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SEMANTIC FEATURES: EXERCISE 1
SEMANTICS
Identify the semantic features in each of the following words:
exercises BÙI HUỲNH THỦY THƯƠNG
1. chil child d
6. tipt tiptoe oe
2. aunt aunt
7. owe owe
3. bachel bachelor or
8. plod plod
4. actress
9. palm
5. chick
10. flower
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4. Actress: [+ human, + female,
ANSWER KEY
+ professionally artistic, + perform a role]
5. Chick:
1. Child: [+ human, + young (or - mature),
[+ animate, + bird, + fowl, + young, + male]
+ male, + innocent]
6. Tiptoe: [+ motion, + walk, + on toes, + silently]
2. Aunt: [+ human], + mature, + female, + father’s/mother’s sister ( -in-law)] 3. Bachelor: [+ human, + mature, + male, + stay single]
7. Owe:
[+ state, state, + be in debt, + obligation/ duty, + pay/repay]
8. Plod:
[+ motion, + walk, + slowly & labouriously]
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9. Palm:
SEMANTIC FEATURES: EXERCISE 2
[+ part of a hand, + inner surface, + between the wrist and the fingers]
Palm:
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Study question 2, p. 123
[+ plant, + tree, - branches,
Using semantic features, how would you explain the oddness of these sentences?
+ a mass of wide leaves at the top, + in warm or tropical climate]
(a) The television drank my water.
10. Flower: [+ part of a plant, + coloured,
(b) His dog writes poetry.
+ usually good-smelling, + bloom/blossom, + fruit or seed is developed] 5
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SEMANTIC FEATURES: EXERCISE 3
(a) The television drank my water. (a) The verb drink requires a subject with the feature [+animate] and the noun television has
Explain the anomaly of each of the following sentences:
the feature [-animate].
1.
Christopher is killing phonemes.
2.
The tiger remained alive for an hour after the hunter killed it.
3.
My brother is a spinster.
4.
The boy swallowed the chocolate and then chewed it.
(b) His dog writes poetry. (b) The verb write requires a subject with the feature [+human] and the noun dog has the feature [-human]. 7
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SEMANTIC FEATURES: EXERCISE 3
ANSWER KEYS 1. Christopher is
killing phonemes.
5.
Babies can lift one ton.
6.
The bigger key and John opened the door.
7.
James sliced the ideas.
because the verb kill requires a subject with the
8.
Jack’s courage chewed the bones.
feature [+animate] and the noun phonemes has
9.
I hear the cloud.
the feature [-animate].
This sentences is semantically anomalous
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2. The tiger remained alive for an
hour after the
hunter killed it. This sentences is semantically anomalous because no living organism can remain alive after being killed. In fact, the tiger died right at the moment the hunter killed it.
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4. The
boy swallowed the chocolate and then chewed it. This sentences is semantically anomalous because of the wrong order of the 2 verb phrases – swallowed the chocolate & chewed it. 5. Babies
can lift one ton. This sentences is semantically anomalous because babies is [+young, -strong], whereas the verb phrase can lift one ton requires a subject that is [+strong].
3. My
brother is a spinster. This sentences is semantically anomalous because my brother is [+male], whereas a spinster is [-male]. 11
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6. The
bigger key and John opened the door. This sentences is semantically anomalous because of its instrument (the bigger key) cannot be cojoined with its agent (John).
8. Jack’s courage chewed the
bones.
This sentences is semantically anomalous because Jack’s courage is [+abstract notion, -animate] whereas the verb chewed requires a subject that is [+animate].
7. James sliced the ideas.
This sentences is semantically anomalous because the noun phrase the ideas is [+abstract notion], whereas the verb phrase sliced requires an object that is [+concrete, +long, +round, +soft] like a sausage or a tomato.
9. I hear the cloud.
This sentences is semantically anomalous because the verb hear requires an object that is [+audible], whereas the noun cloud is [-audible].
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I wandered lonely as a cloud agent The cloud floats on high o'er vales and hills, location agent When all at once I saw a host of golden experiencer theme daffodils beside the lake, beneath the trees, location location The daffodils are fluttering and dancing in Agent location the breeze.
SEMANTIC ROLES: EXERCISE 4 Identify the semantic roles of the underlined parts: The little Stone is happy Experiencer
The little Stone rambles in the Road alone Agent
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Location
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SEMANTIC ROLES: EXERCISE 5
Actor has lived in the ’Hood . experiencer
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location
Study question 3, p. 123
Identify the semantic roles of the seven noun phrases in this sentence.
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SEMANTIC ROLES: EXERCISE 5
SYNONYMY: EXERCISE 6
With her new golf club, Anne Marshall instrument
For each pair of partial synonyms below,
agent
(a) give a sentence in which they can be used interchangeably
whacked the ball from the woods to the grassy theme
source
goal
area near the hole and she suddenly felt location
& (b) give another sentence in which one of them can be used.
experiencer
invincible. 19
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SYNONYMY: EXERCISE 6
ANSWER KEYS
1. edge/side
6. ask/inquire
1. edge/side
2. deep/profound
7. eat/have
(a) The house is on the edge/side of the forest.
3. ripe/mature
8. help/assist
(b) I’ll be on your side/edge.
4. broad/wide
9. buy/purchase
5. soil/earth
10. former/older
Their economy is on the edge/side of collapse. a knife with a sharp edge/side
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2. deep/profound
3. ripe/mature
(a) You have my deep/profound sympathy.
