Lexical meaning of the word came out. Types of lexical meanings of words in Russian

Or simply what the word means. Lexical meaning does not include the entire set of features inherent in any object, phenomenon, action, etc., but only the most significant ones that help to distinguish one object from another. Lexical meaning defines common properties for a number of objects, actions, phenomena, and also establishes differences that distinguish a given object, action, phenomenon. For example, the lexical meaning of the word giraffe defined as follows: “an African artiodactyl ruminant with a very long neck and long legs,” that is, it lists the characteristics that distinguish the giraffe from other animals.

Not all words in the Russian language have meaning. A word can have one lexical meaning ( unambiguous words): syntax, tangent, whatman, secret etc. Words that have two, three or more lexical meanings are called polysemantic: sleeve, warm. Polysemantic words occur among all independent parts of speech, except numerals. The specific meaning of a polysemantic word can only be determined in context: star - stars lit up in the sky; screen star; Starfish.

The lexical meaning can be explained:

descriptively, by characterizing the distinctive features of an object, action, phenomenon;
through a single root word;
selection of synonyms.

The lexical meaning of the word is given in explanatory dictionaries.

The term “lexical” or, as they have recently begun to say, “the meaning of a word” cannot be considered completely definite. The lexical meaning of a word is usually understood as its objective and material content, formalized according to the laws of the grammar of a given language and being an element of the general semantic system of the dictionary of this language. The socially fixed content of a word can be homogeneous, unified, but it can also represent an internally connected system of multidirectional reflections of different “pieces of reality”, between which a semantic connection is established in the system of a given language.

figurative meaning of the word

A derivative of the basic (main) lexical meaning of a word, relating to it metonymically, metaphorically or associatively, through spatial, temporal, logical and other dependencies. The figurative meaning can become the main one and vice versa. Such changes in the semantic structure of a word can be caused by emotional-evaluative, associative and other influencing factors.

Notes

Literature

Vinogradov V.V., “Basic types of lexical meanings of a word”, Selected works. Lexicology and lexicography. - M., 1977. - P. 162-189
Ozhegov S.I., Shvedova N.Yu. Explanatory dictionary of the Russian language
Ogekyan I. N., Volchek N. M., Vysotskaya E. V. et al. “Big reference book: The whole Russian language. All Russian Literature" - Mn.: Publishing House Modern Literator, 2003. - 992 p.

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

See what “Lexical meaning” is in other dictionaries:

lexical meaning- Subject-conceptual content of the word. It is not motivated or determined by the sound composition of the word. The connection between the sound appearance of a word and its meaning can be called an association by contiguity, fixed by linguistic tradition. Lexical meaning... ...

Lexical meaning is the correlation of the sound shell of a word with the corresponding objects or phenomena of objective reality. Lexical meaning does not include the entire set of features inherent in any object, phenomenon,... ... Wikipedia

LEXICAL MEANING OF THE WORD- LEXICAL MEANING OF THE WORD. The meaning inherent in a word as a lexeme; the content of a word, reflecting in the mind and consolidating in it the idea of an object, process, phenomenon. L. z. With. is of a generalized and generalizing nature, compared with... ... New dictionary of methodological terms and concepts (theory and practice of language teaching)

Lexical meaning of the word- The lexical meaning of a word is the content of the word, reflecting in the mind and consolidating in it the idea of an object, property, process, phenomenon, etc. L. z. With. a product of human mental activity, it is associated with the reduction of information... ... Linguistic encyclopedic dictionary

The content of the word, i.e., the correlation established by our thinking between the sound complex and the object or phenomenon of reality, which are designated by this complex of sounds. The carrier of the lexical meaning is the base of the word.... ... Dictionary of linguistic terms

