Denotation

Handout LECTURE 2

THE WORD AS A VOCABULARY UNIT IN TYPOLOGY

1. Word formal structure

2. Word semantic structure

WORD FORMAL STRUCTURE

MORPHOLOGICAL STRUCTURE. As is known, the word may consist of morphemes, classified into roots and affixes, on the one hand, and into flectional and derivational morphemes, on the other hand..

As it follows from structural typology there are 3 basic types of combining morphemes: 1) agglutination, 2) fusion and 3) isolation.

AGGLUTUNATION: “one meaning > one auxiliary morpheme”

(T: урман-нар-ыбыз-ґа)

(E: beauti-ful-ly)

Languages where this type prevails are called aggulutinative (< glue) (Turkic).

FUSION: “several meanings > one auxiliary morpheme”

(R: крас-ив-ая > ая = feminine gender+nominative case+singular form)

Languages where this type prevails are called flective (<type of affix: flection) (R).

ISOLATION: no distinction between types of morphemes: roots may function as auxiliaries, and vice versa.

Languages where this type prevails are called isolating (amorphous) (Chinese).

DERIVATIONAL STRUCTURE. Morphological structures may or may not match derivational structures, and this clearly stands out in cross-linguistic analysis.

1) R(root) = S(stem) = W(word) agglutinative tongues

English

The type “coat” prevails over the type “surcoat”

2) R ~ S = W French

The type “ mechanique ” prevails over the type “ laisser-passer ”

The root mechan - is only distinguished thru oppositions in a number of words:

Mechan–ique < > machan–ization < > mechan–izer

(R ~ W) (R ~ W) (R ~ W)

3) R ~ S ~ W Russian

/e.g./: железный > [ желез- (root) + -н- (affix) STEM + -ый (affix)]

WORD SEMANTIC STRUCTURE: DENOTATION AND CONNOTATION

DENOTATION

HYPONYMY. Research into hyponymy concerns distribution of words with more general senses (hyperonyms) against words with more specific senses (hyponyms). Hyperonyms tend to be relatively less motivated than hyponyms. Take, for example some Russian verbs of motion:

HYPERONYM HYPONYMS

ехать приехать “arrive in a vehicle”

подъехать “drive up”

съехать “move out (from an apartment)”

A hyperonym in one language may correspond to a hyponym in another language due to difference in cross-linguistic strategies, and this is what causes a basic difference in motivation cross-linguistically. For example:

HYPERONYMS HYPONYMS