Lexis And Semantics 5j4d3m

Lexis and Semantics Lexis: Deals with the vocabulary system in English language Semantics: Deals with meaning and how that is generated within texts Textual cohesion: Describes how a text is logically structured to create a coherent sense of meaning

Word Class Noun Verb Adjective Adverb Determiner Conjunction Preposition Pronoun

Types of Noun Proper Abstract Concrete

Description/Function Names of objects, feelings, attitudes, people and places Shows actions, events or states of being, feeling or thinking Adds detail to nouns Adds detail to verbs Positioned in front of nouns to add detail or to clarify Links words, phrases and clauses together Shows relation in of time or place Replaces nouns and can also refer forwards and backwards to them in longer stretches of text

Example Cottage, love

Function Refers to names of people or places Refers to states, feelings and concepts without a physical existence Refers to objects that have a physical existence

Examples Paris, London

Seems, run Bleak Extraordinarily The, a, an And, but, or, although, because In, at, by, on I, me, you, his, her, our

Pain, happiness Countable: table Non-countable: furniture

Types of Verb Material Relational Mental Dynamic Stative

Function Describe actions or events Describe states of being or used to identify Describe perception, thought or speech Processes where there is a change in state over time Processes where the state remains constant

Examples Hit, run, eat, push, read, hold Be, appear, seem, become Think, speak, believe, love Paint, eat, remove Love, hold, believe

Base form: The simple form of an adjective e.g. small, beautiful Comparative: The form used to compare two items, adjectives using –er or combined with ‘more’ e.g. smaller, more beautiful Superlative: Adjectives using –est or combined with ‘most’ e.g. smallest, most beautiful

Cohesion: A measure of how well a text fits together as a whole, its internal logic and construction Referencing: When lexical items replace those already mentioned or about to be mentioned e.g. ‘I believe him. Tony would never lie.’ Anaphoric referencing: Referencing back to an already stated lexical item Cataphoric referencing: Referencing forward to an as yet undisclosed lexical item Substitution: The replacing of one set of lexical items for another e.g. my mobile phone is so out of date, I must look into getting a newer model Ellipsis: The missing out of a word or words in a sentence Denotation: A strict ‘dictionary’ meaning of a lexical item Connotation: An associated, symbolic meaning relying on culturally shared conventions Semantic/Lexical field: Lexical items that are similar in meaning and properties Synonym: Words with very similar semantic value e.g. cry, weep, howl, whimper Antonym: Words with opposite semantic value Hyponymy: The term for the hierarchical structure that exists between lexical items. It is an important cohesive device

Subordinate: A ‘lower’ word in the hyponymic chain; a more specific lexical item e.g. Labrador Superordinate: A ‘higher’ word in the hyponymic chain; a more general lexical item e.g. Mammal Emotive language: Language that encourages readers to respond emotionally rather than rationally. Many words have emotive connotations and readers may respond to these rather than their denotations Metaphor: Use of a term to describe something that it does not denote, to suggest similar qualities between the two Simile: A comparison of one thing with another, using the words ‘like’ or ‘as’