Terms and concepts of linguistics: Vocabulary. Lexicology. Phraseology. Lexicography

lexical meaning of the word motivated- Secondary meaning, derivative in semantic and word-formation terms. Motivated words have an internal form... Dictionary of linguistic terms T.V. Foal

lexical meaning of the word unmotivated- Primary meaning, which is genetically non-derivative for modern language... Dictionary of linguistic terms T.V. Foal

lexical meaning of the word- Reflection in a word of one or another phenomenon of reality (object, event, quality, action, relationship) ... Terms and concepts of linguistics: Vocabulary. Lexicology. Phraseology. Lexicography

Books

Lexical meaning. The principle of semiological description of vocabulary, A. A. Ufimtseva. This book represents the first attempt at a semiological description of characterizing (nominal) vocabulary. The author systematically presents the problems of the semiological approach to the study...

The lexical meaning of a word is the correlation between the sound complex of a linguistic unit and a particular phenomenon of reality, fixed in the minds of speakers.

Most words name objects, their characteristics, quantity, actions, processes and act as full-valued, independent words, performing a nominative function in the language (Latin nominatio - naming, naming). Having common grammatical and syntactic meanings and functions, these words are combined into the categories of nouns, adjectives, numerals, verbs, adverbs, words of the state category. Their lexical meaning is supplemented by grammatical ones. For example, the word newspaper denotes a specific item; the lexical meaning indicates that it is “a periodical publication in the form of large sheets, usually daily, dedicated to events of current political and public life.” The noun newspaper has grammatical meanings of gender (feminine), number (this object is thought of as one, not many) and case. The word read names the action - “perceive what is written, pronouncing it out loud or reproducing it to oneself” and characterizes it as real, occurring at the moment of speech, performed by the speaker (and not by other persons).

Among the significant parts of speech, pronouns and modal words lack a nominative function. The first ones only point to objects or their signs: I, you, this, so much; they receive a specific meaning in speech, but cannot serve as a generalized name for a number of similar objects, characteristics or quantities. The latter express the speaker’s attitude to the thought being expressed: The mail has probably already arrived.

Functional parts of speech (prepositions, conjunctions, particles) also do not perform a nominative function, that is, they do not name objects, signs, actions, but are used as formal grammatical linguistic means.

Lexical meanings of words, their types, development and changes are studied by lexical semantics (semasiology) (gr. sЇemasia - designation + logos - teaching). The grammatical meanings of the word are considered in the grammar of the modern Russian language.

All objects and phenomena of reality have their own names in language. Words point to real objects, to our attitude towards them, which arose in the process of understanding the world around us. This connection of the word with the phenomena of real reality (denotations) is non-linguistic in nature, and nevertheless is the most important factor in determining the nature of the word as a sign unit.

Words name not only specific objects that can be seen, heard or touched at the moment, but also concepts about these objects that arise in our minds.

A concept is a reflection in the minds of people of the general and essential features of the phenomena of reality, ideas about their properties. Such signs can be the shape of an object, its function, color, size, similarity or difference with another object, etc. A concept is the result of a generalization of a mass of individual phenomena, during which a person is distracted from unimportant signs, focusing on the main, fundamental ones. Without such abstraction, that is, without abstract ideas, human thinking is impossible.

Concepts are formed and consolidated in our minds with the help of words. The connection of words with a concept (significative factor) makes the word an instrument of human thinking. Without the ability of a word to name a concept, there would be no language itself. Denoting concepts with words allows us to make do with a relatively small number of linguistic signs. So, in order to single out one person from many people and name anyone, we use the word person. To denote all the richness and variety of colors of living nature, there are words red, yellow, blue, green, etc. The movement of various objects in space is expressed by the word goes (person, train, bus, icebreaker, and even ice, rain, snow, etc. ).

Explanatory dictionaries of the Russian language most succinctly reflect the systemic connections of words. They represent lists of words of varying degrees of completeness and accuracy that make up the lexical system in all the diversity and complexity of its functioning in the language. Thus, the word island does not indicate the geographical location, size, name, shape, fauna, flora of any particular island, therefore, abstracting from these particular characteristics, we use this word to call any part of the land surrounded on all sides by water (in the ocean, sea, on a lake, river) Thus, those essential features and properties of objects that make it possible to distinguish a whole class of objects from other classes are fixed in words.

