Componential analysis (feature analysis or contrast analysis) is the analysis of words through structured sets of semantic features, which are given as "present", "absent" or "indifferent with reference to feature". The method thus departs from the principle of compositionality. Componential analysis is a method typical of structural semantics which analyzes the components of a word's meaning.
2. • Define componential analysis of semantics
• Discuss componential analysis in terms of conceptual
and connotational meaning
• Explain the role of context in understanding the
conceptual and connotational meaning
• Share experiences that shows the flow of
communication using conceptual and connotational
meaning
Objectives:
3. • Componential analysis of semantics
• Conceptual and connotational meaning of language
• The role of context in understanding the conceptual
and connotational meaning
Session Contents:
4. • Feature analysis or contrast analysis
• It is the analysis of words through structured sets
of semantic features, which are given as "present",
"absent" or "indifferent with reference to
feature".
• The method thus departs from the principle of
compositionality.
Componential Analysis
5. • Words can be analyzed and described in terms of
their semantic components, which usually come in
pairs called semantic oppositions:
• For example, "Up" and "Down,“
- Up (vertical direction - plus)
- Down (vertical direction – minus)
Componential Analysis
6. • Using the symbol of + (a present feature) and
– (an absent feature)
man = [+ MALE], [+ MATURE]
woman = [– MALE], [+ MATURE]
boy = [+ MALE], [– MATURE]
girl = [– MALE] [– MATURE]
child = [+/– MALE] [– MATURE]..
Componential Analysis in Conceptual Meaning
8. Componential Analysis
Composition Adult
Non-
adult
Male Female Living
Non-
Living
Four-
legged
Boy
Girl
Man
Woman
Book
Dog
Office
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1imUMon7-_mcyc-
V_5YqBfEuL82mWLHCvrTGrKr5psX0/edit#slide=id.p
Directions: Fill in the box with plus (+) if the feature is
present and minus(-) if the feature is not present.
9. Composition Adult
Non-
adult
Male Female Living
Non-
Living
Four-
legged
Boy - + + - + - -
Girl - + - + + - -
Man + - + - + - -
Woman + - - + + - -
Book - - - - - + -
Dog + - + - + - +
Office - - - - - + -
Componential Analysis in Conceptual Meaning
10. • Connotative meaning is concerned with the
communicative value and expression by virtue of what
it refers to over its purely conceptual content.
• The real-world experience one associates with an
expression when one uses or hears it.
For example, a baby, the meaning of the word baby
reflect at drawing of a baby or an imitation of a
baby cry
Componential Analysis in Connotative Meaning
11. • The real-world experience one associates with an
expression when one uses or hears it.
A woman, for example, in the past the
connotative of woman were known as, frail,
cowardly, emotional, irrational, and other weak or
low connotations. And hundred years ago woman
was considered to be one who was not wearing
trousers. Today these have been changing or at least
some of these characteristics cannot be entailed to
woman.
Componential Analysis in Connotative Meaning
12. • Connotative meaning can not be determined in a
similar way to the conceptual meaning which is
codified in terms of a limited set of symbols (like
contrastive features).
• Connotative is on par with our knowledge of the
universe which is also open-ended.
Componential Analysis in Connotative Meaning
13. Componential Analysis in Connotative Meaning
Composition
Conceptual Meaning
(Original Meaning)
Connotative Meaning
Boy A human young male
A human that needs
guidance
Woman A human adult female
A human that needs
support from men or
A human that bears all the
pain and struggles or
A human that is weak and
vulnerable to abuse
14. • Context in the language is what surrounds a word
or piece of text.
• However, to understand what is really going on, we
may need to go beyond what is said or written. A
simple phrase, such as "I hate you" can mean
exactly the opposite. All kinds of clues are needed
to understand what has been said. Along with
verbal communication comes non-verbal
communication.
Componential Analysis and the Role of Contextual Language
15. • To summarize, one word can have basic underlying
meanings that are well-established depending on
the cultural context.
• It is crucial to understand these underlying
meanings in order to fully understand any
language and culture.
Componential Analysis
16. • Componential analysis provides insight into the
meaning of words and a way to study the
relationships between words that are related to
meaning.
Componential Analysis
17. • Cite a particular experience in your life that you
misunderstood the messages you heard.
• How did the misunderstanding affect you and
others?
• How did you patch up the misunderstanding?
