4.2 Antonymy
There are three different kind antonyms, they are:
1. Complementary Pairs
There are 20 pairs the complementary pairs that can be found and analyzed in the novel as the analysis of meaning relation. The words from
antonym with complementary pairs has the different understand there are: 1. a. I don’t need no weak little boy
page 49 b. He strong in body but weak in will
page 29
Weak X Strong
Meaning :
Weak lacking
in strength
Strong having power to resist
2. a. Then say, real sad, you ain’t got it page 27
b. Make sure you git in the part bout being happy page 99
Sad X Happy
Meaning :
Sad causing unhappy feelings
Happy feeling or expressing pleasure
3. a. But she laugh page 33
b.They cry like they mamma just die page 31
Laugh X Cry
Meaning :
Laugh make sounds and movements of the face an body,
showing amusement, joy
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Cry make sounds that express feelings pain,fear or weep,
shed tears 4. a. A good man is hard to find
page 77 b.
I feel bad sometimes page 11
Good X bad
Meaning : Good
morally right Bad expressing uncomportable, unpleasant or disagreeble
5. a. Say Harpo, nailing together planks for a counter page 74
b. ... she never going to be no white woman’s nothing, let alone maid page10
Together X Alone
Meaning :
Together with each other with another person, in company
Alone without the company
6. a. They sleep together at night page 80
b. She get up early in the morning and go to market page216
Sleep X Get up
Meaning : Sleep
rest in the condition of sleep, be or fall asleep Get up
rise or the eyes are opened from bed 7. a. ... in this town want to take the Queen Honeybee
page 45 b ... a white woman missionary far from our village
page 142
Town X Village
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Meaning :
Town centre of population larger than a village
Village place smaller than a town
8. a. ..., but Adam passes quickly page 170
b. Times
moves slowly
page 170
Quickly X slowly Meaning :
Quickly moving fast, able to move fast and do things in a
short time Slowly
not quick, taking a long time 9. a. Have you ever seen a white person
page 109 b. I ain’t never heard of, and money
page 114
Ever X Never
Meaning : Ever
in negative and interrogative sentence to expression doubt or conditions.
Never at no time, on no occasion
10. a. Where we all sat down on the ground, men in front page 158
b. Women and children behind page 158
Behind X In front
Meaning : Behind
in the rear In front
foremost rows
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11. a. You satisfied that what you want page 206
b. Still, they look dissatiesfied page 148
Satisfied X Dissatisfied
Meaning : Satisfied
make contented give what the wants or needs Dissatisisfied
make discontented fail to satisfy 12. a. ... just put it in his inside pocket
page 123 b. At night he thought he heard bats outside the door
page 231
Inside X Outside
Meaning : Inside
situated on or in Outside
the outer side, the outer parts 13. a.The woman dead I can cry
page 225 b. She was born to great wealth in England
page 235
Dead X Born Meaning :
Death no longer living, never having had life
Born to come into the world by birth
14. a. And her mammy take in white people dirty clothes page 57
b. She ain’t even clean page 57
Dirty X Clean
Meaning : Dirty
not clean, covered with dirt Clean
free from dirt
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15. a. But they are clever people about most thing page 170
b. And if they listen they say stupid things page 243
Clever X Stupid
Meaning : Stupid
slow thingking, foolish Clever
quick in learning and understanding things 16. a. I fear for our own health, and especially for the children page 264
b. How things doing generally page 292
Especially X Generally
Meaning : Especially
an exceptional degree Generally
usually 17. a. Adam was always very good as Hamlet
page 265 b. Sometimes I think Shug never love me
page 266
Always X Sometimes
Meaning : Always
at all times, without exception Sometimes
now and then, from time to time 18. a. He is busy patterning a shirt for folks to wear
page 290 b. I be so calm
page 290
Busy X Calm
Meaning : Busy
having much to do Calm
quiet
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19. a. Saturday morning early, us hear the wagon page 40
b. He talk to Shug a lot lately by telephone page 287
Early X lately
Meaning : Early
near to the beginning of period of time, sooner then usual or than others
Lately in recent times, recently
20. a. I feel just right page 60
b. I feel like us doing something wrong page 82
Right X Wrong
Meaning: Right
morally good, true, correct Wrong
not morally right, mistaken
2. Gradable Pairs
There are 11 pairs of gradable pairs that can be found and analyzed, it means the pairs of words have graduation of width, age, size there are:
1. a. It has been a long time since I had time to write page 2
b. ... because in the short time we’ve been together page 112
Long X Short
Meaning :
Long measuring much from the end to end
Short measuring little from end to end in space or time
2. a. You are a big boy now page 22
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b. According to Adam, there is ‘small’ rift on outside page 284
Big X Small
Meaning :
Big large on size
Small not large in size extent or intensity
3. a. I think she thought love him page 5
b. I hate the way I’m dress page 77
Love X Hate
Meaning :
Love have
strong affection
or deep tender feelings for Hate
have a strong dislike of or for 4. a. He sometime walk down, have a cold drink
page 75 b. One night while Shug singing a hot one
page 84
Cold X Hot
Meaning: Cold
lower than usual temperature Hot
having a high temparature 5.