However, not all words name a concept. They are not capable of being expressed by conjunctions, particles, prepositions, interjections, pronouns, and proper names. The latter deserve special mention.

There are proper names that name individual concepts. These are the names of prominent people (Shakespeare, Dante, Leo Tolstoy, Chaliapin, Rachmaninov), geographical names (Volga, Baikal, Alps, America). By their nature, they cannot be a generalization and evoke the idea of an object that is unique in its kind.

Personal names of people (Alexander, Dmitry), surnames (Golubev, Davydov), on the contrary, do not give rise to a certain idea about a person in our minds.

Common nouns (historian, engineer, son-in-law) based on the distinctive features of professions and degree of relationship allow us to get some idea about the people named by these words.

Animal names may be close to generic names. So, if a horse’s name is Bulany, this indicates its gender and color. Squirrel is usually called an animal with white fur (although a cat, a dog, and a goat can be called this way). So different nicknames relate differently to generalized names.

Types of lexical meanings of words in Russian

A comparison of various words and their meanings allows us to identify several types of lexical meanings of words in the Russian language.

According to the method of nomination, direct and figurative meanings of words are distinguished. The direct (or basic, main) meaning of a word is a meaning that directly correlates with the phenomena of objective reality. For example, the words table, black, boil have the following basic meanings:

A piece of furniture in the form of a wide horizontal board on high supports or legs.
The colors of soot, coal.
To seethe, bubble, evaporate from strong heat (about liquids). These values are stable, although they may change historically. For example, the word stol in the Old Russian language meant throne, reign, capital.

The direct meanings of words depend less than others on the context, on the nature of connections with other words. Therefore, they say that direct meanings have the greatest paradigmatic conditionality and the least syntagmatic coherence.

Transferable (indirect) meanings of words arise as a result of the transfer of names from one phenomenon of reality to another on the basis of similarity, commonality of their characteristics, functions, etc.

So, the word table has several figurative meanings:

A piece of special equipment or a piece of machine of a similar shape: operating table, raise the machine table.
Meals, food: rent a room with a table.
A department in an institution in charge of some special range of matters: information desk.

The word black has the following figurative meanings:

Dark, as opposed to something lighter called white: brown bread.

Has taken on a dark color, darkened: black from tanning.
Kurnoy (long form only, obsolete): black hut.
Gloomy, desolate, heavy: black thoughts.
Criminal, malicious: black treason.
Not main, auxiliary (long form only): back door in the house.
Physically difficult and unskilled (long form only): menial work, etc.

The word boil has the following figurative meanings: 1. “Manifest to a strong degree”: work is in full swing. 2. “To show something with force, to a strong degree”: seethe with indignation.

As we see, indirect meanings appear in words that are not directly correlated with the concept, but are closer to it through various associations that are obvious to speakers.

Figurative meanings can retain imagery: black thoughts, black betrayal; seethe with indignation. Such figurative meanings are fixed in the language: they are given in dictionaries when interpreting a lexical unit.

In their reproducibility and stability, figurative meanings differ from metaphors that are created by writers, poets, publicists and are of an individual nature.

However, in most cases, when transferring meanings, imagery is lost. For example, we do not perceive as figurative names such as the bend of a pipe, the spout of a teapot, the passage of a clock, etc. In such cases, they talk about extinct imagery in the lexical meaning of the word, about dry metaphors.

Direct and figurative meanings are distinguished within one word.

2. According to the degree of semantic motivation, unmotivated meanings are distinguished (non-derivative, primary), which are not determined by the meaning of morphemes in the word; motivated (derivative, secondary), which are derived from the meanings of the generating stem and word-forming affixes. For example, the words table, build, white have unmotivated meanings. The words dining room, tabletop, dining room, construction, perestroika, anti-perestroika, whitewash, whitewash, whiteness have motivated meanings; they are, as it were, “derived” from the motivating part, word-building formants and semantic components that help to comprehend the meaning of a word with a derived base.

