28
tends to change in a parallel position. In colloquial styles, we can speak of a hot car stolen car, hence we would refer the phrase cold car to one that is
not stolen, on the ground that semantic change tends to affect entire semantic field in a parallel position, and not just single members of the field.
27
D. Componential Analysis
OGrady cited another approach to meaning to represent a words intention by breaking it down into smaller semantic components known as
componential analysis or semantic decomposition. Many linguists have turned to componential analysis to give an explicit representation of the semantic
relations between words
28
. Then Lyons
29
looked upon componential analysis is the broadening of the semantic field theory.
Componential analysis is a technique for describing interrelation of meaning by breaking concept down into minimal components, or
features, which are distinctive in terms of a semantic opposition or dimension of contrast
30
Meanwhile Allan et al in Euphemism and Dysphemism: Language used as Shield and Weapon 1991:16 did support the usage of componential
analysis to analyze euphemistic terms by revealing that the process involved here is a kind of componential analysis, the sense of taboo terms are unpacked
and each of the meaning components are listed... using this method, a new euphemism can easily be created.
There are three kinds of components of meaning:
27
Akmajian.,et.al, 1989. op cit.P.367.
28
William O’Grady, Contemporary Linguistics London: Longman Pearson Education, 1996 p.78
29
John Lyons, Semantics Melbourne:Cambridge University Press,1977P.326.
30
Geoffrey Leech, Semantics New Zealand: Penguin Books Ltd,1997 P.124.
29
1. Generic common component is one or more of components which are judged to be the most significant factor. This component describes to
which these lexemes belong to so as to differentiate it from other semantic domains. For instance: the lexemes man, woman, boy and girl have the
common component [HUMAN] 2. Diagnostic component is components that are important and sufficient to
distinguish the sense of one lexeme from the sense of the other lexeme. This diagnostic component is a core part that dictionary makers
incorporate into their definitions of words. For instance: [ADULT] and [MALE] are the diagnostic components for man, woman, boy, and girl.
3. Supplementary or incidental component is non-diagnostic component to identify the sense of the words.
Meanwhile, Jackson in Words and Their Meaning cited that there are only 2 broad types of component namely common and diagnostic component.
Those serve to identify a semantic domain, and to distinguish lexemes from each other within semantic domain. They are also shared by all the lexemes in
the domain. Therefore, in this research, the writer is going to discuss only 2 types of components, common and diagnostic component.
31
Such a componential analysis can be applied in many areas of the vocabularies. For example, the distinction between murder and kill can be
stated explicitly and economically, if murder is analyzed as having a meaning which are components representing intention, causation, and death. Whereas,
31
Howard Jackson, Word and Their Meaning New York: Longman, 1975 p.89.
30
kill as having the components representing only causation and death. Using the method of componential analysis, we can then formally define synonymy,
hyponymy, incompatibility etc. On this basis, a set of features follows that spinster is a hyponym of woman because it contains all the features of woman
as part of its specification, and that spinster is incompatible with bachelor by virtue of the contrast of sex specification and with wife by virtue of the marital
specification. Another interpretation of lexical items of semantic components using a
binary feature is conventionally written in capital letters and placed in square brackets, which is able to take only three values, either it is present [+], or it is
absent [-], or it may be present or absent [+-] and also could be marked with [0]. Accordingly spinster might be characterized as having for its meaning
- [ MALE ] + [ HUMAN ] + [ ADULT ] - [ MARRIED ]
bachelor, an item incompatible with spinster, as having +
[ MALE ] + [ HUMAN ] + [ ADULT ] - [ MARRIED ] wife, another incompatible item, as having
- [ MALE ] + [ HUMAN ] + [ ADULT ] + [ MARRIED ]
31
E. Meaning Relation
