Sprunger
ENG 315
SOME SEMANTIC PRINCIPLES ILLUSTRATED
1. WORDS AND MEANING
a. Denotation & Connotation
b. Synonyms: words that have the same denotation
youth vs. child
carvs. automobile
big vs. large
c. Antonyms: words with opposite denotation
big vs. little
hot vs. cold
d. Polysemy: words has two or more related meanings (although understanding the relationship may require etymological research)
bright: shining vs. intelligent
glare : shine intensely vs. stare angrily
deposit sediment vs. money in the bank
e. Homophony (Homophones): words sound the same but have unrelated meanings
bat winged rodent vs. stick used to hit a baseball
pen writing instrument vs. enclosure
[The following section is for people with a special interest in language and philosophy. It will not appear on the exam.]
2. SENTENCES AND MEANING
a. Paraphrase: two sentences with the same meaning
Chris gave Kelly a call vs. Chris gave a call to Kelly
The student read the book vs The book was read by the student
b. Entailment: a pair of sentences, the truth of one proving the other
Symmetrical:
Yesterday, the children ate Cap’n Crunch vs. The children ate Cap’n Crunch yesterday.
Asymmetrical:
Yesterday the children ate all the Cap’n Crunch vs. The Cap’n Crunch box is empty.
c. Contradiction: a pair of sentences, the truth of one proving the other false
The Cap’n Crunch box is full vs. The Cap’n Crunch is empty