For some words, the motivation of the meaning is somewhat obscured, since in modern Russian it is not always possible to identify their historical root. However, etymological analysis establishes the ancient family connections of the word with other words and makes it possible to explain the origin of its meaning. For example, etymological analysis makes it possible to identify the historical roots in the words fat, feast, window, cloth, pillow, cloud and establish their connection with the words live, drink, eye, knot, ear, drag (envelop) Thus, the degree of motivation of a particular meaning words may not be the same. In addition, the meaning may seem motivated to a person with philological training, while to a non-specialist the semantic connections of this word seem lost.

3. According to the possibility of lexical compatibility, the meanings of words are divided into free and non-free. The first ones are based only on subject-logical connections of words. For example, the word drink can be combined with words denoting liquids (water, milk, tea, lemonade, etc.), but cannot be combined with words such as stone, beauty, running, night. The compatibility of words is regulated by the subject compatibility (or incompatibility) of the concepts they denote. Thus, the “freedom” of combining words with unrelated meanings is relative.

Non-free meanings of words are characterized by limited possibilities of lexical compatibility, which in this case is determined by both subject-logical and linguistic factors. For example, the word to gain is combined with the words victory, top, but not combined with the word defeat. You can say lower your head (look, eyes, eyes), but you cannot say “lower your hand” (leg, briefcase).

Non-free meanings, in turn, are divided into phraseologically related and syntactically determined. The first are realized only in stable (phraseological) combinations: sworn enemy, bosom friend (the elements of these phrases cannot be swapped).

The syntactically determined meanings of a word are realized only if it performs an unusual syntactic function in a sentence. Thus, the words log, oak, hat, acting as a nominal part of a compound predicate, receive the meaning “stupid person”; "stupid, insensitive person"; "a sluggish, uninitiative person, a bungler." V.V. Vinogradov, who first identified this type of meaning, called them functionally-syntactically conditioned. These meanings are always figurative and, according to the method of nomination, are classified as figurative meanings.

As part of the syntactically determined meanings of words, there are also structurally limited meanings, which are realized only under the conditions of a certain syntactic structure. For example, the word whirlwind with the direct meaning of “gusty circular movement of the wind” in a construction with a noun in the form of the genitive case receives a figurative meaning: whirlwind of events - “rapid development of events.”

4. According to the nature of the functions performed, lexical meanings are divided into two types: nominative, the purpose of which is nomination, naming of phenomena, objects, their qualities, and expressive-synonymous, in which the predominant is the emotional-evaluative (connotative) feature. For example, in the phrase tall man, the word tall indicates great height; this is its nominative meaning. And the words lanky, long in combination with the word man not only indicate great growth, but also contain a negative, disapproving assessment of such growth. These words have an expressive-synonymous meaning and are among the expressive synonyms for the neutral word high.

5. Based on the nature of connections between one meaning and another in the lexical system of a language, the following can be distinguished:

autonomous meanings possessed by words that are relatively independent in the linguistic system and denote primarily specific objects: table, theater, flower;
correlative meanings that are inherent in words opposed to each other according to some characteristics: close - far, good - bad, youth - old age;
deterministic meanings, i.e. those “which are, as it were, determined by the meanings of other words, since they represent their stylistic or expressive variants...” For example: nag (cf. stylistically neutral synonyms: horse, horse); wonderful, wonderful, magnificent (cf. good).

Thus, the modern typology of lexical meanings is based on, firstly, conceptual-subject connections of words (i.e., paradigmatic relationships), secondly, word-formation (or derivational) connections of words, thirdly, the relationships of words to each other friend (syntagmatic relationship). Studying the typology of lexical meanings helps to understand the semantic structure of a word and penetrate deeper into the systemic connections that have developed in the vocabulary of the modern Russian language.

