词汇学--词的意义及理据[稻谷书苑]

1、Week 7 Sandy 1教育教学 Outline 1.Word Meaning词义 2.Motivations of meaning 词的理据 词的意义究竟指什么？ 这个词为什么是这个意思？ 关于词义的一些基本理论和基本概念 1.words defined as things 2.words defined as reference 1 words defined as things Word meaning can be defined as a reciprocal relation between name and meaning. Meaning is what the form

2、stands for. 意义指的是它代表的内容。 e.g.desk: something you sit at and you do your work. 所指关系 relationship between language and the world; between words and the things, actions, events, and qualities they stand for. By means of reference, a speaker indicates which things in the world (including persons) are be

3、ing talked about. For example, the word tree refers to the object tree. 2 words defined as reference 1.In other words, only when a connection has been established between the linguistic sign（语言符号） and a referent （所指物）, i.e., an object, a phenomenon, a person, etc. does the sign become meaningful. 2.

4、The reference of a word to a thing outside the language is arbitrary （随意的）and conventional（约定俗成的）. This connection is the result of generalization（ 归纳） and abstraction（抽象）. Semantic Triangle 语义三角 意义（概念）意义（概念）Meaning (Concept) 词词Word 形式形式 Form 所指对象所指对象 Referent tree What is concept? It is the general

5、 idea or meaning which is associated with a word or symbol in a persons mind. 指词或符号在人脑中的大致印象或意义。Tree Meaning and Concept：difference closely connected but not identical（关系密切、并不 相同） They are both related directly to referents and are notions of the words but belong to different categories. Concept, wh

6、ich is beyond language, is the result of human cognition, reflecting the objective world in the human mind. Concept is universal to all men alike regardless of culture, race, language and so on. But meaning belongs to language, so is restricted to language use. A concept can have as many referring e

7、xpressions as there are languages in the world. Even in the same language, the same concept can be expressed in different words. 概念属于人类认知领域思维领域； 意义属于语言领域。 Words and Referents 1.专有名词无词义，有所指对象；不 同的专有名词指同一个对象； 2.少数词有词义，无所指对象； proper names typically have only one reference Barack Hussein Obama but it ha

8、s little linguistic meaning Sometimes two different proper names have the same referent. Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens hobbits unicorn Harry Potter Some words just dont have referents in real world, but they make sense, but, what is sense? 有些词虽然在现实世界中没有具体对 象，但它们却有意义。 什么是意义？ Sense 语义 词或句子本身所表示的

9、语言本身的 意义。即，词义和句义。 每个有词义的词都有语义，但不一 定有所指称的事物（reference）。 reference He read Shakespeare. 2)use a container to refer to what is inside; The kettle is boiling. He is addicted to the bottle. Please drink a cup. Metonymy 借代 3) use part of body organs to refer to their functions: an ear for music Dont let y

10、our heart rule your head. 4) use the place 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 concerned The blue eyes walked into the room. 2 Analogy Words are crea

11、ted in imitation of other words: telethon, talkathon: from marathon 1 Colour analogy类比 black list, white list, gray list blue-collar workers, white collar workers gray-collar workers 2 Number Analogy 1.First lady 2.First Mother 3.First Family 4.the Fourth world 3 Place and Space Analogy landscape: m

12、oonscape, marscape sunrise: earthrise earthquake: starquake Synonymous Analogy Gap 1 missile 2 production 3 development 4 credibility 5 generation Pollution 1.environmental 2.visual/ eye 3.noise/ sound 4.Cultural 5.Graffiti l It denotes that the origins of words often throw light on their meanings.

13、l E.g.: Pen originally refers to a heavy quill or feather. Today the writing tool is still “pen”, but a meaning is not exactly the same as what it used to mean. l Proper nouns, once they become common nouns, can be explained by their origins only. l For example: a laconic answer 4. Etymological motivation词源理据 Laconic 源于Lakon ， 意为“一个拉哥尼亚人”， 它是希腊的一 个地区名，斯巴达是其首府。以好战和纪律严明闻名的斯巴达 人也同样因为言简意赅而闻名，laconic 这个词从1589年起被发 现有言简意赅的意思起直到今天仍然被英国作家用来表示这一 意思。 a laconic answer 简洁的回答 词源理据：典故性与词义性 u典故性:人名/物名 u(commonization of proper names) tantalize(