a. There aren’t even any trees near us page 248
b. a white woman missionary not far from our village page 142
Far X Near Meaning :
Far up to specified poin but not beyond
Near not far ; to or at a short distance in space or time
6. a. It a lot bigger than it was before page 224
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b. Right after that he start to improve page 231
Before X After
Meaning : Before
at an earlier time in the past; already After
later in time 7. a. His mind on Sofia Butler day and night
page 174 b. He say one night in bed
page 31
Day X Night
Meaning :
Day time between the sunrise and sunset
Night dark hours between sunset and sunrise or twilight
and down 8. a. I’m glad you brought it up
page 164 b. But by the time we docked I was so down
page 136
Up X Down
Meaning :
Up in higher place, position, condition
Down indicating
a lower place or state
9. a. I’m a run away succes, rich, famous page 236
b.I don’t have nothing to offer and I feel poor page 252
Poor X Rich
Meaning : Poor
having little money, not having and not able to get the necessaries of life
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Rich having much money or property
10. a. Saying good bye to our church group was hard page 140
b. Then I feels something real soft and wet on my breats page118
Soft X Hard
Meaning : Soft
changing shape easily when pressed, not resisting pressure
Hard firm
11. a. Smart as a little whip page 226
b. She is smarter than all of them page 162
c. Miss Beasley always said I was the smartest child page 138
Smart X Smarter X Smartest
Meaning: Smart
clever, skilful, having a good, quick brain Smarter
more cleverer than comparative degree Smartest
the most cleverest superlative degree
3. Relational Pairs
In the novel, there are 14 pairs of relational pair that can be found and analyzed. The words from Relational opposite pais of words or two-way contrast
that are independent. There are : 1. a. I don’t know no other man or what else to say
page 3 b. Shug Avery was a woman
page 7
Man X Woman
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Meaning : Man
adult male human being Woman
adult female human being 2. a. He your husband, I say
page 69 b. He got four more by the wife he got now
page 43
Wife X Husband
Meaning : Wife
married woman Husband
man to whom a woman is married 3. a. He come home with a girl from round Gray
page 5 b. I got the hots for a boy of nineteen
page 91
Girl X Boy Meaning:
Girl female child doughter
Boy male child son
4. a. My poor little ones sure could use a mother page 8
b. Bible say, honor father and mother no matter what page 43
Mother X Father
Meaning: Mother
woman in relation to a child or children to whom she has
Father to become the male parents of child
5. a. Got a brother name Jimmy? page 96
b. Odessa and Sofia other sisters always on hand to take up page 104
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Brother X Sister
Meaning: Brother
son of the same parents as another person Sister
doughter of the same parents as oneself or another person
6. a. This aunt refused to marry the man choseen for her page 166
b. A father and an uncle page 167
Aunt X Uncle
Meaning: Aunt
sister of one’s father or mother Uncle
brother of one’s father or mother 7. a. ... parents, sister, brother, in America
page 286 b. He feel just like family now, like a son
page 291
Parent X Son
Meaning: Parent
father or mother Son
male child of parent 8. a. And there are male and female warrios
page 284 b. He’d felt about the female initiation ceremony
page 286
Male X Female
Meaning: Male the sex that does not give birth to offspring of men,
boys, or animals
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Female the sex that produces offspring of woman, girls, or
animals 9. a. My little Nettie is got a boyfriend
page 5 b. ... his little yellowskin girlfriend
page 84
Boyfriend X Girlfriend
Meaning: Boy friend
favoured male companion of a girl or young woman
Girl friend favoured male companion of a boy or young man
10. a. Why do my children look like you page 163
b. Unlike our school which square and unlike our church page 164
Like X Unlike
Meaning: Like
have a taste for find satisfactory or agreeable Unlike
not like 11. a. ... in her tight red dress
page 77 b. Look at himself, then undress
page 25
Dress X Undress Meaning:
Dress put on clothes
Undress remove the clothes
12. a. She happy,cause he good to her now page 2
b. They all look so unhappy and work so hard page 163
Happy X Unhappy
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Meaning : Happy
feeling or expressing plaesure Unhappy
not happy 13. a. I realize he’s been unusually glum during tis trip
page 237 b. ..., and you the sombody I usually tell
page 256
Unusually X usually
Meaning : Unusually
not usual Usually
such as commonly happens 14. a. The most beautiful woman I ever saw
page 7 b. He tall and handsome, all the time serious
page 108
Handsome X beautiful
Meaning: Handsome
having an attractive face an figure Beautiful
having beauty pleasure to the sense or the mind
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4.3 Polysemy