See Ulukhanov I. S. Word-formation semantics in the Russian language and the principles of its description M., 1977 P. 100–101
Shmelev D. N The meaning of the word // Russian language: Encyclopedia. M., 1979. P. 89.

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Self-test questions

What is the lexical meaning of a word?
What branch of the science of language studies the lexical meaning of a word?
What words perform a nominative function in speech? What does it consist of?
What words lack a nominative function?
What does the term "concept" mean?
What connection is established between the concept and the word?
What words do not denote concepts?
What types of lexical meanings of words are distinguished in modern Russian?
What is the literal and figurative meaning of the word?
What is the motivated and unmotivated meaning of words?
What is the difference between free and non-free meanings of words?
What are the features of phraseologically related and syntactically determined meanings of words?
What distinguishes the autonomous meanings of words?
What are correlative meanings of words?
What distinguishes the deterministic meanings of words?

Exercises

3. Select words in sentences that have free (nominative) and non-free (phraseologically related and syntactically determined) meanings.

1. It’s time for me to sort out your faults, puppy! (Kr.) 2. Now I have been given leisure forever. (Sim.) 3. The soldiers sleep, who have leisure. (TV). 4. Cranberry is a creeping marsh plant with red sour berries. 5. That's cranberry! 6. Rumors and speculation arose again, and this spreading cranberry was talked about everywhere. 7. The white birch tree under my window was covered with snow, like silver. (Es.) 8. White work is done by white, black work is done by black (M.). 9. He doesn’t live in this world. 10. The tenant came late and did not bother the landlady. 11. The girl fell asleep and lost weight. 12. The heat has subsided. 13. What a goose! 14. The caravan of noisy geese stretched to the south. (P.) 15. This is not the first time this palm goose has been here. 16. Blue fog, snow expanse. (Es.). 17. She is a blue stocking, not a woman.

4. Highlight words in the text that have nominative, phraseologically related and syntactically determined meanings.

Senya was lying on the sofa, all gray, with wrinkles, time, it seemed, was already a burden to him. ... - I do not believe! No I do not believe! -What are you talking about? – asked Ryazantsev. – I don’t believe that in old age a person should reproach himself for what was wrong, for not living his youth like that. - Why? - Because! What right does an old man who seems to no longer live, what right does he have to judge a young man who is living?..

They agreed that they would write a book together, because Senya alone would not have time to finish it. When Senya was very ill, lay on his sofa and shouted that he was not being treated by doctors, veterinarians, Ryazantsev told him: “Listen, Senya, we need to finish the book this year.” And Senya’s thoughts came into complete, sometimes even perfect order. ...When later consciousness began to come to him only from time to time, even then he cared most about the book. Nothing else could be expected from him, but suddenly Senya began to express judgments that were unusual for him. Said once:

- We barely know each other.

- Who are we? – asked Ryazantsev.

– People... Radio, television, cinema - all this shows us in breadth. Quantitatively. Externally. But we are losing one primitive thing - an old, good, time-tested genre - the genre of friendly conversation. How can people not lose in this... Keep in mind.

You could say to Sena like this: “Keep in mind,” he left, Ryazantsev remained in this life.

(S. Zalygin.)

5. Indicate in the text the words that perform a nominative function and those that do not; words that denote and do not denote concepts, as well as those indicating single concepts. In addition, indicate words that have different types of meanings: direct and figurative, motivated and unmotivated, free and unfree, nominative and expressive-synonymous. Highlight words with autonomous, correlative and deterministic meanings.

1. The book began to be printed. It was called “In Defense of the Disadvantaged.”

The typesetters tore the manuscript into pieces, and each typed only his own piece, which began with half a word and had no meaning. So, in the word “love” - “lu” remained with one, and “bove” went to the other, but this did not matter, since they never read what they were typing.

