Table 3. Semantic Features Table
Horse Boy
Man Girl
Woman Animate
+
+ +
+ +
+ Human
- +
+ +
+ +
Female -
- -
- +
+ Adult
- -
- +
- +
There are four types procedures to analyze in componential analysis are naming, paraphrasing, defining and classifying. The first
process, naming is similar to reference but there is different perspective. Naming is the specific act of designating such a referent. In naming
process the procedural steps number 2 and 5 are relevant to do the analysis.
46
Second, paraphrasing is process of explaining a distinctive feature of a word. For example, uncle can be defined as my father’s brother or my
mother’s brother.
47
It means that paraphrase is a process of describing or explaining a word for getting a meaning.
Third, defining is simply another form of paraphrase. Defining combines the appropriate referents of paraphrase to be a single statement
that related to the referent in question.
48
Last, classifying is process of relating some words in similar feature to get a meaning for such group.
49
46
Eugene A. Nida. Componential Analysis of Meaning. London: University Press, 1979, p.64-65.
47
Ibid.p.65
48
Ibid. p.65.
49
Ibid. p.66.
6. Procedural Steps in the Analysis of Diagnostic Components
There are six procedural steps in analyzing diagnostic components based on Nida.
50
The first step is procedure for analyzing, meanings which appear to be closely related are selected tentatively. The meaning of father,
mother, son, daughter, brother, sister, uncle, aunt, nephew, niece, and cousin, for instance, all share the components of being applicable to
human beings and related to either blood or marriage.
51
The second step is listing all the specific kinds of referents for each of the meaning belonging to the domain in question. For example, father
and mother, as related to any one ego, there would presumably be only one referent. This second step in procedure should, however, be regarded as
ending at that point when one has listed the various objects, events, abstracts, etc. which may be designated by a particular semantic unit.
52
Third, determining those components which may be true of meaning of one or more terms, but not of all the terms in question. For example, the
component of female sex is only true for mother, aunt, daughter, sister, and niece, while the component of male sex is true for father, uncle, son,
brother and nephew.
53
The fourth step is determining the diagnostic component applicable to each meaning. The meaning of father, for example, may be indicated as
possessing the component: male sex, one ascending generation, and direct
50
Eugene A. Nida. Componential Analysis of Meaning. London: University Press, 1979, p.54.
51
Ibid. p.54-55.
52
Ibid. p.55.
53
Ibid.p.55.
descent while mother possesses the component: female sex, one ascending descent, and direct descent.
54
The fifth step is cross-checking with the data obtained by the first procedure. If the naming process is completely predictive, one may
assume that the diagnostic components are correct, for it is the nature of meaning to be able to predict certain aspects of language behavior, in this
instance, naming.
55
Last, a systematic description of the diagnostic features. It may do simply by listing the diagnostic features for each meaning or term or the
arrangement of such data in the form of a tree or space diagram or matrix.
56
7. Context
Context according to Oxford Dictionary is situation in which an event happens.
57
Context, quoted by Mey according to Bilmes, is the total social setting in which the speech takes place: “the meaning of an
utterance is determined in large part by how it responds and how it is responded to, by its place in an interactional sequence.
58
Mey, then defines context is a dynamic concept that can be understood as the continually
54
Eugene A. Nida. Componential Analysis of Meaning. London: University Press, 1979, p.56.
55
Ibid.p.56.
56
Ibid. p.56.
57
Oxford University. Oxford Learner’s Pocket Dictionary. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011, p.93.
58
Jacob L. Mey. Pragmatic: An Introduction. 2nd Edition, United States: Athenaeum Press, 2001, p.30.
changing surroundings.
59
Hence context is the meaning of utterance where the situation which is changing gradually based on the speech takes place.
Hyems argued that situation in which the utterance takes place influences the interpretation of objective and effect of the utterance. He
abbreviates the word SPEAKING to distinguish sixteen component of
“speech event.”
60
First, S stands for Setting, it involves time, place and other
physical condition the utterance take place. For example, the conversation
takes place in the classroom. Then, Scene involves the psychological
counterpart to setting or a changing of setting of the utterance. A changing
of formal to informal conversation held by the participant, for example. P stands for Participants, it involves people who participate in the
conversation, it can be the speaker or sender. For instance, the participant can be a student and a teacher.
61
Next, E stands for Ends, it involves the purpose and outcome of
one utterance. For example, the conversation purpose is giving advice to
the student, and outcome the student obey the teacher’s advice. A stands for Act Sequence, it refers to the form and content of the message in the
utterance which uttered. The content of the conversation, for example, is
giving advice to the students to finish the paper. K stands for Keys, it
59
Jacob L. Mey. Pragmatic: An Introduction. 2nd Edition, United States: Athenaeum Press, 2001 p.39.
60
J. Renkema. Discourse Studies: An Introductory Textbook. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Co., 1993, p.43.
61
Ibid, p.44.
