Difference between revisions of "Antonymy"

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'''Antonymy''' refers to the relation between lexical items that are binary opposites in meaning (e.g. ''alive'' and ''dead''), gradable opposites in meaning (e.g. ''young'' and ''old''), or converse opposites (e.g. ''buy'' and ''sell'').
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'''Antonymy''' is a [[sense relation]]. According to Cruse (2004: 165), antonyms "are [[incompatible]]s, but not [[complementary|complementaries]]", and they are always gradable (i.e., a comparative can be formed). Three types of antonymy can be distinguished, on the basis of the relationship between the [[comparative]] and the [[positive]] forms of the relevant predicates:
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* [[Polar antonyms|Polar antonymy]]: The [[comparative]] of neither term entails the corresponding [[positive]] form. Example: 'long' vs. 'short'; 'x is longer than y' does not entail 'x is long', 'x is shorter than y' does not entail 'x is short'.  
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* [[Equipollent antonyms|Equipollent antonymy]]: The [[comparative]] of both terms entails the corresponding [[positive]] form. Example: 'hot' vs. 'cold'; 'x is hotter than y' entails 'x is hot', 'x is colder than y' entails 'x is cold'.
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* [[Overlapping antonyms|Overlapping antonymy]]: The [[comparative]] of one (but not both) terms entails the corresponding [[positive]] form. Example: 'good' vs. 'bad'; 'x is better than y' does not entail 'x is good', but 'x is worse than y' entails 'x is bad'.
  
 
===Link===
 
===Link===
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===References===
 
===References===
Kempson, R.M. 1977.'' Semantic theory.'' Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
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* Kempson, R.M. 1977.'' Semantic theory.'' Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
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* Cruse, A. 2004. ''Meaning in Language. An Introduction to Semantics and Pragmatics''. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  
 
===Other languages===
 
===Other languages===
German [[Antonymie]]
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German [[Antonymie]] <br> Chinese [[反义词]] <br>
  
 
{{dc}}
 
{{dc}}
 
[[Category:Semantics]]
 
[[Category:Semantics]]

Latest revision as of 17:28, 18 June 2014

Antonymy is a sense relation. According to Cruse (2004: 165), antonyms "are incompatibles, but not complementaries", and they are always gradable (i.e., a comparative can be formed). Three types of antonymy can be distinguished, on the basis of the relationship between the comparative and the positive forms of the relevant predicates:

  • Polar antonymy: The comparative of neither term entails the corresponding positive form. Example: 'long' vs. 'short'; 'x is longer than y' does not entail 'x is long', 'x is shorter than y' does not entail 'x is short'.
  • Equipollent antonymy: The comparative of both terms entails the corresponding positive form. Example: 'hot' vs. 'cold'; 'x is hotter than y' entails 'x is hot', 'x is colder than y' entails 'x is cold'.
  • Overlapping antonymy: The comparative of one (but not both) terms entails the corresponding positive form. Example: 'good' vs. 'bad'; 'x is better than y' does not entail 'x is good', but 'x is worse than y' entails 'x is bad'.

Link

Utrecht Lexicon of Linguistics

References

  • Kempson, R.M. 1977. Semantic theory. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
  • Cruse, A. 2004. Meaning in Language. An Introduction to Semantics and Pragmatics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Other languages

German Antonymie
Chinese 反义词