- Let him be empty, this scribbler! This is anathema handwriting! - said one and, wincing with anger and impatience, covered his eyes with his hand. The fingers of the hand were black with lead dust, dark leaden shadows lay on the young face, and when the worker coughed and spat, his saliva was painted the same dark and deathly color.

2. Books stood in motley rows on the shelves, and the walls were not visible behind them; books lay in high piles on the floor; and behind the store, in two dark rooms, lay all the books, books. And it seemed that the human thought bound by them was silently shuddering and breaking out, and there had never been real silence and real peace in this kingdom of books.

A gray-bearded gentleman with a noble expression respectfully spoke to someone on the phone, cursed in a whisper: “idiots!”, and shouted.

- Bear! - and when the boy entered, he made his face ignoble and ferocious and shook his finger. - How many times do you have to scream? Scoundrel!

The boy blinked his eyes in fear, and the gray-bearded gentleman calmed down. With his foot and hand he pulled out a heavy bunch of books, he wanted to lift it with one hand - but he couldn’t immediately and threw it back on the floor.

- Take it to Yegor Ivanovich.

The boy took the bundle with both hands and did not lift it.

- Alive! - the gentleman shouted.

The boy picked it up and carried it.

- Why are you crying? - asked a passerby.

The bear was crying. Soon a crowd gathered, an angry policeman came with a saber and a pistol, took Mishka and the books and took them all together in a cab to the police station.

- What's there? - asked the guard on duty, looking up from the paper he was compiling.

“It’s an unbearable burden, your honor,” answered the angry policeman and pushed Mishka forward.

The police officer approached the bundle, still stretching as he walked, putting his legs back and sticking out his chest, sighed deeply and slightly lifted the books.

- Wow! – he said with pleasure.

The wrapping paper tore at the edge, the police officer peeled it back and read the title “In Defense of the Disadvantaged.”

The French writer and journalist Alfred Cap belongs to the following aphorism:

“A word is like a bag: it takes the form of what is put into it.”

These words will help us answer the question, what is the lexical meaning of a word?

The image of the bag, although quite mundane, reminds us that not every word has a single meaning, so the bag can turn out to be very heavy, because:

words can be both unambiguous and ambiguous;
they can be used either literally or figuratively, which depends entirely on the context in which they are used.

And we simply may not know what the word means, and mistakenly attribute to it a completely different meaning. Therefore, we need to look into explanatory dictionaries more often so that our oral and written speech is accurate, as understandable as possible, and not full of errors.

Word to science!

In the Russian language textbook we read:

The lexical meaning of a word is the correlation between the sound complex of a linguistic unit and a particular phenomenon of reality, fixed in the minds of speakers.

Not very clear? Then let's use this definition:

Lexical meaning- this is the content of the word, which allows you to get an idea of various phenomena, processes, properties, objects, and so on.

What is the lexical meaning of a word?

The main part of the words performs the so-called nominative function, that is, names objects, as well as their various properties, actions performed, processes, phenomena. These words are characterized as meaningful and independent.

Performing a nominative function, each word can acquire either direct or figurative meaning.

Direct- assumes a direct connection of the word with a very specific phenomenon of real life that it denotes. For example, construct means to erect buildings (literally), but the same word will denote a mental intention (to make plans) if used figuratively.

Figurative meaning is considered secondary, since in the process of its appearance the name and properties of one phenomenon are transferred to another. The figurative meaning is based on associative connections: common features, similarities, functions, and so on.

One more example.

Swamp
Direct - swampy place.
Portable - stagnant processes in society, stagnant time.

Lexical compatibility

Another important concept worth mentioning when talking about lexical meaning is compatibility. Not every word can be attached to another. In addition, there are words that can be called “unfree”, tightly connected with others and not used without these words.

Among the latter are syntactically or structurally determined And phraseologically related.

Syntactically conditioned- a type of figurative meaning that appears in a certain context. IN in this case the word begins to perform functions that are not typical for it.

For example:

Eh, you stupid oak tree!

Already done it? What a hammer!

