Linguistics Essentials: Lexicology and Semantics Explained

Lexicology

Lexicology is the science concerned with the meaning of words. Every language has a wealth of lexical terms collected in a dictionary. In the case of the Spanish language, the Real Academia Española is in charge of guarding such a flow.

Semantics

Semantics is defined as the part of linguistics in charge of studying the significant relationships between words.

Sema

The minimum feature of meaning in a word.

Word Units

These units, plotted in writing, are subdivided into:

• Simple
• Compound
• Parasynthetic

Locutions

Locutions are formed by a combination of two or more lexicalized words, whose meaning does not equate to the partial sum of the meanings of their components. These can be complex textual units or lexical units.

Semantic Field

A semantic field is a group of words related by common semes. Establishing a semantic field is not overly complex when considering closed sets of words.

Semantic Phenomena

Hyponymy and Hyperonymy

A relation of hyperonymy exists when the meaning of a word (hyperonym) includes all semes of another word (hyponym).

Synonymy

Synonymy is the similarity of meaning between two words with different signifiers.

Antonymy

Antonymy is the opposition of meanings between words (e.g., good/bad, plus/minus). Conceptually, there are different types of antonyms based on their semantic relations:

• Gradual Antonyms: Terms with intermediate states (e.g., cold/hot).
• Complementary Antonyms: No intermediate state exists (e.g., single/married, living/dead).
• Reciprocal Antonyms: Terms that require each other to exist (e.g., buy/sell, father/son).

Homonymy

Homonymy is the phonetic matching of two different words. It can be categorized as:

• Homophones: Same sound (e.g., vaca/baca).
• Homographs: Same sound and spelling (e.g., a [preposition] vs. ha [verb]).

Polysemy

Polysemy occurs when one signifier has multiple meanings that share a common origin. It is the result of a historical process through which a word acquires new meanings. Examples include words like pico, gato, cabo, and puerto.