Qassim University Second Semester 1436/2015 College of Arabic and Social Studies Semantics ENG 459
Department of English Language and Translation
Semantics Study Tasks & Exercises Course Professor: Zaidan Ali Jassem
Main Textbook: Semantics
Chapter 1: Semantic Features Task 1.
Word meaning, like the phoneme, is divisible. Discuss and evaluate in brief.
Chapter 2: Semantic Fields Task 2.
There are different ways for describing or defining word meaning on the basis of semantic fields, e.g., semantic features (pp. 3 39) and 3-tier system (p. 44). Mention and evaluate any two such methods, giving examples.
Task 3.
Bachelor has several meanings. How can you define it, using semantic field theory?
Task 4.
Give 10-20 examples on semantic fields in relation to the Arabic origins of English, German, French, Latin, Greek, and Sanskrit. Visit: https://qu-sa.academia.edu/ZaidanJassem
https://qu-sa.academia.edu/ZaidanJassem/Papers
Chapter 3: Core Meanings and Prototype Theory Task 5.
How can you distinguish between core meaning and prototype? Discuss with reference to cup and break, bird and robin, or any other categories.
Task 6.
Many English words such as mean(s), bachelor have several meanings each, which is know as polysemy (homonymy) or semantic
multiplicity in the lexical root or radical linguistic theory. Give examples of the different meanings of such words and show how this can be treated in core semantics and in radical semantics (lexical root or radical linguistic theory), according to which their different meanings are due to their true Arabic origins or cognates, which are formally similar and semantically different. Visit:
https://www.academia.edu/3479121/_2013h_The_Arabic_Origins_of_ Speech_and_Writing_Terms_in_English_and_European_Languages_ A_Lexical_Root_Theory_Approach
Task 7
There are three dimensions in describing the meaning of prototypes. What are they? Discuss with reference to cup and vase.
Task 8
Arabic is extremely, incredibly, phenomenally, incomparably, and amazingly rich in colour indeed, with around 400 different colour terms (Jassem 2014). Compare it with English and any other language(s) you might be familiar with. Why is Arabic so unrivalled in colour terms, compared to all world languages? Visit:
https://qu-sa.academia.edu/ZaidanJassem
https://www.academia.edu/7837176/THE_ARABIC_ORIGINS_OF_
ENGLISH_AND_INDO-EUROPEAN_COLOUR_AND_ARTISTIC_TERMS_A_RADICAL_ LINGUISTIC_THEORY_APPROACH
Chapter 4: Relational Semantics or Models of Semantic Relations
Task 9
In relational semantics as developed by Russian and Polish linguists, word meanings are not defined but their relations, connections, links, or associations are identified, described, or given. How can you describe farm and/or hit this way?
Task 10
Words have different relations to each other. Name them all and how can you explain the relation between words like teach-learn, buy-sell, student-teacher, doctor-patient, doctor-nurse, doctor-nurse-patient?
Task 11
The interpretation of word relations is usually strict. Explain and evaluate, using some of the examples in Task 10 above.
Task 12
In relational models, semantic relations can be as many as 52. Discuss and evaluate in short.
Task 13
Relational semantics has various applications, indeed. Illustrate.