Phraseological connection can be found only in stable expressions and phrases. For example, the adjective "chestnut", meaning "color", is combined exclusively with the word "hair", and bosom maybe just Friend.

Deleted words

However, there is a group of words that have no lexical meaning. This

interjections;
particles;
unions;
prepositions.

Train!

To constantly expand your vocabulary and know exactly what certain words mean, you can instill in yourself the habit of analyzing words using the following algorithm:

1. Find out the lexical meaning of the word that it has in the context of the sentence and write it down.

2. Determine how many meanings this word has: many or one.

3. Establish what meaning: direct or figurative, the analyzed word has.4. Choose synonyms.

5. Choose an antonym.

6. Determine the origin of the word.

7. Establish how widely it is used (common/limited in use, e.g. professionalism).

8. Determine whether the word is obsolete.

9. Find out whether this word is part of set expressions and phraseological units.

Lexical meaning and spelling

In conclusion, we note that often only knowledge of the lexical meaning and the context in which it is used prevents errors from occurring.

Classic example:

It was comfortable to sit in the soft chair.

He started to sit early.

The same can be said about the spelling of roots -equal- And -even-, -poppy- And -mok-. In order to avoid mistakes when writing them, you need to know the meaning of the words in which they are written.

-equal- = identical, equal // -equal- = smooth, even
-mac- = lower into liquid // -mok- = let moisture through

Be careful with your words and fill each vocabulary bag with the correct contents!

Lexical meaning does not include the entire set of features inherent in any object, phenomenon, action, etc., but only the most significant ones that help to distinguish one object from another. Lexical meaning reveals the signs by which common properties are determined for a number of objects, actions, phenomena, and also establishes the differences that distinguish a given object, action, phenomenon. For example, the lexical meaning of the word giraffe defined as follows: “an African artiodactyl ruminant with a very long neck and long legs,” that is, it lists the characteristics that distinguish the giraffe from other animals.

The lexical meaning can be explained:

descriptively, by characterizing the distinctive features of an object, action, phenomenon;
through a single root word;
selection of synonyms.

The lexical meaning of the word is given in explanatory dictionaries.

Encyclopedic YouTube

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Lexical meaning of the word | Russian language 4th grade #12 | Info lesson

The word is the basic unit of language. Lexical meaning of the word. Foxford Online Learning Center

The word and its lexical meaning. Synonyms, antonyms, homonyms | Russian language 3rd grade #4 | Info lesson

Subtitles

figurative meaning of the word

Vinogradov V.V., “Basic types of lexical meanings of a word”, Selected works. Lexicology and lexicography. - M., 1977. - P. 162-189

Ozhegov S.I., Shvedova N.Yu. Explanatory dictionary of the Russian language

Ogekyan I. N., Volchek N. M., Vysotskaya E. V. et al. “Big reference book: The whole Russian language. All Russian Literature" - Mn.: Publishing House Modern Literator, 2003. - 992 p.

A word differs in its sound design, morphological structure and the meaning contained in it.

The lexical meaning of a word is its content, i.e. historically fixed in the minds of speakers the correlation between a sound complex and an object or phenomenon of reality, “formulated according to the grammatical laws of a given language and being an element of the general semantic system of the dictionary.”

The meaning of words does not reflect the entire set of known signs, objects and phenomena, but only those of them that help to distinguish one object from another. So, if we say: this is a bird, then in this case we are only interested in the fact that before us is a species of flying vertebrate animals, the body of which is covered with feathers, and the forelimbs are transformed into wings. These features help distinguish a bird from other animals, such as mammals.

In the process of joint labor activity, in their social practice, people learn objects, qualities, phenomena; and certain features of these objects, qualities or phenomena of reality serve as the basis for the meaning of the word. Therefore, to correctly understand the meaning of words, a wide acquaintance with the public sphere in which the word existed or exists is necessary. Consequently, extra-linguistic factors play an important role in the development of the meaning of a word.