Sharing of experiences:
18. • As teachers, what is the sense of learning
conceptual and connotational meaning of
language? What is its implication to our language
classroom?
Sharing of experiences:
Language is said to be dynamic. Its meaning is always changing through the addition of neologisms, meaning, it always evolves in new coined words or expressions, and these new words or old words will provide new meanings, and eventually create slang languages which will become a new acceptable language.
Language is also relational and can be used to bring people together through a shared reality but can also separate people through unsupportive and divisive messages. That is why language is powerful because it may build or break connections. So, each one of must learn how ot understand and use language because it may affect us and our society as well.
Feature analysis or contrast analysis – this means that the language meaning is derived from what is absolutely observed and not
It is also the analysis of words through structured sets of semantic features, which are given as "present", "absent" or "indifferent with reference to feature". – this means we are embedding the meaning of words from what we see or expect and from what we don’t see and what we don’t expect
Componential analysis also means - the method thus departs from the principle of compositionality.
In semantics, the principle of compositionality is the principle that the meaning of a complex expression is determined by the meanings of its constituent expressions and the rules used to combine them. It simply tells us what composes the words that allow us to understand their meaning.
To understand better we will use the “up and down concept”. "Up" and "Down," for example, are related in that they both describe vertical directions, in one direction (they call it "plus") and the other in the other (they call it "minus"). So, it is very easy to determine the meaning of two opposing directions because it is telling us that one is denoting increase and the other one denotes decrease based on their features.
The use of plus and minus symbols is one of the most common symbols used in the componential analysis. This is to determine the conceptual or the original meaning of language. Since the meaning of language varies in context, these symbols will help language learners determine the real meaning of words and this will avoid confusion.
In our examples, it is clearly presented here, a man is featured to be a Male and he is described to be expectedly mature.
On the other hand, a woman is basically not a male represented by a minus sign. It is expected to have another gender but is described also to be expectedly mature.
However, a girl is not a male basically and is expected as not mature. A child since gender is not determined, because of its generic context can be either male or female represented by = or minus symbol, and is expected to be an individual who is not yet mature.
The symbol, allowed us to understand the clear meaning of words derived from their unique features that describe their characteristics that are embedded in their meanings. And whether we like it or not their concepts can’t be changed.
In other words, the word girl can have three basic factors (or semantic properties): human, young, and female
Let us take a look at the Boy. Since boy is human, he is male and non-adult in a semantic point of view. A boy cannot be an adult, a female, non-living and four-legged from a semantic point of view.
A Female dog is a bitch. Young dog is a puppy.
What about connotative . The fact that connotative meaning is relatively unstable. It varies from time to time according to culture, historical period, experience and the individuals
How then Mrs. Margaret Tatcher, Mrs. Indira Ghandi, Mrs. Cory aquino came to be leaders if they are frail, coward, emotional and irrational? But how we justify the sentence, he is really a woman ; which is often used by speakers to mean allusion? This fact shows that up today, physically, woman is still weaker than man.
The fact is that connotative meaning is indeterminate and open-ended, in the sense that conceptual meaning is determinate. Conceptual meaning is fixed but connotative is a free-interpretive language. Even though the first fact seems to overlap with conceptual meaning we can say connotative as opposed to conceptual meaning (denotative). It is fruitful to know that connotative meanings are different from language to language and how each person uses it in the way he/she sees it from different points of view.
In order to understand what words, mean, we have to know something about the situation where they are used. In print, a word, phrase or sentence has other text around it. This helps the reader to understand the piece in question.
For example, in a speech that somehow you listen to, the social setting, as well as the language, must be understood well first because it will help us or the listener to understand what is said.
Something like in our common language, when someone says to us: "You can take it whenever you need to“. This statement allows us to understand that it might refer to the fact that we can take almost anything. However, if it is said by a doctor to a patient, then the context is now clear, and the listener can guess it refers to medication. So, the context is what goes with a text (either written or spoken) which helps the reader (or the listener) understand the communication and its meaning.
However, to understand what is really going on, we may need to go beyond what is said or written. A simple phrase, such as "I hate you" can mean exactly the opposite. For true friends, sometimes this line can only be a joke but that is how they feel like loving their company together. But for listeners, the conceptual meaning of the sentence must be understood wider its connotational perspective. So, what is the underpinning principle? All kinds of clues are needed to understand what has been said. Along with verbal communication comes non-verbal communication.