EXERCISES: SEMASIOLOGY (SEMANTICS) NGỮ NGHĨA HỌC
Task 1: Decide the following statements are True (T) or False (F):
Statements T/F
1. Lexical meaning is the realization of concept or emotion when we hear or
see a word.
2. Grammatical meaning is what unites words with similar lexical meanings.
3. The words whose prevailing meaning is grammatical are called
functional words. They are particles, articles, preposition, etc.
4. The denotational meaning indicates (denotes) or points out things,
concepts etc.
5. Connotation may consist of emotive charge (emotion), evaluation,
intensity, and stylistic colouring.
6. Direct meaning is the meaning that directly denotes something, and to
understand it, we need compare it or associate with other things.
7. There are three types of motivation: Morphologic, phonetic and
semantic.
8. Phonetic motivation is the direct relationship between the morphologic
structure of the word and its meaning.
9. Most English words have only one meaning and are considered
monosemantic.
10. The more frequently a word is used, the fewer meanings it tends to have.
Task 2: Fill in the blanks using the words in the box. There are one extra word which
Task 2: Fill in the blanks using the words in the box. There are one extra
Word which you do not need to use.
A - notional D - polysemantic G – figurative meaning
B - significative E - demonstrative H - functional
C - emotions F – lexical meaning I - semantic motivation
1. The words whose lexical meaning is clear are called ………………… words. They name
objects, actions, qualities etc.
2. When it is an individual object, we have ………………… denotation.
When the referent is a concept, an abstract thing, we have …………………..
denotation.
3. There are two components of ………………………... They are denotation and
connotation.
4. The connotational meaning conveys the speaker’s attitude, ……………… and so on.
5. Indirect meaning is also called …………………………………….
6. …………………………….…….. is the relationship between direct and indirect meaning.
7. The majority of English vocabulary is ……………………….
Task 3: Identify the denotational meaning and connotational
meaning of the words in each pair of sentences below.
Example: 0. You’re looking fat now.
You don’t look overweight.
- Denotational meaning of fat and overweight: describe extra weight on the body
- Connotational meaning:
+ Fat: sounds more negative, not impolite
+ Overweight: more neutral, polite
1. Even as an adult, he behaves in a childish way, refusing to take responsibility.
She spoke, as always, with an almost childlike directness.
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2. This dress was quite inexpensive, but the fabric feels nice and durable.
The shoes were cheap, and they fell apart after a week.
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3. After exercising regularly, she became more slim and felt confident in her
appearance.
He looked so skinny that his clothes seemed too big for his body.
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