Meaning of word-groups

The meaning of word-groups can be divided into: I) lexical and structural (gr-l) components.

The lexical meaning of the word-group may be defined as the combined lexical meaning of the component words. Thus, the lex meaning of the word-group red flower may be described denotationally as the combined meaning of the words red and flower. However, the term 'combined lexical meaning' is not to imply that the meaning of the word-group is a mere additive result of all the lexical meanings of the component members. The lexical meaning of the word-group predominates over the lexical meanings of its constituents.

The structural meaning is the meaning conveyed mainly by the pattern of arrangement of its constituents. For example, such word-groups as school grammar and grammar school (гр школа) are semantically different because of the diff-ce in the pattern of arrangement of the component words. The structural meaning is the meaning expressed by the pattern of the word- group but not either by the word school or the word grammar.

The lexical and structural components are interdependent and inseparable. the structural pattern of the word-groups all day long, all night long. all week long in ordinary usage and the word-group all the sun long is identical. The generalized meaning of the pattern may be described as ‘a unit of time'. Replacing day, night, week by another noun — the sun the structural meaning of the pattern does not change. The group all the sun long functions semantically as a unit of time. But the noun sun included in the group, continues to carry the semantic value, i.e. the lexical meaning that it has in word-groups of other structural patterns, e.g. the sun rays. African sun.

The meaning of the word-group is derived from the combined lexical meanings of its constituents and is inseparable from the meaning of the pattern of their arrangement.