M5.1 Lesson 1 | HI-LING working page

Lesson 1: Semantic Relations

Definition: The terms used in this lesson describe the many ways different words can stand in relation to other words.

Key Concepts

Synonyms
Antonyms
Homophones
Homonyms
Polysemy
Puns

UNIT 1: Synonyms and Antonyms

Think about words that mean almost the same thing. These words are called synonyms. Synonyms share most semantic features and their differences are subtle.

Synonyms are words that can replace each other in a sentence. They are important in writing because they make your writing more interesting and avoid repetition. It can also help you become a better writer and speaker. For example, saying "The butterfly fluttered by" is more exciting than saying "The butterfly flew by."

Using the same word many times can make your writing boring. So, finding synonyms like "gorgeous," "stunning," or "ravishing" for the word "beautiful" can improve your writing.

But, pay attention:

Not all synonyms are right for every situation. Consider whether you are in a formal or informal setting: In English, some words, like "purchase," are more formal than others, like "buy." If you use "purchase" in a casual chat, it might sound strange. People who are learning a second language sometimes use formal words too much, making them seem a bit stiff or old-fashioned.

Also, remember that some synonyms have special meanings or feelings in different cultures. A word that is okay in one place might be good or bad in another, causing misunderstandings. And be careful with synonyms that may have a funny or sarcastic meaning, using them the wrong way might upset someone.

Sometimes, people mix up synonyms that don't always fit in the same place, like "fast" and "quick." "Quick" often means doing something fast, while "fast" usually talks about speed. So, they are not always the same.

Also, certain words often go with others. Those are called collocations and they are deeply rooted in the language, so using a synonym where a native speakers expects a collocation might make the sentence sound unfamiliar to the native speaker. For example, you say "strong coffee" but not "powerful coffee."

Activity 1: Title

Description

Exercise 1

Take 10 minutes to write about your dream vacation place. Use as many synonyms as you can for different words like verbs, adjectives, nouns, and adverbs.

Exercise 2

Find the word that does not match and describe why:

a) joyful, cheerful, gloomy, happy, merry

b) slender, thin, obese, slim, skinny

c) ancient, modern, historic, contemporary, outdated

d) calm, peaceful, chaotic, serene, tranquil

e) delicious, tasty, bland, savory, yummy

f) wise, intelligent, foolish, clever, bright

g) friendly, amiable, hostile, sociable, affable

UNIT 2: Antonyms

When we talk about synonyms, we can also talk about antonyms. While synonyms have similar meanings, antonyms are words with opposite meanings. For example, the antonym of "good" is "bad," while the synonym of "good" is "fine."

Complementarity:

Some antonyms have a clear and direct distinction, like "dead" and "alive," or "stop" and "go." We refer to this as complementarity.

Gradable:

However, there are more complex antonyms, such as "beautiful" and "ugly." These adjectives represent opposites, but their meaning can be subjective, depending on personal judgment. The degree of beauty or ugliness is determined by the observer. Imagine these adjectives on a spectrum with opposing poles. The speaker can decide where to place an object on this spectrum, which is why these antonyms are called "gradable."

When an object does not fit clearly into either of the categories mentioned above, it may belong to a third category. For instance, if an object can only be one thing or perform one role at a time, like being white and not black, we call this "exclusivity." Another example of exclusivity is that a baby's aunt cannot also be its uncle, as these roles are mutually exclusive.

Exercise 3

Now, change your previous text from the synonym part (exercise 1) to its complete opposite. Find appropriate antonyms to replace the synonyms you used in your sentences.

Select the appropriate category that fits this antonym relationship: gradeable, exclusive, or complimentary.

a) Word Pair: Tall - Short

b) Word Pair: True - False

c) Word Pair: Parent - Child

d) Word Pair: Buy - Sell

e) Word Pair: Fast - Slow

f) Word Pair: Married - Single

g) Word Pair: Borrow - Lend

Exercise 4

UNIT 3: Puns, Homophones, -graphs and -nyms, and Polysemy

Puns and Linguistic Ambiguity

The pictures you see here are called puns. They are humorous because they play with words, creating funny double meanings. They are often used in riddles and jokes. Now, let us explore this from a linguistic perspective. Unfortunately, this could lead to the risk of ruining the jokes by explaining how they function, but it shows how different and ambiguous the meanings can be:

Riddle: "I’m not alive, but I grow; I don’t have lungs, but I need air; I don’t have a mouth, but water kills me. What am I?"

Answer: Fire. (The pun here lies in the metaphorical description of fire "growing" and "needing air" to sustain, though it is not a living organism.)

Joke: "I told my wife she should embrace her mistakes. She gave me a hug."

Explanation: The joke relies on the double meaning of "embrace." The husband meant it in a figurative sense, advising his wife to accept her errors, but the wife understood it literally as a call for a physical embrace (hug).

These two examples showcase how the ambiguous meaning of a word is used to create an unexpected semantic ambiguity, leading (hopefully) to a laugh. We will now take a closer look at some of the kinds of ambiguity there are.

Homophones:

There are different linguistic phenomena that lead to ambiguity. One of these is homophones, which are words that sound the same but have different spellings. For example:

"Two" (the number 2)

"Too" (meaning also or excessively)

"To" (indicating direction or movement)

Another example many - even native! - speakers find challenging is:

"Their" (belonging to them)

"There" (indicating a place or location)

"They're" (a contraction for "they are")

Homographs:

On the flip side, we have homographs, which are words that share the same spelling but have different meanings and sometimes even different pronunciations. For instance:

"Bow" (a knot with two loops and loose ends)

"Bow" (to bend forward at the waist as a sign of respect or to incline in a particular direction)

"Tear" (a drop of clear salty liquid from the eyes)

"Tear" (to pull or rip something apart forcefully)

In dictionaries, these words have separate entries because they do not share enough similarities to be considered synonyms.

Homonyms:

Then we have homonyms, which are both homophones and homographs, yet they still have different meanings:

"Bat" (a flying mammal)

"Bat" (a piece of sports equipment used in baseball)

"Bat" (to strike or hit something with a bat)

"Bank" (a financial institution)

"Bank" (the land alongside a body of water)

"Bank" (to deposit money in a financial institution)

Polysemy:

Lastly, we have polysemy, where words or expressions that look and sound alike, like homonyms, have multiple related meanings with a significant overlap in their meanings. "Run" is an excellent example of a word that demonstrates polysemy because it carries various interconnected meanings across different contexts, all related to movement, operation, continuity, or damage:

"Run" (verb): to move swiftly using legs

"Run" (verb): to manage or operate something

"Run" (noun): a continuous sequence or series

"Run" (verb): to melt or be liquefied

"Run" (noun): a tear or hole in a stocking

These words are typically found in a single dictionary entry, though it can vary depending on the dictionary and the distinction is not always straightforward. It is important to note that not every English speaker is aware of the etymology or the historical origins of every word, which can add layers of complexity to understanding their meanings. For example, the word "nice" has evolved over time from its Latin origin, "nescius", meaning "ignorant" or "unknowing," to its modern meaning associated with being pleasant or satisfactory. Similarly, the word "knight" has a primary meaning as a medieval soldier but has a secondary, less-known meaning linked to its Old English origin as "youth" or "young man."

Exercise 5

Prepare a table with two columns; one for homographs and one for homophones. Then listen to the following song and add all words you have heard to the right column.

Final thought for this lesson

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