LEXICAL RELATIONS

WRITTEN BY : DANA NAWZAD

SUPRIVISOR : SAWEN AZIZ
INTRODUCTION TO LINGUISTICS

Lexical Relations
Another way of checking vocabulary is to connect specific word or items to other ones in a
systematic way, done through different aspects of lexical relations. Or in another word it’s a culturally
recognized pattern of connection that exist between lexical units of a language. These patterns contain:

1- Synonymy: these contain two or more words with very closed related meaning (not exactly the
same) are called synonymy. So these words can usually be substituted for each other in sentences,

If we take answer / reply as synonymy, we can see that they depend on sentences and their formal and
Informal uses, as we can see:

What was his answer/what was his reply in this sentence they mean the same. However if we take

Another example as: Sandy only had one correct answer/Sandy only had one correct reply.

We can see these two words doesn’t mean the same here as it used before.

2- Antonymy: these are words which have the opposite meaning.Antonymy divides into 2 layers:

-Gradable antonymy: these are used in comparative construction. Such as big/small or fast/slow.

Having a gradable antonym doesn’t imply the opposite word here.

- non-gradable antonymy : comparative construction is not depended on here .

When we use the non-gradable antonymy the opposite word implies the other one.

3- Hyponymy: Hyponomy are words which contain within a higher wider class of meaning

Or we can say it is a word whose meaning is included in the meaning of another word

For example, oven is a smaller part of a general word which is kitchen.

4- Homophones or homonyms: the words that have the same pronunciation but

Different writing style is called homophones, however homonyms are words

That have the same spell and pronunciation but different meaning in content .

For example: we meet to eat the meat/ The race consisted of many different races .
5- polysemy :these are words that have the same form with related meaning. So it’s one form with
Multiple meanings. If we take head as an example we see that it gives different meaning with the other
Words: head (part of body) or a top of a can or someone who is in charge.

The main problems that students face is how to differ between polysemy and homonym.

Polysemy is the existence of many possible meanings for a word or mostly a phrase.
 Homonymy is the existence of two or more words having the same spelling or
Pronunciation but different meanings.

For example date means a food or a particular day in time so it’s called homonymy.
But when we use date with other words (mostly) like a date with friend or a date
To meet someone we love makes the difference.

6- Metonymy: metonymy is a part of speech that replaces the name of a thing with
The name of something else with which it is closely associated.

For example when we mention our ride or our wheel we mean the car we own. So when

We use these words in sentence you have to understand them logically.

7-Metaphor: is a part of speech that, directly refers to a thing by mentioning another,

These words may show hidden similarities between two items. For example :

Tom’s eyes were ice as he stared at her.

This means that his eyes were not moving when he was staring at her .

8- Collocation: these are the words that come together or they are highly interlinked.

If we say hammer lot of us remember nail or when we say cheese you may think of

Burger so when two words come up together occasionally they become collocation.