(a) This cheese is ripe/mature for us to eat.
(b)How deep/profound is the river?
(b) We cannot eat this fruit because it is not ripe/mature yet.
She gazed at him with wide deep/profound blue eyes.
The government decided the time is ripe/ mature for an election.
Jenner is a profound/deep thinker.
Mature/Ripe apple trees are typically 20 feet tall.
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4. broad/wide
5. soil/earth
(a) The Thames is a broad/wide river.
(a) We can plant trees on this soil/earth . a lump of soil/earth
a hat with broad/wide brim
(a) The rocket fell back on earth/soil.
a broad/wide tree-lined road
the most powerful man on earth/soil
(b) My boss is not very broad-minded/wideminded.
the planet Earth/soil
We have offices in 56 countries worldwide/ worldbroad.
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6. ask/inquire
7. eat/have
(a) I am writing to ask/inquire about your advertisement in “The Times”.
(a) I usually just eat/have a sandwich for breakfast.
(b) I couldn’t ask/inquire for a better boss.
(b) This car eats/have petrol. She has/eats dark hair & brown eyes.
The two men entered without bothering to ask/inquire for permission.
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8. help/assist
9. buy/purchase
(a) Some of the guests helped/assisted with the preparation of the food.
(a) Where did you buy/purchase the car? (b) ‘Can we talk about it later?’ he said, trying to buy/purchase a little more time.
(b) Crying won’t help/assist. Please help/assist yourself to some cake. Some of the guests helped/assisted us to prepare the food. assist s.b to do sth
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10. former/older
ANTONOMY: EXERCISE 7
(a) The car’s former/older owner didn’t take good care of it.
Study question 5, p. 123. Which of the following opposites are gradable, non-gradable, or reversives? Gradable antonyms: (d) fair/unfair (f) high/low Non-gradable antonyms: (a) absent/present (c) fail/pass Reversives: (b) appear/disappear (e) fill it/empty it
(b) Years go by and Miss Emily is getting older and older/former and former.
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HYPONYMY: EXERCISE 8 •
HYPONYMY: EXERCISE 8
Draw a chart to show the relationship between a hypernym and a hyponym.
1. cook & deep-fry 2. animal & foal (baby horse) 3. animal & child
colour red yellow ...
blue
4. plant & coconut
green
greenish aquamarine blue
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5. vocal organ & tongue tip
black
royal blue
... 33
ANSWER KEYS
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2. animal & foal (baby horse) animal
1. cook & deep-fry cook grill toast boil stir-fry
fry roast bake smoke ... sauté
deep-fry
mammal reptile
fish bird insect human
dog
...
...
animal (beast) horse sheep ...
/ˈsəʊteɪ/
stallion
mare
foal
* sauté (v): to cook sth in a little hot oil/fat 35
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3. animal & child
4. plant & coconut animal
plant
mammal reptile
fish bird insect human
man woman
flowering plant
...
animal (beast)
bush/ shrub
tree palm
pine
child
coconut
moss
betel
grass ...
gum
...
sago palm
...
* betel /ˈbiːtl/ (n): cau * sago /ˈseɪgəʊ / palm (n): 37
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PROTOTYPES: EXERCISE 9
5. vocal organ & tongue tip vocal organ lip tongue
Study question 1, p. 123: How is the term “prototype” used in semantics?
nose larynx lower jaw ...
The prototype is the characteristic instance of
tongue tongue tongue tongue tongue tip blade front back root
a category, as in the case of “robin” being the clearest example, or prototype, of the category
“bird” for many American English speakers.
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HOMOPHONY: EXERCISE 10
ANSWER KEYS
Find the homophones of:
Find the homophones of:
1. ad
6. altar
11. blew
1. ad, add
6. altar, alter
11. blew, blue
2. air
7. aren't
12. thrown
2. air, heir
7. aren't, aunt
12. thrown, throne
3. aisle
8. flower
13. sweet
3. aisle, I'll, isle 8. flower, flour 13. sweet, suite
4. fair
9. board
14. allowed
4. fair, fare
9. board, bored 14. allowed, aloud
5. tale
10. won
15. farther
5. tale, tail
10. won, one
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15. farther, father 42
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LEXICAL AMBIGUITY: EXERCISE 11
LEXICAL ROLES: EXERCISE 12
Explain the lexical ambiguity in each of the following sentences: 1. We were waiting at the bank. 2. I saw her duck. 3. We like the ball. 4. The long drill is boring. 5. That robot is bright. 6. He was knocked over by the punch.
Study question 4, p. 123
What is the basic lexical relation between each pair of words listed here? (a) damp/moist
(d) married/single
(b) deep/shallow
(e) move/run
(c) furniture/table (f) peace/piece
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POLYSEMY & METONYMY: EXERCISE 13 (a) damp/moist
synonymy
(b)deep/shallow
antonymy
(c) furniture/table
hyponymy
(d) married/single
antonymy
(e) move/run
hyponymy
(f) peace/piece
homophony
Study question 6 (p. 123) Are these underlined words best described as examples of polysemy or metonymy? (a) The pen is mightier than the sword. metonymy (b) I had to park on the shoulder of the road. polysemy 45
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(c) Yes, I love those. I ate a whole box on Sunday! metonymy (d) The bookstore has some new titles in linguistics. metonymy (e) Computer chips created an important new technology. polysemy (f) I’m going to sue your ass! metonymy 47
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