivated structurally and semantically by оther linguistic units

IV.Match the terms and their definitions.

1. the derivational base

2. а derivational pattern

3. the derivational structure

4. derivational relations

5. а derived word

6. а polystructural derivative

7. а derivational cluster

8. а derivational set

 

V. Do the derivational analysis of the following words. Describe their derivational structure using different methods.

unpredictability, hit-and-run, eco-tourism, butch, deplane, shopaholic, biodegradable, faxable, microwavery, singlehood, newmannery.

VI. Characterise the affixes given below (etymology, valency, productivity, etc.)

-ness, -ous, -ly, -у, -dom, -en, en-, -hood, over-, dis-.

VII. Group the given words according to а certain principle. Define the principle.

1. consume, presume, resume, compress, presuppose, reunite, conceive, receive, reiterate, re-enter;

2. irrevocable, invisible, indisputable, undisputable, immeasurable, unaccountable, illegible;

3. sevenish, pinkish, largish, wolfish, mulish, Polish, boyish, snarlish, whitish, Turkish, greenish, owlish;

4. reader, render, cooker, runner, driver, grinder, wiper, player, worker, safer, deliver;

5. росketful, р1аtеful,jugful, dutiful, cheerful, tactful, bagful, forceful, full-page, full-size, mouthful.

VIII. Explain the meaning of these abbreviations. State their type.

BSs, FBI, Fr, ext., CD, asaр, PIN, е.g., Unesco, rep, enc., WС Gents, CFC-free, the health globocrats of the WНО.

IX.State the semantic relations in the following conversion pairs. State the direction of conversion, explain your answer.

room - to room, valet - to valet, shoulder - to shoulder, journey - to journey, shadow - to shadow, shelter - to shelter, pin - to pin, fork – to fork, pale - to pale, dog - to dog, age - to age, star - to star, make - to make.

 

Х. Analyse the derivational structure of the following compounds. State their type.

high pitched, hands-on, gold-seeker, U-turns, good-for-nothing, nightgown, bluish-green, dragon-fly, spokesperson, crackdown, Euro-bank.

 

XI. Are the following compounds or word-groups? Explain your answer.

roughhouse, black skirt, black shirt, bluecoat, blue stocking, top hat, top man, dog house.

 

XII. Define the way of word-building; say as much as you can about the derivatives.

to book, advertocracy, to butle, African-American, beaut, brekkie, unladylike, old-fashioned, PM.

 

ХШ. Show the structure оf the clusters with the help of а graph.

а. yell (v), yelling (а), yelling (n), yeller, outyell, yell (n);

b. wolf, wolf(v), wolfish, wolflike, wolfishly.

 

 

PHRASEOLOGY

I. Answer the following questions.

1) What is the difference between a "free word-group" and a phraseological unit? Are "free word-groups" really free? Is there a clear - cut border-line between the two classes of word-groups?

2) What do these terms mean? Are they synonymous?

a word-equivalent / a holophrase

a set / fixed phrase

an idiom

Can you match the given terms and the following definitions? Explain your answer.

A. "The meaning of the individual words cannot be summed to produce the meaning of the expression as a whole". (D. Crystal)

B. "fossilised chunks of language" (M. McCarthy)

3) What are the main criteria for distinguishing between free word-groups and phraseological units?

Are these criteria wholly reliable? Why or why not?

4) What classifications of phraseological units do you know? What principles are they based on? Discuss the merits and drawbacks of each classification.

II. A. Can you identify phraseological units among these word-groups? Explain how you have done it.

to plead guilty, to be over the moon, a piece of cake, to commit suicide, to hit the sack, down and out, to feel under the weather, as daft as a brush, to take the biscuit, come to think of it, law and order, to be a pain in the neck, a burning issue, to take place, to get the wrong end of the stick, an auspicious sign, to see the light, to toe the line, to talk rubbish, to wrap up the discussion.

B. How many phraseological units can you find in this text? (Use a dictionary if necessary.) Explain how you have done it.

I always try to make the most of any opportunity to make new friends, such as a party or a social event. But if it is not always easy to break the ice, and when you don’t know someone, it is so easy to put your foot in it by saying something insensitive or something which rubs someone the wrong way. But if you keep an eye on what you say, play it by ear or just try to act naturally, it can make all the difference and you may find you stand a good chance of making a new acquaintance or even a good friend.

 

III. Say what variations, if any, are possible in the following phraseological units. (Consult a dictionary if necessary.)

to build a castle in the air, a sceleton in a cupboard, to fly into a temper, to catch at a straw, a hard act to follow, to tar somebody with the same brush, to have a bee in one’s bonnet, to cross the Rubicon.

 

IV. Read the following phraseological units and explain their meaning. On what principle are they grouped together? Can you add three more phraseological units to each group?

A. once in a blue moon, to swear black is white, out of the blue, to talk oneself blue in the face, red tape, as black as pitch, as green as grass, in the red, to paint the town red;

B. to take the bull by the horn, to shed crocodile tears, like a cat on hot bricks, an ugly duckling, a wolf in a sheep’s clothing. A crow in borrowed plumes, a black sheep.

 

V. Classify the following phraseological units

(a) according to the structural principle;

(b) according to the semantic principle (Academician Vinogradov’s classification);

(c) according to the structural-semantic principle (Prof. Kunin’s classification);

to make a mountain out of a molehill, calf love, as cool as a cucumber, by hook or by crook, a fish out of water, to show the white feather, safe and sound, at sixes and sevens, to swim against the tide, gospel truth, to throw the baby out with the bath water, over the hill, on cloud nine.

VI. What is the source of the following phraseological units? Classify these phraseological units according to their origin; complete the diagram.

the Trojan horse, Achilles heel, a labour of Hercules, an apple of discord, forbidden fruit, the salt of the earth, the serpent in the tree, an ugly duckling, the fifth column, to cross the Rubicon, the last straw, to clean up one’s act, the crème de la crème, to cast pearls before swine, Pandora’s box, tabula rasa, castles in Spain, a Dutch treat, to be or not to be, to take arms agains the sea of troubles, breathing one’s last, to be hoist with your own petard, home sweet home.

 

VII. Give the proverbs from which the following phraseological units are developed.

birds of a feather, to catch at a straw, a bird in the bush, to cry over spilt milk, the last drop / straw, a family skeleton.

 

VIII. Read the following jokes. What are they based on?

1. "I’d hate to be in your shoes", said a woman as she was quarreling with her neighbour.

"You couldn’t get in them", sarcastically remarked the neighbour.

2. She: Don’t you hate people who talk behind your back?

He: Yes, especially at the movies.

 

IX. In fiction, phraseological units may be subject to creative adaptation for stylistic purposes.

Can you identify the original phraseological unit?

Try to explain the reason for adaptation.

1. There are many ways to defur a feline. (St. King)

2. a typhoon in a wine glass (James Clavell)

3. The surly bird catches the germ.

4. The offer of the job fell at his feet just when he was demobilized; he hated the idea of it, but was sensible enough to realize that ex-officers cannot be choosers. (Knox)

5. He entended to take an opportunity this afternoon of speaking to Irene. A word in time saved nine. (Galsworthy)