СЕМАНТИЧЕСКАЯ СТРУКТУРА СЛОВА: МНОГОЗНАЧНОСТЬ VS ШИРОКОЗНАЧНОСТЬ

Abstract

The paper deals with the modeling of the semantic structure of polysemantic and broad semantic words. The article suggests determining meanings of polysemantic words as lexical-semantic variants that potentially can be united by means of the invariant meaning though not obligatory for the semantic structure of such words – the invariant meaning of a polysemantic word is seen as something artificial. I argue that it is possible to construct the semantic structure of the broad semantic word on the basis of prototypical meanings which are interpreted as basic meanings. Such prototypical meanings are to be united by the use of a broad invariant meaning. This approach is applied while describing the semantics of the nuclear verbs in the action field (do and make in English, tun and machen in German, делать in Russian). Both types of meanings play a critical role in organizing the semantic structure of the broad semantic words: there is a single invariant while there can be more than one prototype, so that an invariant and definite prototype value is realised in speech. In addition the existence of interdependence of semantic derivation between prototypes and within the meaning itself is assumed. There can be a lot of semantic transfers, but they occur based on a regular cognitive model such as cognitive metaphor and cognitive metonymy. For example, the prototypical meanings of the verbs to do and to make remain the same while the nature of the object changes. Based on the conducted research, a new definition of a broad semantic phenomenon is offered along with distinctive criteria for the phenomena of poly- and broad semantics.