Semantic Component
Definition:
A semantic component is a potentially contrastive part of the meaning of a lexical unit.
Kinds:
Examples:
The focal semantic component of execute is “put to death”.
Comparison:
Here is a table that describes some kinds of semantic components: |
Semantic Component |
Description |
Example |
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---|---|---|---|---|
Contrastive
|
Distinguishes one lexical unit from another |
“Male” is the contrastive semantic component distinguishing man from woman, and boy fromgirl. |
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Shared
|
Occurs in each member of a group of lexical units |
“Human” is a shared component for man,woman, boy, and girl. |
See Also:
This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library. Version 5.0 published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 2003.