Pre-questions * What are meant by semantic features? * How to identify semantic features? * What are the universal semantic features of nouns? * How to compare and contrast the meaning of a group of words ? * What are the merits and demerits of componential analysis? Episode 7 Semantic Features & Componential Analysis

Ⅰ. Semantic Features 1. DefinitionDefinition 2. Uses and Base of SFUses and Base of SF 3. Examples of SF of NounsExamples of SF of Nouns 4. SF of Verbs and AdjectivesSF of Verbs and Adjectives 5. Uses of the main SF of V and Adj.Uses of the main SF of V and Adj. 6. Case Grammar. Case Grammar

Ⅱ. Componential Analysis 1. Definition 2. Advantages 3. Disadvantages Ⅲ. Semantic Relations · Case Grammar · Syntactic Relations

Ⅰ. Semantic Features 1. Definition According to Leech(1981: 84), the analysis of word senses is often seen as a process of breaking down the sense of a word into its minimal components which known as semantic features or sense components.

The meaning of a word is made up of a set of abstracted characteristics, known as semantic features, which distinguish this word from other words. back

2. Uses and Base of SF Semantic features are applied to describe semantic universals that may characterize all languages.

Semantic features are established on the basis of binary opposition, e.g. binary semantic features of nouns are featured by [±common] [±concrete] [±countable] [±animate], etc. back

3. Examples of SF of Nouns (1) (1) SF of A Single Noun man : [+common] [+concrete] [+countable] [+human] [+adult] [+male]

spinster: [+common] [+concrete] [+countable] [+human] [+adult] [ － male] [ － married]

Examples of SF of Nouns (2) Common SF of Groups of Words, e.g ABCCSF manwomanchild bullcowcalf ramewelamb boarsowpiglet dogbitchpuppy [+male] [+adult] [ － male] [+adult] [ － adult] [+human] [+bovine] [+ovine] [+porcine] [+canine]

ABCCSF roosterhenchick drakeduckduckling gandergoosegosling stallionmarefoal stagdoefawn [+male] [+adult] [ － male] [+adult] [ － adult] [+chicken] [+duck] [+goose] [+horse] [+deer] back

4. SF of Verbs and Adjectives (1) SF of Verbs: [±dynamic] [±causative]/ [±transitive] [±volitive] [±durative], etc. (2) SF of Adjectives: [±dynamic] [±commendatory] [±objective] back

5. Uses of the Main SF of V. & Adj. [±dynamic] Dynamic verbs and adjectives can appear in imperative sentences but their counterparts cannot. Dynamic verbs and adjectives may take the so-called progressive aspect but their counterparts cannot.

Dynamic verbs and adjectives can appear in a number of embedded sentences in which non-dynamic verbs and adjectives cannot.

[ ± causative] Words such as wash, wear, write, cut, sell, etc, when having the semantic feature of [ － causative], they are active in form but passive in meaning. They require their subjects of possessing two semantic features:[ － human], [+concrete], or being instrumental and objective, as can be shown in the following sentences:

The knife cuts well. The pen writes smoothly. The field ploughs easily after the rain. The clock winds up at the back.

Using case grammar to analyze the above sentences semantically, we can find that “knife” and “pen” function as “instrument” though occurring in subject position and that “field” and “clock” function as “objective” though occurring as subject. back

Case grammar was first proposed by the American linguist Charles Fillmore in 1968 in favor of generative semantics. He suggests that his case notion are “a set of universal, presumably innate concepts” and proceeds to define them in semantic terms. 6. Case Grammar

格的概念包括一整套带普遍性的， 可以假定是内在的概念，相当于 人类对其周围发生的事情所能作 出的某些判断，诸如： “ 谁做了这 件事情，这件事情在谁的身上， 什么东西发生了变化这类事件的 判断。 ”

In his 1968-model, Fillmore put forth six cases: 1) agentive(typically animate doer 施 事格 ) 2) objective(object affected by the action or state 受事格，表示由动词 确定的动作或状态所影响的客体 ) 3) instrumental(inanimate force or object 工具格 )

4) dative(animate being affected 与格, replaced by experiencer 感受格 in 1970) 5) factitive(object resulting from the action or state 使成格，表示由动词 确定的动作或状态形成的客体，即 动词意义的一部分的客体 ) 6) locative(location or spatial orientation 方位格 )

