1、 Unit 6 Word Meaning and Semantic Relations John Lyons gives us ten sentences to discuss what meaning is:1)What is the meaning of “sesquipedalian?” (signify)2)I did not mean to hurt you (intend)3)He never says what he means. (suggesting the possibility of saying one thing and meaning another.)4)She

2、rarely means what she says.(suggesting the possibility of saying one thing and meaning another.)5)Life without faith has no meaning.(significance, value)6)what do you mean by the word”concept”?(intend to say)7)He means well but he is rather clumsy. (intends)8)Fame and richness mean nothing to the tr

3、ue scholar. (have no significance for)9) Dark clouds mean rain. (are a sign of)10)It was John I meant nor Harry. (have in mind)Semantics refers not only to word meaning but also to sentence meaning.E.g.1) His typewriter has bad intentions. Anomalous2)my unmarried sister is married to a bachelor. con

4、tradictory3)John was looking for the glasses. Ambiguous4)a. The needle is too short. B. The needle is not long enough. synonymous5)a.Many of the students were unable to answer your question.B. Only a few students grasped your question.(The meaning of one sentence follows from the other.)6) a. How lo

5、ng did Archibald remain in Monte Carlo? B. Archibald remained in Monte Carlo for some time. (the first implies the second.)Meaning and MotivationOnomatopoeic MotivationPrimary onomatopoeiaPrimary onomatopoeia means the imitation of sounds by sounds.Apes gibber.Bears growlBulls bellowCats mew ( purr)

6、Eagles scream.Frogs croak.Goats bleat.Asses bray.Beetles drone.Camels grunt.Ducks quack.Flies buzz.Geese cackle (gabble).Horses neigh ( snort).Hens cluck. Larks warbleLions roar Magpies chatter.Mice squeak Owls hoot (screech)pigeons coo. Pigs squeal ( grunt).Snakes hiss. Wolves howl.Turkeys gobble.模

7、仿金屬的聲音：clash, clank, ting, tinkle, clang, jangle, ding-dong, tick-tack模仿水等液體聲：splash, bubble, sizz, sizzle, splish-splosh, drip-dropSecondary onomatopoeiaIt means that certain sounds and sound sequences are associated with certain senses in an expressive relationshipSn-1) breath-noise: sniff, snuff,

8、 snore, snort2)quick separation or movement: snip, snap, snatch3)creeping: snake, snail, sneak, snoopSl-1) slippery: slide, slip, slither, slush, sluice, sludge2) pejorative sense: slattern, slut, slang, sly, sloppy, slovenlySk-: 與表面接觸：skate, skim, skin, skid, skimp-ump: 表示圓形體：plump, chump, rump, hu

9、mp, stump, dump, mump/h/表示猛烈使勁時的氣喘聲：heavy, haste, hurry, hit, heave, hoarse, hurl等Wh-表示“劇烈”的擬聲詞：wham, whang, whap, whop, wheeze, whicker, whinny, whomp, whoop2 . G r a m m a t i c a l m o t i v a t i o n Words which were formed by means of grammatical structure belong to the category of motivation b

10、y grammar.E.g teacher: a person who teaches autobiography contradictMotivation by meaning (semantic Motivation)It refers to the mental associations suggested by the conceptual meaning of a word. It explains the connection between the literal sense and figurative sense of the word.Metonymy:1)use a pe

11、rsons name to refer to the things related; He read Shakespeare.2)use a container to refer to what is inside;The kettle is boilingHe is addicted to the bottle.Please drink a cup3. use part of body organs to refer to their functions: an ear for musicDont let your heart rule your head.4) use the place

12、name to refer to the product produced there.I could do with a cup of canary.Canary is a place where this kind of grape wine is produce.5. Use prominent features to refer to the person concernedThe blue eyes walked into the room.Synecdoche (提喻） Use the part for the whole, or the whole for the part or

13、 the material for the thing;smiling year: springsail: shipcopper: coinMotivation by analogyWords are created in imitation of other words:telethon,talkathon: from marathonColour analogyblack list, white list,gray listblue-collar workers, white collar workers, gray-collar workers（服務性行業的人） number analo