This document summarizes key concepts in word study from a presentation on the topic. It defines a word as the smallest linguistic unit that can be uttered with meaning. Words are made up of phonemes when spoken and graphemes like letters when written. Word study involves examining words from phonetic, graphic, grammatical, and lexical perspectives. A word is identified by its sound and written form, while a lexeme refers to an identifiable semantic unit. Meaning depends on relationships between words and their referents in the world. The document also discusses lexical categories, meaning and information transmission, componential analysis of word definitions, and selectional restrictions on compatible words in sentences.

1. Word Study
PPT prepared for Ph D Course work
In English, RDVV Jabalpur
Dr. Abha Pandey
Jan. 2015

2. Word
 In language, a word is the smallest
element that may be uttered in
isolation with semantic or
pragmatic content
 Words are merely Symbols that
represent the intended meaning.
 Spoken words are made up of
units of sound called phonemes,
written words of symbols
called graphemes: the letters of

3. Word Study: Elements
 Word is a linguistic unit.
 Word may be studied from various
view points.
 Elements of word study: phonic,
graphic, grammatical and lexical
 Identity of a word: phonic shape and
graphic representation.
 Interesting situations arise when
words are uttered - an aim and a
name are phonologically one but
graphologically and grammatically two
words

4. Elements of Word Study
 Word and Lexeme are synonyms, but
technically distinct.
 Word is a grammatical unit: identified on
the basis of morphological and syntactic
criteria.
 Different words derived from the same
lexeme.
Examples: Strong, strength strongly,
forms of be
 Lexeme is an identifiable semantic unit.
 Idioms: combination of words semantically
behaves like one lexeme.
 While discussing meaning we term the
word as a lexical item

5. Lexical Categories
 Nature of the lexical item: Simple,
compound, complex and Idioms.
 Scatter: Different grammatical forms
(words): [GO]: go, went, gone,
going
 Set: the items that it exists with as part
of a specific semantic field: Diwan,
sofa, chair, table. Words share with
the other items of the set an area of
meaning.
 Collocation is its cooccurence power.

6. Meaning
 Meaning: Content- the relationship
between the lexical item and their
referents.
 Significance: Contrastive gives
phonological and graphological
significance: qu and ɧ
 Value: sum total of paradigmatic and
syntagmatic possibilities.
◦ Catch has paradigmatic relationship
with hold and syntagmatic relation
with object in motion.

7. Meaning and Information
 Meaning and information:
“Encoder” Code “decoder”
Sender message receiver
 “Sense”, “message”, “reference” and
“denotation”
 Sense refers to links that exists between
related lexical items.

8. Meaning and Information
 Denotation refers to the links between
the lexical category and the outside
world.
 Reference is also relation between an
expression and an outside phenomenon,
but here the reference is context bound.
 Message is the totality of information that
gets conveyed from one person to
another.
 Study of Code based aspect of message
is semantic (meaning) and study of coder
based aspect of message is pragmatics.
(information)

9. Componential analysis
 Difference in conception and
perception leads to yet another topic
 The components of our conception of
a word can be represented as a set of
generally recognisable labels.
 Husband: HUMAN MALE MARRIED
 Girl: HUMAN FEMALE NON ADULT
 Daughter: HUMAN OFFSPRING
FEMALE

10. Sub lexical semantics/
Selectional restrictions
 Son, nephew: HUMAN MALE
◦ pronoun he used,
 Daughter, niece: HUMAN FEMALE
pronoun she used
◦ Pammi: ???
 Semantic component decides certain
grammatical choices also
 Lexicogrammatical consequence of a
semantic component
 Die, kill, murder, assasinate can not be
compatible with window, building, cat and
maid servant
◦

11. Review
 Introduction
 Elements of Word Study
◦ Identity of a word: Phonic shape and Graphic
representation
◦ Word and Lexeme
◦ Lexical Categories
 Meaning
◦ Meaning and information
◦ Componential analysis
◦ Sub lexical semantics
◦ Selectional restrictions

12. Recommended Reading
 Palmer, F. R. Semantics.
Cambridge:Cambridge University
Press.1976.
 Prakasham, V. And A. Abbi. Semantic
Theories of Language Teaching.
Delhi: Allied Publishers. 1986.

13. Thank YouDr. Abha Pandey
Professor and Head
Department of UG, PG and Research in English
Govt. Mahakoshal Arts and Commerce Autonomous
College , Jabalpur
english_dept1@yahoo.co.in
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