SYLLABUS
COURSE TITLE
FACULTY/INSTITUTE
COURSE CODE
DEGREE PROGRAMME
FIELD OF STUDY
ENGLISH PHILOLOGY
COURSE FORMAT
YEAR AND SEMESTER
NAME OF THE TEACHER
Semantics and Lexicology
INSTITUTE OF ENGLISH STUDIES
DEGREE LEVEL
FORMA
MODE
STUDIÓW/STUDY
BA STUDIES
FULL-TIME STUDIES
BASIC CONTENT
III YEAR - WINTER SEMESTER
prof. Pavel Stekauer – lecture, D. Rut-Kluz, PhD – classes.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
The course provides the students with the essential terminology, basic approaches,
theories, and conceptions that have shaped the theory of lexical semantics since the
beginning of the 20th century. Explaining the place of lexical semantics in the system of
linguistics and its relation to other linguistic disciplines.
PREREQUISITES
Completion of the course Introduction to Linguistics
KNOWLEDGE: Knowledge of basic terminology and fundamental
theories
LEARNING OUTCOMES
SKILLS: Ability to analyze the semantics of words in context, uses
examples to formulate rules and describes the regularities
in the semantics of language
FINAL COURSE OUTPUT - SOCIAL COMPETENCES
Ability to discuss and critically evaluate (while staying open to) the
rules formulated by other students.
COURSE ORGANISATION –LEARNING FORMAT AND NUMBER OF HOURS
CLASSES, 30 HOURS
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Lectures:
1.
Linguistic sign (de Saussure’s theory, the principles of arbitrariness, linearity,
discreteness (discontinuity), semiotic triangle – denotation, designation, signification;
denotative (cognitive) meaning, connotative meaning (associative), connotative-stylistic
types (territorial, social, stylistic proper, temporal), referent
2.
Lexical units (delimitation; semantic constituents, principle of compositionality,
definition of the semantic constituent, minimal semantic constituent, test of recurrent
semantic contrast). Word (different approaches to the notion of word, Di Sciullo &
Williams, Matthews; criteria for the delimitation of word; the notion of paradigm
3.
Word-meaning – affinities – paradigmatic and syntagmatic; semantic traits –
statuses, fixed meaning theory, core-meaning theory, fuzzy edge theory, prototype
theory, semantic primitives – componential analysis, semantic networks
4.
Idioms (phrasemes), collocations, and dead metaphors (basic features of idioms;
the notion of transparency and opacity, degrees of opacity, semantic cohesion in
collocations).
5.
Influence of context on the meaning of words (selection and modulation,
promotion, demotion, highlighting, backgrounding, transfer features, semantic cooccurrence restrictions – selectional and collocational restrictions, Katz and Fodor’s
approach to the context in a semantic theory
6.
Lexical relations (four general types of relations – identity, inclusion, overlap,
disjunction and their lexical counterparts; quasi-relations; synonymy – cognitive
synonymy, tautonyms, homonymy – criteria for the delimitation of homonymy with
regard to polysemy, faux amis, 3 types of antonymy, hyponymy
7.
Lexical configurations (hierarchies, branching, non-branching relations, relations
of dominance and difference, asymmetric relation, catenary relation, transitivity &
intransitivity), the notion of lexical field, Trier; doublets, meronomy, assymetry and gaps
8.
Componential analysis and relational components (semantic components, logical
constants, implicational rules, redundancy notations, propositions and arguments,
complex relations)
9.
Typology of features (origins of the theory of features, distinctive features within
the phonological theory of the Prague school of Linguistics; denotative, connotative,
transfer, relational, deictic features, inferential features)
10. Katz and Fodor’s semantic theory (scope of a semantic theory, the role of
context, components of the semantic theory – dictionary, projection rules, dictionary
entries, sense characterization, semantic markers, distinguishers
11. Cognitive semantics – general, meaning and semantic nature, conceptualization
and imagery, the nature of grammar, continuum of symbolic structures, schemas,
categorizing relationships, compositional and actual semantic values, grammar as
a symbolic phenomenon, component and composite structures, degrees of
schematicity, constructional schemas, schematic transparency principle
12. Pragmatic, corpus-based approach to lexicography
13. Change of meaning (1. logic-based changes (extension, restriction and branching
of meaning; 2. transfer of meaning (metaphor, metonymy, synecdoche). Changes due
to (a) reality, (b) conflict in the system, (c) folk etymology, (d) calques
Revision
Classes:
Numer
of hours
1. Lexicology and semantics, relation of the fields
2. Meaning and concept
1
2
3. General vocabulary and specialized terminology
2
4. Types of meaning (descriptive and non-descriptive)
2
5. Lexicon; its elements and the relations among them (np. hyponymy, synonymy,
opposites)
6. Word formation processes
8
7. Methodology of semantic investigation
2
8. Semantic fields
2
9. Homonymy a polysemy
2
10. Cognitive semantics: prototypes, frames, scripts, metaphor i metonymy
11. Test
6
1
METHODS OF INSTRUCTION
REQUIREMENTS AND ASSESSMENTS
GRADING SYSTEM
TOTAL STUDENT WORKLOAD
NEEDED TO ACHIEVE EXPECTED
LEARNING OUTCOMES EXPRESSED
IN TIME AND ECTS CREDIT POINTS
LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION
INTERNSHIP
MATERIALS
2
Total time:
30h
Lecture.
In class discussion, working with examples (either own or
provided by the teacher) in groups or individually
Lecture: written exam
Classes: written test
To complete the course one needs to
Lecture: attend the lectures and score 60% of the total
points on the written exam.
Classes: attend the classes and score 60% of the total
points on the test.
70 hours, 2 ECTS,
ENGLISH
NONE
LECTURES
PRIMARY OR REQUIRED BOOKS/READINGS:
1. Lectures
2. Štekauer, P. (1993) Essentials of English
Linguistics. Prešov: Slovacontact.
3. Štekauer, P. (ed.) (2000) Rudiments of English
Linguistics, Prešov: Slovacontact. (chapters 2,
3, and 4)
SUPPLEMENTAL OR OPTIONAL BOOKS/READINGS:
Friedrich Ungerer and Hans-Jörg Schmid. 1996. An
introduction to cognitive linguistics
L. Lipka. 2002. English Lexicology. Tubingen: Narr
D. Geererts. Theories of Lexical Semantics. 2009.
Oxford: Oxford University Press.
CLASSES
PRIMARY OR REQUIRED BOOKS/READINGS:
1. Burkhanov, I. 1998 Lexicography. A Dictionary of Basic
Terminology. Rzeszów: Wydawnictwo Wyższej Szkoły
Pedagogicznej w Rzeszowie
2. Lyons, J. 1977 Semantics. Vol.1, 2 Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.
SUPPLEMENTAL OR OPTIONAL BOOKS/READINGS:
1. Cruse, D. A. 1991 Lexical Semantics. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.
2. Lyons, J. 1996 Linguistic Semantics. An Introduction.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.