A lexical opposition is a semantically relevant relationship of partial difference btw two partially similar words

The theory of oppositions

Meaning is studied as interdependence btw words and their referents (things or concepts).

Syntagmatic relations are based on linear character of speech (contextual, valency, distributional, transformational, etc. analysis)

The morphological structure of words, their phonetic, structural and semantic characteristics;

Wooden (adj), strengthen (v), oxen(n).

Come true, Fall ill, Go wrong, Turn red,

Run dry ‘become smth’ (only verbs of motion are used) It is not poetry, but prose run mad.(A.Pope).

Syntactical context: “The house is gone. ( absence )

You are not going to sit there saying nothing, are you?”( an action in future )

“…how a novel that has now had a fairly long life, as novels go, has come to be written” (Maugham).( comparison with the average)

Frighten, amuse, awaken; say, talk, think (only with animate nouns) - W.Chafe.

Lexicology and etymology

Brothers (family relationship;

Brethren (arch.) (members of the club or society);

Genius – geniuses (of exceptional intellect ) – genii ( evil or good spirit) .

Arm – arms:‘To take arms against the sea of troubles’ – lexicalization: authorities, colours, customs, looks, manners, pictures, works.

Futurity: shall – will come, going to, future, tomorrow, by and by, time to come, hereafter;

Plurality: Houses, boys, books; crowd, party, company, group.

Lexicology and Word Formation:

The main branches of lexicology:

2. Etymology of words, the sources of borrowing. Whole – heal – hail ( etymologically related ) “unharmed, unwounded, made whole, heal’’ = hail! (Be healthy> call).

3. Semantic and thematic classification of the word stock. Say – talk – think (human being);

4. Word formation (post -impressionists) and phraseology (to take the bull by the horns, to see red, birds of a feather).

5. Stylistic differentiation of the vocabulary. brothers – brethren (arch.);

The theoretical problems of a word:

· the theory of meaning,

· semantic groups and fields,

· Functional differentiation of the vocabulary, etc.)

The paradigmatic relations (interdependence of words within a vocabulary):

- synonymy,

- antonymy,

- hyponymy,

- functional styles:

head, chief, director;

work:: labour;

refuse:: reject:: decline;

busy – idle;

man:: chap:: guy:: bloke.

Miss, v.n. (homonyms )

Diachronic interdependence of words within the lexical subsystem:

harvest, v.n.-“ the gathering of grain”, “the season for reaping, autumn”

Autumne (Romance word)>autumn

Referential (onomasiological) approach (theory of nomination):

(N.S. Trubetzkoy):

The basis of a lexical opposition: common features of two contrasted words.

Lexical distinctive features and the basis of opposition:

doubt:: doubtful (morphological distinctive features );

skilled:: unskilled;

unable:: unaccountable:: unaffected;

man:: boy (age);

Lad:: boy( semantic distinctive feature –stylistic colouring).

Polydimentional opposition: comprises many elements of the system:

Skilled:: unskilled;

Able:: unable;

Accountable:: unaccountable;

Affected:: unaffected;

Armed:: unarmed;

Man::boy (age – distinctive feature )

Boy:: lad (stylistic colouring )

Immovable, deforestation, miscalculate – the new words

The aim:

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