Depending on which feature is used as the basis for the classification, four main types of lexical meanings of words can be distinguished in the modern Russian language.

1. By connection, correlation with the subject of reality, i.e. According to the method of naming or nomination (Latin nominatio - naming, denomination), direct or basic meanings and figurative or indirect meanings are distinguished.

Direct meaning is one that is directly related to an object or phenomenon, quality, action, etc. For example, the first two meanings of the word hand will be straight: “one of the two upper limbs of a person from the shoulder to the end of the fingers...” and “... as an instrument of activity, labor.”

A portable meaning is one that arises not as a result of direct correlation with an object, but through the transfer of direct meaning to another object due to various associations. For example, the following meanings of the word hand will be figurative:

1) (singular only) manner of writing, handwriting; 2) (plural only) labor force;

3) (plural only) about a person, a person (...with a definition) as the possessor, possessor of something; 4) symbol of power; 5) (only singular, colloquial) about an influential person who can protect and provide support; 6) (only singular) about someone’s consent to marriage, about readiness to marry.

Connections between words that have a direct meaning are less dependent on context and are determined by subject-logical relations, which are quite broad and relatively free. The figurative meaning depends much more on the context; it has a living or partially extinct imagery.

2. According to the degree of semantic motivation, meanings are divided into unmotivated (or non-derivative, idiomatic) and motivated (or derived from the former). For example, the meaning of the word ruka is unmotivated, but the meanings of the words manual, sleeve, etc. are already motivated by semantic and word-formation connections with the word ruka.

3. According to the degree of lexical compatibility, meanings are divided into relatively free (this includes all direct meanings of words) and non-free. Among the latter, there are two main types:

1) a phraseologically related meaning is one that arises for words in certain lexically indivisible combinations. They are characterized by a narrowly limited, stably reproduced range of words, the connections of which are determined not by subject-logical relations, but by the internal laws of the lexical-semantic system. The boundaries of the use of words with this meaning are narrow. Thus, in the word bosom, the figurative meaning “sincere, sincere” is realized, as a rule, only in combination with the word friend (friendship);

2) a syntactically determined meaning is one that appears in a word when it plays an unusual role in a sentence. Context plays a significant role in the development of these meanings. For example, when using the word oak in the role of characterizing a person: Eh, you oak, you didn’t understand anything - its meaning “dull, insensitive” (colloquial) is realized.

A variety of syntactically determined meanings includes the so-called constructively limited ones, which arise only under the conditions of using a word in a certain syntactic construction. For example, the relatively recently emerged meaning of “district, region, place of action” for the word geography is due to its use in a construction with a noun in the genitive case: geography of sports victories.

4. Based on the nature of the nominative functions performed, proper nominative and expressive-synonymous meanings are distinguished.

Nominatives are those that directly, directly name an object, phenomenon, quality, action, etc. In their semantics, as a rule, there are no additional features (in particular, evaluative ones). Although over time such signs may appear. (In this case, various kinds of figurative meanings develop, but this group is distinguished according to a different classification criterion. See type 1.)

For example, the words writer, assistant, make noise, and many others have a proper nominative meaning. etc.

Expressive-synonymous is the meaning of a word in the semantics of which the emotional-expressive feature predominates. Words with such meanings exist independently, are reflected in the dictionary and are perceived as evaluative synonyms for words that have their own nominative meaning. Wed: writer - scribbler, scribbler; assistant - accomplice; make noise - make noise. Consequently, they not only name the object, the action, but also give a special assessment. For example, to roam (simple) is not just “to make noise,” but “to behave noisily, fussily, dissolutely, dishonestly.”

In addition to the indicated main types of lexical meanings, many words in the Russian language have shades of meaning, which, although closely related to the main one, still have differences. For example, along with the first direct meaning of the word hand, dictionaries also give its connotation, i.e. separated by a semicolon indicates “part of the same limb from the metacarpus to the end of the fingers.” (Compare in the dictionary the shades of meaning of the word book and many other words.)