LEXICOLOGY CLOSE - LEXEME

Choose the correct word for each space. You should choose from the list suggested below - each
word has the appropriate from and should be used once.

asymmetrical,, conversely, independently, internal, multiple, occasionally, occasions, referents,

sememe,, sentences,,

We need the concept of ‘lexeme’ to the distinction between denotation and __sense___ (1). This
concept, which was coined by Lyons in analogy to ‘phoneme’ and ‘_morpheme__’ (2) is
considered an abstract linguistic unit with different variants.
Thus, the relation of __denotation__ (3) holds between a lexeme and a whole class of extra-
linguistic objects. As _opposed__ (4) to denotation, the relationship of reference holds between an
expression and what that expression stands for on particular __function__ (5) of its utterance.
Lyons further points out that reference depends on concrete utterances, not on abstract
__contexts___(6). Since it is a property only of expressions, it cannot relate __single__ (7)
lexemes to extra-linguistic objects. _furthermore__ (8), reference is not generally applicable to
single word forms and it is __never__ (9) applicable to single lexemes.
Lyons defines sense as a __relationship__ (10) ‘between the words and expressions of a single
language, __value___ (11) of the relationship, if any, which holds between those words and
expressions and their __connotations___ (12). It follows that sense is a relationship which is
_compared__ (13) to the language system. Both individual lexemes and larger expressions have
sense. However, the sense of an expression is a __reference___ (14) of the sense of the lexemes it
contains and their occurrences in a particular grammatical construction.
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