1、IV. Word Meaning,4.1 The Meanings of Meaning:4.1.1 Reference（所指） :Reference is the relationship between language and the world.In other words on1y when a connection has been established between the linguistic sign and a referent, i. e. an object, a phenomenon, a person, etc. does the sign become mea
2、ningful.The reference of a word to a thing outside the language is arbitrary and conventional.,4.1.2. Concept概念: Meaning and concept are closely connected but not identical. They are both related directly to referents and are notions of the words but belong to different categories. Concept, which is
3、 beyond language, is the result of human cognition, reflecting the objective world in the human mind.,4.1.3. Sense语义: Unlike reference, sense denotes the relationships inside the language. The sense of an expression is its place in a system of semantic relationships with other expressions in the lan
4、guage. Since the sense of an expression is not a thing, it is often difficult to say what sort of identity it is. It is also an abstraction. Every word that has meaning has sense（not every word has reference).,出题形式：选择，填空2003 3.The relationship between the linguistic sign and a referent is . ( ) Acon
5、ventional Bnon-conventional Cconcrete Dspecific 答案：A13.Which of the following statements is true? （ ） AEvery word has reference. BEvery word has sense. CEvery word is semantically motivated. DEvery word is conceptually motivated. 答案：B,15.The relationship between words and things in the world is esta
6、blished by means of （ ）. Areference Bsense Cconcept DMeaning 答案：A2002 6.Which of the following statements is Not true?A. Reference is the relationship between language and the world. B. The relationship between a word and its referent is arbitrary.C. Concept is universal to all men alike.D. Sense de
7、notes the relationships outside the language. 答案：D,4.2 Motivation词义的理据Motivation accounts for the connection between the linguistic symbol and its meaning.The relationship between the word-form and meaning is conventional and arbitrary, and most words can be said to be non-motivated. However, Englis
8、h does have words whose meanings can be explained to a certain extent.,4.2.1. Onomatopoeic Motivation拟声理据:In modern English one may find some words whose sounds suggest their meanings, for these words were created by imitating the natural sounds or noises. Then we can say they are onomatopoetically
9、motivated words.,4.2.2. Morphological Motivation: Compounds and derived words are multi-morphemic words and the meanings of many are the sum total of the morphemes combined.,4.2.3. Semantic Motivation: Semantic motivation refers to the mental associations suggested by the conceptual meaning of a wor
10、d. It explains the connection between the literal sense and figurative sense of the word.,4.2.4. Etymological Motivation：The meanings of many words often relate directly to their origins. In other words the history of the word explains the meaning of the word.,出题形式：选择，填空,定义 2003(45) semantic motivat
11、ion 2006 11. Motivation accounts for the connection between the word-form and _. A. its referent B. its referring expressions C. its meaning D. its concept 答案：C2005 6. Which of the following groups of words is NOT onomatopoeically motivated?（ ） A. croak, drum B. squeak, bleat C. buzz, neigh D. bang,
12、 trumpet 答案：A,4.3 Types of Meaning4.3.1.Grammatical meaning and lexical meaning： Grammatical meanings refers to that part of the meaning of the word which indicates grammatical concept or relationships such as part of speech of words（nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs), singular and plural meaning of
13、 nouns, tense meaning of verbs and their inflectional forms. E.g. that,Lexical meaning：It is the meaning of an isolated word in a dictionary. Lexical meaning itself has two components：conceptual meaning and associative meaning E.g. roseFunctional words, though having little lexical meaning, possess
14、strong grammatical meaning whereas content words have both meanings, and lexical meaning in particular E.g. that,4.3.2. Conceptual meaning : It（also known as denotative meaning）is the meaning given in the dictionary and forms the core of word-meaning. Being constant and relatively stable, conceptual
15、 meaning forms the basis for communication as the same word has the same conceptual meaning to all the speakers of the same language.,4.3.3. Associative meaning：It is the secondary meaning supplemented to the conceptual meaning. It differs from the conceptual meaning in that it is open-ended and ind
16、eterminate. Associative meaning comprises four types：connotative, stylistic, affective, and collocative.,4.3.3.1. Connotative meaning. In contrast to denotative meaning, connotative meaning refers to the overtones or associations suggested by the conceptual meaning, traditionally known as connotatio
17、ns. E. g. mother, rose Connotative meaning is unstable. E. g. home,4.3.3.2. Stylistic meaning: Apart from their conceptual meanings, many words have stylistic features, which make them appropriate for different contexts. These distinctive features form the stylistic meanings of words.,4.3.3.3. Affec
18、tive meaning: Affective meaning indicates the speakers attitude towards the person or thing in questionAppreciative words： Words of positive overtones and showing appreciation or the attitude of approval. E.g. famous, determined Pejorative words: words of negative connotations implying disapproval,
19、contempt or criticism. E.g. notorious, pigheaded,4.3.3.4. Collocative meaning: This meaning consists of the associations a word acquires in its collocation. In other words, it is that part of the word-meaning suggested by the words before or after the word in discussion.,出题形式：选择，填空2006年 20. Content
20、words have both meanings, and _ meaning in particular.答案：Lexical meaning44. conceptual meaning答案：Conceptual meaning（also known as denotative meaning）is the meaning given in the dictionary and forms the core of word-meaning,2005年 50. Connotative meaning is not stable. Comment on this statement with o
21、ne example. 答案：Connotative meaning refers to the overtones or associations suggested by the conceptual meaning, traditionally known as connotations.2004 2. Which of the following statements is NOT true? A. Connotative meaning refers to associations suggested by the conceptual meaning. B. Stylistic m
22、eaning accounts for the formality of the word concerned. C. Affective meaning is universal to all men alike. D. Denotative meaning can always be found in the dictionary. 答案：C,200448. Cite ONE example to illustrate what grammatical meaning is. 答案：Grammatical meanings refers to that part of the meaning of the word which indicates grammatical concept or relationships such as part of speech of words（nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs), singular and plural meaning of nouns, tense meaning of verbs and their inflectional forms（forget, forgets, forgot, forgotten, forgetting）,
