5. Semantic fields. Lexico-semantic groups

A theory of SF continues to engage the attention of linguists. Most linguists is interested in this theme but the starting point J. Trier’s work on intellectual terms in Old and Middle German. He shows that they form an independent lexical sphere where significance of each unit is determined by their neighbors. This sphere is called a linguistic, conceptual or lexical field. Fields are linguistic realities existing between single words and the total vocabulary, they are parts of a whole and resemble words and they combine into some higher unit and the vocabulary in that they resolve themselves into smaller units. The greatest merit lies in their attempt to find linguistic criteria disclosing the semantic character of language. Trier regards the language as super individual cultural product shaping our knolledge. A syntactic approach to the problem of syntactic fields has been initiated by Moscow structural group. From their point of view the detailed syntactic properties of the word are its meaning. A semantic field can be described on the basis of the valency potential of its members

5. Synonyms

The word synonym is a composite of two Greek words: The prefix “syn” means “together” and “onym” is “name.” Synonyms- naming the same thing. Synonyms are usually defined as words belonging to one and the same part of speech, close in meaning. Synonyms may be found in different parts of speech. Synonyms are traditionally described as words different in sound-form but identical or similar in meaning. The traditional classification of synonyms into ideographic(denotational)- these synonyms are the most common, frequent synonyms in the language system, denote different shades of meaning or different degrees of a given quality. beautiful - fine - handsome -pretty Beautiful conveys, for instance, the strongest meaning;), and stylistic synonyms. differ not so much in denotational as in emotive value or stylistic sphere of application. (to begin- to commence- to initiate). absolute synonyms which are very rare. There are mostly different names for one and the same plant, animal, disease, science (compounding-composition, Fatherland- mother country, looking glass - mirror).

According to the criterion of interchangeability in context synonyms are classified into

1. Total, are those members of a synonymic group which can replace each other in any given context, without the slightest alteration in denotative meaning or emotional meaning and connotations. They are very rare. Examples can be found mostly in special literature among technical terms and others, e.g. fatherland - motherland, suslik - gopher,

relative denote different degree of the same notion or different shades of meanings (like - love – adore)

contextual. are similar in meaning only under some specific distributional conditions. It may happen that the difference between the meanings of two words is contextually neutralised , E.g. buy and get would not generally be taken as synonymous, but they are synonyms in the following examples: I'll go to the shop and buy some bread.

I'll go to the shop and get some bread.