Distributional analysis Distributional analysis in its various forms is commonly used nowadays. By the term “distribution” we understand the occurrence of a lexical unit relative to another lexical units of the same levels: words to words, morpheme to morphemes.

In other words, by this term we understand the position which lexical unit occupies or may occupy in the text or in the flow of speech. It is observed that a certain component of the word-meaning is described when the word is identified distributionally.

Content, aim. Distribution is a semantic connection and combination of words within sentence. This combination may be changed artificial.

The tasks: study of lexical-grammatical connections within any constructions. define of meaning structure of separate words and classes on basis of their occurrences. 3. establishment of quantitative differences of words and word combinations.

e. g. In the sentence The boy__________ home . The missing word is easily identified as a verb . It may be “came, ran, went, goes”, but not as an adverb or a noun, or an adjective.

Thus, we see that the component of meaning that is distributionally identified is actually the part-of-speech meaning. It is also observed that in a number of cases words have different lexical meanings indifferent distributional patterns.

e. g. The verb “to treat” has different lexical meanings in “to treat smbd kindly” & “to treat smbd to ice-cream”.

The interdependence of distribution & meaning can be also observed at the level of word-groups. e. g. It is only the distribution of completely identical lexical units but arranged on the reverse that differentiates the meaning – water tap & tap water .

Definition of main notions Distribution – the sum of all occurrences of words. Occurrence – environment of lexical words within sentence. E.g. the boy is drinking water. ‘boy’ and ‘water’. There are the occurrence of verb ‘drink’. Lexical class of words – a set of words which have a general notion. Compare. boy ‘man’, water ‘liquid’.

Semantic field – a set of general meaning of language elements. Combination – the ability of words to be in some semantic occurrences with other words within sentence. Valency – the quantity of semantic classes of words with that combines this element of construction. Actants – semantic element which surrounds the verbs.

E.g. The boy is drinking water. Combination - +Hum-V2- Liquid Distribution – Sn-v2-Sa The verb ‘drink’ has two valencies. That means in surrounding of this verb may be only two elements (actants).

The type of valency 1) A obligatory valency – a necessarily of all elements of sentences. E.g. The student goes to the lecture. 2) A optional valency – one of the elements may be absent. E.g. The boy is eating (cutlet). 3) A free valency – the actants don’t combine with verbs. Nikolai has supper in the canteen/ with friend/ at two o’clock.

The ways of distributional analyses Substitution – replacement of actants for define of their semantic classes. E.g. Мальчик прислонил велосипед к стене. Actant from left: мальчик, девушка, студент, солдат = человек (+Hum) Actant from right: велосипед, лопата, доска, жердь+ предмет (-Anim) + к стене, к забору, к дереву …= направление (dir)

Thus, we have such model of word combination: Hum+V3+-Anim+Dir Compare: Женщина несет корзину +Hum+V2+-Anim Курица несет яйца. +Anim+V2+-Anim Парень несет чепуху.+Hum_V2+Abstr Артист несет радость людям.+Hum=3+Abstr.+Dr

Here we see that the verb ‘нести’ has four meaning. Нести: 1. перемещать предметы 2. класть яйца 3. говорить 4. доставлять

2) Distributional unfolding 2) Distributional unfolding. That is the way of increase of number elements for define of their semantic. E.g.s Серое пальто – темно-серое пальто (цветообозначение) Серый день – темносерый день (мрачный день) Серая личность – темносерая личность (ограниченная личность)

3) Distributional rolling 3) Distributional rolling. The way of defining of main elements of sentences. E.g. Друг посетил. Друг посетил меня. (+Hum+V2+Hum) Друг посетил вчера. Друг посетил в Алматы.

Componental analysis In this analysis linguists proceed from the assumption that the smallest units of meaning are sememes or semes. e. g. In the lexical item “woman” several sememes may be singled out, such as human, not an animal, female, adult. The analysis of the word “girl” will show the following sememes: human, female, young.

The last component of the two words differentiates them & makes impossible to mix up the words in the process of communication. It is classical form of revealing the work of componental analysis to apply them to the so called closed systems of vocabulary.

The formalized representation of meaning helps to find out different semantic components which influence collocability of words (during the day but not during the stairs, down the stairs but not down the day).

Componental analysis is practically always combined with transformational procedures or statistical analysis. The combination makes it possible to find out which of the meanings should be represented first of all in the dictionaries of different types & how the words should be combined in order to make your speech sensible.

The defects of distributional method Doesn’t present the semantic differences of all sentences as a main speech unit. Doesn’t define the semantic identity of different syntactic structure (active, passive, narrative, interrogative sentences).