See to the following examples: 1) He opened the door with a key. He: agentive The door: objective A key: instrumental 2) The key opened the door. The key: instrumental The door: objective 3) The door opened. The door: objective

4) The robber robbed the old woman of her purse. The robber: agentive The old woman: dative Her purse: objective 5) The robber robbed the bank. The robber: agentive The bank: locative 6) His father is smoking the pipe. His father: agentive The pipe: instrumental

7) His father is smoking the cigarette. His father: agentive The cigarette: factitive 8) I finished reading the book. The book: objective 9) I finished writing the book. The book: factitive back

Ⅱ. Componential Analysis 1. Definition CA was proposed by American anthropologist W.H. Doodenough in It later refers to an approach adopted by structural semanticists in describing the meaning of words and phrases.

This approach relies upon the thesis that the total meaning of a word can be analyzed in terms of a number of distinct elements(semantic features). In making CA, one should abstract the main features that distinguish one kind of word from another.

2. Advantages (1) CA enables us to have an exact knowledge of the conceptual meaning of words; (2) CA is useful in characterizing sense relations such as synonymy, antonymy and hyponymy.

(3) A knowledge of semantic features of words helps us to choose the right word for collocation, i.e. draw our attention to collocability(Liu Runqing, 1988:96) and semantic restriction(Chomsky, 1956).

Take the word “difficult” [±dynamic] for example, when “difficult” is with a semantic feature of [ － dynamic], it must collocate with words having a semantic feature [ － human], such as “a difficult question”, while with a semantic feature of [+dynamic], it goes with words of [+human] feature, e.g. a difficult child/customer/boss

Consider: 1) the semantic restriction of the subject, when “eat” functions as the predicate meaning “to consume food”, and “to erode or corrode”; 2) the semantic restriction of the subject, when “elapse” functions as the predicate; 3) the semantic restriction of the object, when “frighten” function as the predicate; 4) the semantic restriction of the subject, when “characterize” or “feature” functions as the predicate. ( refer to P. 221 & 244)

3. Disadvantages (1) Its chief drawback is the impossibility of making a list of the indefinite number of semantic features. Though it enables us to have a better knowledge of the conceptual meaning of words, it fails to touch upon their connotative meaning.

e.g. the semantic features of “man” is [+human+adult+male], which is, in fact, only an investigation of “man” from a biological point of view, which does not include its other sense characteristics as in the sentence “Be a man!”. The same thing happens to “Anyway, she is a woman.”.

In the former sentence, “man” implies bravery, manliness, etc. In the latter, “woman” implies frail, prone to tears, emotional, etc.

(2) It fails to explain the figurative use of words. For example, in making CA of the sentence “She has a stone heart.”, the word stone having semantic features of [+common+countable+concrete], it cannot explain the metaphorical use of “stone”.

Ⅲ. Semantic Relations · Case Grammar · Syntactic Relations To use Case Grammar to study the semantic relations of some compounds, we can find the compounds are made up of different cases, or involving different syntactic relations though they have the same “head”.

See to the following examples: garbageman→ Objective + Agentive airman → Locative + Agentive snowman → Instrumental + Factitive cameraman → Instrumental/Factitive + Agentive

儿童医院 → Dative/Experiencer + Locative 战地医院 → Locative + Locative 肿瘤医院 → Factitive + Locative

Syntactic Relations in Compounds (1) Modifier-Head: red tape( 官样文章 ), science fiction( 科幻小说 ), chewing gum( 口香糖 ), etc. (2) Subject-Predicate: crybaby(The baby cries), rattlesnake( 响尾蛇 ), sunrise( 日出 ), heartbeat( 心博 ),etc. (3) Predicate-Object: haircut(to cut the hair), backrest( 靠背 ), pickpocket( 扒手 ), scarecrow( 稻草人 ), etc.

(4) Subject-Object: sugar cane( 甘蔗 ← The cane yields sugar.), steam engine( 蒸汽机 ← Steam powers the engine.), gaslight( 煤气灯 ← The gas produces light.), etc. (5) Coordination: deaf-mute( 聋哑人 ←deaf and mute), transmitter-receiver( 送受话器 ), adder-subtractor( 加减器 ),etc. (6) Appositive: girl friend(The friend is a girl), killer whale( 逆戟鲸 ← The whale is a killer.)

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