Ling 315/Psych 315 - Semantics

Assignment 4

The Semantics of Motion Verbs

Course Information Sheet


Link Posted: Monday April 5, 2004
Due: Thursday, April 15, 2004, beginning of class

Honor Code policy: As always, you are free to discuss the assignment orally with others taking the class, but do not share written analyses with one another, or use writing in your discussions. You can also test out data on native speakers of English from outside the class, barring linguists.

Assignments must be typed/computer-printed and in general look reasonably professional. Hand-drawn (or computer-drawn) diagrams are fine; just explain any diagrams or pictorial matter in the text of your answer.

You don't need a dictionary to do this assignment. Dictionary definitions can sometimes leave out crucial information and include overly technical descriptions for brevity's sake, while our aim is to use ordinary language. But you're not prohibited from looking at a dictionary for this one (in case you find any of these words somewhat out of your ordinary language usage--particularly for non-native speakers). In any case, if you do bother to look at a dictionary, I recommend doing a preliminary analysis before looking up any words, and then considering any information you get from the dictionary critically. Test it out! You have to justify what you say anyway with data.

NOTICE: Instead of having, in addition to the previous three assignments, 2 more plus a final essay paper with point values of 40/40/40, I am going to divide up the remaining 120 points into two assignments of 60 each: This Assignment #4, with 60 points, and a last assignment, also of 60 points. I will explain this in more detail in class.

One problem, total points 60:

The English verbs of motion tend to incorporate certain specific kinds of semantic features or components. For example, many motion verbs make reference to a path: Ascend and descend, for example, both designate motion along a path: the path leads upward in the case of ascend and downwards in the case of descend. Similarly, advance specifies movement along a path extending forward in front of the mover.

Based on the examples below, what semantic properties do English motion verbs systematically make reference to? You can add other examples to complete sets or pairs.

dive, cross, arrive, alight, ascend, leave, descend, enter, walk,
lope, stride, go, bound, scurry, creep, crawl, glide, slither, bolt,
dart, plunge, move, plod, hurry, wade, slog, meander, circle, dash, sway,
oscillate, shake, slide, leap

Treat this as a semantic field analysis. You do not need to exhaustively specify all semantic properties for each word. It is best to look for similarities among the words and divide them into classes characterized by specific properties. You can then differentiate the words in your classes with more specific properties. Find all the systematic contrasts that you can, providing data to demonstrate them.

Remember to be explicit about what properties link and differentiate the various classes of verbs you have identified, using concepts from the Talmy reading and any other concepts from the course you find useful. The Talmy reading is just a springboard for this semantically rich assignment. You will probably find more specific properties than the schematic ones that Talmy is concerned with, and will perhaps find yourself dividing up one or more of his semantic properties into subtypes.

Your verb classes need not be mutually exclusive, and some subsets might have more internal structure than others. This is not as neat and symmetrical a set as the dimensional terms!! But it does have plenty of internal structure, i.e. systematic lexical relations.


© 2004 Suzanne Kemmer

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