Vocabulary as a System
What is meant by the term vocabulary system?
A network of interconnected words.
What are synonyms?
Words with the same or similar core meanings.
What are ideographic synonyms?
Synonyms differing in shades of meaning, such as big–huge.
What semantic feature do antonyms share?
A common dimension of comparison, such as temperature in hot–cold.
What are antonyms?
Words expressing opposed meanings within a shared semantic dimension.
Why are words considered interdependent elements?
A word’s meaning and use relate to other words through similarity, opposition, and combination.
What is a synonymic group?
Words sharing a common core meaning.
What are stylistic synonyms?
Synonyms differing in register or stylistic colouring, such as child–kid.
How do root antonyms differ from derivational antonyms?
Root antonyms have different roots, such as hot–cold; derivational antonyms use affixes, such as happy–unhappy.
What are gradable antonyms?
Opposites allowing degrees and intermediate states, such as hot–cold.
What are paradigmatic relations?
Relations between words that can occupy the same position or be compared as alternatives.
What is a synonymic dominant?
The relatively neutral, general member of a synonymic group, such as look in look–glance–stare.
What are phraseological synonyms?
Synonyms distinguished by their combinations with other words.
What are contextual antonyms?
Words that function as opposites in a particular context without being conventional antonyms.
What are complementary opposites?
Opposites that exclude each other within the relevant literal domain, such as alive–dead.
What are syntagmatic relations?
Relations between words occurring together in phrases and sentences.
What criteria help identify synonyms?
Shared meaning, part of speech, and contextual use.
What are absolute synonyms?
Words coinciding in meaning and stylistic characteristics; such synonymy is rare.
How does polysemy influence antonymic relationships?
Different senses can have different opposites: light–heavy for weight and light–dark for illumination.
What are conversives?
Words expressing the same relation from different perspectives, such as buy–sell.
How do synonymy and antonymy organize vocabulary?
They connect words into groups based on similarity and opposition.
Why is interchangeability a disputed criterion of synonymy?
Substitution can change nuance, style, or naturalness.
Can polysemantic words be synonymous in every meaning?
No. Synonymy normally concerns particular senses of a word.
What stylistic functions do antonyms perform?
They create contrast, emphasis, antithesis, and characterization.
How do gradable and complementary opposites differ?
Gradable opposites permit intermediate states; complementaries express a binary opposition.