Linguistic Semantics and Mental Lexicon
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Questions and Answers

What is the primary task of linguistic semantics according to the view mentioned in the text?

  • Specifying the syntactic rules of a language
  • Analyzing the phonological patterns of a language
  • Investigating the social context of language use
  • Specifying the stored meaning representation associated with each lexeme in the mental lexicon (correct)

    • What is the approach to meaning that starts with a particular meaning and lists the various forms available in the language for its expression?

  • Phonological approach
  • Syntactic approach
  • Semasiological approach
  • Onomasiological approach (correct)

    • What is the mental lexicon?

  • A store of grammatical rules
  • A language's phonological system
  • A language's syntactic structure
  • A collection of words and their associated meanings (correct)

    • What is the process of mapping ideas onto stored meaning representations in the mental lexicon called?

    <p>Accessing words</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the approach to definition that starts with a language's individual lexemes and tries to specify the meaning of each one?

    <p>Semasiological approach</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary objective of dictionary-writing or lexicography?

    <p>To put together a book that people can understand</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the view of language that has been influenced by the dictionary model?

    <p>Language exists independently of individual will</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main difference between linguistic semantics and dictionary-writing?

    <p>One is theoretical, while the other is practical</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the purpose of a dictionary, according to Landau?

    <p>To put together a book that people can understand</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the view of language that is implied by the idea that language exists in the form of a sum of impressions deposited in the brain of each member of a community?

    <p>Language is a shared resource</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main difference between a dictionary and a thesaurus?

    <p>A dictionary lists words, while a thesaurus lists concepts</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main challenge in associating meanings with forms in language?

    <p>Determining the minimal meaning-bearing units of language</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How are words typically defined in European languages with a well-established tradition of literacy?

    <p>By the spaces that surround them in standard orthography</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Why is the definition of 'word' limited in languages that have only recently been written down?

    <p>Because they have a fluid practice of word division</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the importance of understanding the principles of wordhood in language?

    <p>To decide what units to ascribe meanings to</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the concept of semi-systematic correspondences between certain sounds and certain meanings referred to?

    <p>Semantic relations</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the defining characteristic of idioms?

    <p>Their meanings are non-compositional</p> Signup and view all the answers

    According to Aristotle, what are the two main interpretations of a definition?

    <p>It is a description of the word's meaning or the object's essence</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main difficulty with defining words by ostension?

    <p>It is limited to concrete objects</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for defining a word by pointing out the objects it denotes?

    <p>Defining by ostension</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the relationship between knowing a concept and its definition?

    <p>Knowing a concept is only possible through its definition.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary function of a definition?

    <p>To correspond with the way a word is used.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the implied relationship between a word's meaning and its definition?

    <p>A word's meaning is equivalent to its definition.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is implied about the process of defining a concept?

    <p>It is a complex and difficult task.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the relationship between a definition and a concept?

    <p>A definition is a description of a concept.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main issue with ostensive definition, especially when it comes to objects?

    <p>It is extremely problematic</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the problem with defining words by providing synonyms?

    <p>It is always possible to challenge the identity between the definiens and the definiendum</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Why can't verbs, adjectives, and prepositions be defined using ostensive definition?

    <p>Because they are not pointing at a specific object</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the metalanguage word proposed as the definition?

    <p>Definiens</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the object language word for which a definition is required?

    <p>Definiendum</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What type of definition involves identifying a concept by providing a specific example?

    <p>Ostensive definition</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the process of defining a concept by identifying its genus and differentia?

    <p>Definition by genus and differentia</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What type of definition involves defining a concept by providing a similar concept or word?

    <p>Definition by synonymy</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the process of defining a concept by identifying its relationship to other concepts in a particular context?

    <p>Definition by context</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary question that needs to be addressed before defining the meaning of a concept?

    <p>What units need to receive definition?</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the process of defining a concept by identifying its essential characteristics and the category it belongs to?

    <p>Definition by genus and differentia</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What type of definition focuses on the meaning of a concept rather than its reference in the real world?

    <p>Nominal definition</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the process of defining a concept by providing an example of it in a particular context?

    <p>Definition by typical exemplar</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main distinction between real definition and nominal definition?

    <p>Real definition focuses on the reference of a concept in the real world, while nominal definition focuses on its meaning</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What are the four main questions that are addressed in the chapter on meaning and definition?

    <p>What units need to receive definition, what forms should the definitions take, can definitions be grounded in a set of semantic primitives, and what is the place of definition in semantics generally?</p> Signup and view all the answers

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