Transcript Document

OBJECTIVES
You will understand:
1.
2.
Semantic feature analysis
Semantic field analysis
You will be able to:
1.
Apply your understanding of semantic feature analysis and
semantic field analysis to your teaching
ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute
INTRODUCTION
•
Semantics is the study of the meanings of words, phrases and
sentences. We have all had students who have made
grammatically correct sentences that made absolutely no
sense from a meaning perspective. Semantics addresses this.
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Semantics encompasses the word choices we make in order to
convey the meaning that we want to convey. In the Semantics
and Pragmatics module (3.2.3) we briefly introduced semantic
features. In this module we will take a more in depth look at
semantic features through semantic feature analysis and
semantic field analysis.
ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute
SEMANTIC FEATURE ANALYSIS
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Semantic features are the components of the meaning of a
word that distinguish it from other words and other meanings.
Semantic feature analysis, then, is an analysis that allows us
to determine what is distinctive about a word to clarify its
meaning and to understand the consequences of the features
of the word on its grammatical performance.
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The premise of semantic feature analysis is that each word
captures a particular meaning through the inclusion or
exclusion of components or features. Words can be compared
and contrasted by indicating the presence (+) or absence (-) of
different features.
ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute
The following are some possible meaning features to analyze,
with an example of each:
• Singular versus plural (child versus children)
• Count versus non-count (coffee versus a cup of coffee)
• Human versus non-human (boy versus cub)
• Animate versus inanimate (boy versus table)
• Male versus female (uncle versus aunt)
• Young versus old or child versus adult (kitten versus cat)
• Rigid versus flexible (pole versus elastic)
• Liquid versus solid (water versus ice)
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For example if we were to look at the words ‘desk’, ‘cat’, and ‘boy’,
we might use the following features to start narrowing down the
meanings of the words:
Some researchers attempt to distinguish between features that affect
the grammatical function of the word versus those that simply capture
meaning. For the purposes of simplicity we will not make that
distinction, since the distinction between the two is not as clear cut as
some researchers would argue. If you look at the definition for any
word in the dictionary, you will notice that the definition mostly
consists of a list of the features of the word. Semantic features, then,
can serve as a starting point for defining words.
ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute
1. SEMANTIC FEATURES
Look at each group of words below. What is one feature that all
of the words in the group have in common?
A. pen, pencil, water bottle, cigarette
B. sheet of paper, blanket, rug, mat
C. pillow, marshmallow, ball of wool, a pile of hay
D. flashlight, sun, laser, light bulb
E. walk, run, crawl, amble, stroll
F. children, cubs, geese, mice
ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute
•
As language teachers, semantic feature analysis is most useful
when trying to demonstrate the differences among related
words and among words that have very similar meanings. For
example:
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ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute
2. SEMANTIC FEATURE ANALYSIS –Task Journal #2
• A. Complete a semantic feature analysis of the following pairs
of words, using at least four features for each pairing. The
words may share one or more of the semantic features you
choose, but there should be at least one feature that
distinguishes the two words.
• B. Using your charts above as your starting point, write the
exact words you would use to explain the similarities and
differences between each of the above pairs of words to an
intermediate class.
i)
ii)
iii)
iv)
ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute
SEMANTIC FIELD ANALYSIS
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Semantic feature analysis is used to highlight the
distinguishing features of words. Semantic field analysis looks
like a similar process, but it has a different purpose. In
semantic field analysis we use features to show the
relationships among lexical items within a field or domain (for
example, pieces of furniture, kitchen utensils, and types of
sports) with the purpose of showing how the items within a
field or domain are different from each other.
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There are different ways to convey the results of a semantic
field analysis. We can use a chart with +/- similar to that used
in semantic feature analysis. We can use a tree diagram to
show the hierarchy among the words. And we can use other
types of charts.
ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute
Below are examples of two kinds of semantic field analysis
charts.
ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute
The limitation of both semantic feature analysis and semantic
field analysis is that for each feature we have only an all or
nothing choice. The feature is either present or not. This,
however, does not necessarily capture the meanings of all words,
as some words are characterized by a partial presence of a
particular feature. Teachers need to be cognizant of this
limitation, while at the same time recognizing the usefulness of
both types of analysis as teaching tools.
ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute
3. SEMANTIC FIELD ANALYSIS – Task Journal #3
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A. Complete a semantic field analysis of the following sets of
words, using at least four features for each set. Two or more
words may share one or more of the semantic features you
choose, but each word should be distinguished from the other
words by at least one of the features you select. Use the +/system to illustrate your analysis.
ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute
•
Complete 3B in your Task Journal.
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Task Journals can be submitted via email to
[email protected] (preferred) or printed and handed in.
ACE TESOL Diploma Program – London Language Institute