Unit 6 The Meaning of English (I)picture怎么读
[Check your understanding]
State whether each of the following statements is True or Fal.
1. A grammatical ntence is also meaningful. F
Note: Not necessarily so.
2. Some words are always superordinates while some others are always hyponyms. F
Note: Words that are hyponyms to some superordinates can theoretically be the superordinates to some other words.
3. Synonyms are tho words that can be ud interchangeably in all contexts. F
Note: theoretically so
4. Antonyms have opposite meanings. F
Note: Some antonyms are complementary in meaning.
5. All English words have their referents. F
■ In-Class Activities
ASK:
(1) Do you find the ntences sound queer?
Yes.
(2) If yes, give your explanation for their oddness.
a. The hamburger cannot eat becau it is inanimate.
b. The television does not drink water becau it is inanimate.
c. A dog does not write anything like poetry becau it is not human.
(3) Is the public sign in the picture below mantically problematic?
Apparently so, becau “left lane” filling the subject position cannot “turn left”, which fills the predicate position. Being inanimate, a lane cannot turn. However, this sign is understandable becau we know it is a ca of ellipsis. It is the vehicle on the left lane that must turn left.
(4) In Chine, we may say “晒太阳”, “救火”, “吃火锅”, and the like. How are they special? Can you think of more similar expressions? Are there similar expressions in English? How do you translate the Chine expressions into English?
We bask or get warmth under the sun rather than dry or solarize the sun. We save things out of a fire rather than save the fire itlf. We eat a mixture of food out of a pot rather than eat the pot proper.
2．ASK:
(1) How can the following words be analyzed into mantic features? What feature is common to them?
disturb
lamb [-ADULT]+[+OVINE]
calf [-ADULT]+[+BOVINE]
piglet [-ADULT]+[+POREINE]
puppy [-ADULT]+[+CANINE]
kitten [-ADULT]+[+FELINE]读万卷书不如行万里路
[-ADULT] is common to all.
失落的爱(2) Complete the following data by (a) devising a category that distinguishes the word bus from the word car, and (b) giving the appropriate symbol for the words “bicycle” and “motorcycle”.
[POWERED] [CARRY PEOPLE] [FOUR-WHEELED] [PUBLIC TRANSPORT]
bus + + + +
fortunecookiecar + + + -breaker
van + - + -
泡泡英语bicycle - + - -
motorcycle + + - -
效劳3. ASK:
(1) Can you give more examples for each type of the meronymy?
(1) component-object: window-hou screen-computer
(2) member-collection: family-society province-county
(3) portion-mass: quarter-hour day-year
(4) place-area: Beijing-China Jiangsu-China
(2) How are the various types of meronymy different from each other?
For (1), an object has other kinds of component. For (2), a collection has a (big) number of similar or different members. For (3), a mass is divided into some portions. For (4), a place is found within or inside an area.
(3) Do you think there are further types of meronymy?
a. feature — activity (paying — shopping )
b. stuff — object (aluminum — airplane, gold — ring)
c. pha — process (adolescence — growing up)
4．ASK:
(1) Do you agree with the idea that the ntences above are redundant?
Yes.
(2) Given the fact that the ntences are ud for communication, can you figure out the reason for such combinations?
For the sake of emphasis.
(3) Can you give more examples of a similar nature?
the whole world the vast a
5. ASK:
(1) Can you determine the “unmarked” member in each of the following pairs?
The words that are underlined are the “unmarked” members in the pairs.
small-big cheap-expensive wide-narrow
near-far many-few easy-difficult
early-late dangerous-safe full-emptypurpo是什么意思
(2) Can you think of any special situations where the “marked” member is more appropriately ud? 外研社杯
For instance, when we talk about a dwarf, people will often ask how short the dwarf is. This shows that one’s expectation and social convention play important roles in using the words.
