Comprehension of Word Meaning through Context

来源 :学周刊·A | 被引量 : 0次 | 上传用户:xingyu9404
下载到本地 , 更方便阅读
声明 : 本文档内容版权归属内容提供方 , 如果您对本文有版权争议 , 可与客服联系进行内容授权或下架
论文部分内容阅读
  Abstract:Context plays a very important part in the understanding of word meaning. This paper contributes to an understanding of word meaning, context, their close relationship and the impact of context on word meaning. It mainly discusses the relationship between context and the denotative meaning, connotative meaning and figurative meaning of words. Context helps to choose the right dictionary meaning, to convey emotional overtones and to understand the figurative meaning. Senior English learners should carefully consider the effects of context on word meaning and apply them to the understanding and appreciation of various literary works, which would help to improve their abilities to learn a foreign language.
  Key Words:word meaning context senior English learning
  
  I. Introduction
  
  As English learners of the senior stage, we have passed the stage of seeing English merely as a set of grammatical, semantic and phonological rules. It is a fact that we have mastered most of these rules and a fairly large number of vocabularies. However, we are less successful in the understanding and appreciation of various literary works. We are still vague about the exact meaning of words in context. While reading a text, most learners often attach one meaning in a dictionary entry to the word in context at will, without concerning the relationship between words and context. As a matter of fact, word meaning is closely related to context. The relationship between word meaning and context plays a very important role in senior English learning.
  
  II. Definition of Word Meaning and Context
  
  According to different perspectives, there are different types of word meaning and context. This paper will discuss the denotative meaning, connotative meaning, figurative meaning of words and two types of context, which are closely related to senior English learning.
  2.1 Denotative Meaning
  Denotative meaning is sometimes called conceptual, cognitive or dictionary meaning. That is to say, it is the extensional meaning of a word. The word “room”, for instance, can be understood by everyone who is engaged in any profession.
  2.2 Connotative Meaning
  Connotative meaning refers to the emotional association which a word or a phrase suggests in one's mind. It is the supplementary value which is added to the purely denotative meaning of a word. For instance, the denotative meaning of the word “woman” is “female human”, but it generally connotes “frail” “prone to tears” “emotional” “inconstant” “gentle” “compassionate” “hard-working”, etc.
  2.3 Figurative Meaning
  We know that words are used in two ways: literally and figuratively. When used literally, they have their natural and usual meaning. When used figuratively, they have a non-literal, suggested meaning. When words used figuratively, they can achieve great effectiveness. People always use figures of speech by words to lend force to an idea, to heighten effect, or to create atmosphere. Take a sentence as an example, “Imperialism is a paper tiger.” is an expression more suggestive of outward ferocity and inner weakness than the literal statement “Imperialism appears to be strong but inwardly it is weak.”
  2.4 Context
  Context is one of the most important concepts of pragmatics. Generally speaking, there are two types of context: linguistic and non-linguistic context. Talking about context, we usually think of linguistic context. In a narrow sense, it consists of the lexical items that come immediately before and after any word in an act of communication, but modern linguists have considerably broadened its scope, and have also probed deeply into its influence on word meaning. It may extend to embrace a paragraph, a whole chapter and even the entire book.
  
  III. Relationship between Word Meaning and Context
  
  So far, we have discussed three main types of word meaning and two types of context. As a matter of fact, word meaning depends on context. Different contexts give words different meanings. As we know, “Polysemy is a universal feature of all languages, including the English language.” A word which has a range of different meanings is called polysemy. Such a word can express different meanings in different contexts. For example, the word “fair” has various meanings: “(of attitude, behavior) just and honest, impartial”; “(of results) average, quite good”; “(of the skin, hair) clear and sunny”; “clean, clear, without blemish”.
  As most words have more than one meaning, it is often impossible to tell the meaning of a word until it is used in discourse. The meaning of the word one wants to know is defined by context. “Without context, there is no way to determine the meaning that the writer intends to convey, whereas with context there is generally no danger of misinterpretation, for meaning lives in context and the context throws light on meaning.”
  
  IV. Impact of Context on Word Meaning
  
  Most English learners may have such an experience that, while reading a text, they usually read word by word. When they meet with unfamiliar words, they stop to consult a dictionary or word list and then attach one meaning to the word at will. While this may initially seem to be a reasonable reading habit, it can actually hinder the full understanding of the text.
  4.1 Choosing the Right Dictionary Meaning
  As mentioned above, “In English, polysemy is the rule, but monosemy is the exception.” When a word with multiple meanings is used in context, it has a different meaning. For example:
  (1) But the cars wouldn't start; the electrical systems had been killed by water.
  According to the context, the cars wouldn't start because the electrical systems of them had been doused by water. In this sentence, the word “kill” does not mean “cause death”. It is an informal colloquial expression, which can be interpreted as “put out, stop or fail”.
  (2) Still without speaking, the detective licked his lips. His beady eyes, as if unbelieving, were focused upon the Duchess's own. The silence hung.
  If we consult the dictionary, we may feel dizzy. Altogether there are eleven main meanings of“hang”. Only the actual situation can decide the exact meaning. According to the context, the detective was struck dumb with surprise when the Duchess offered an unbelievable sum of money to him. He licked his lips and lost in deep thought without speaking. All the people were silent, waiting for his reply. So the meaning of the word “hang” can be interpreted as “remain in the air”.
  (3) Trying to reason out the best course of action...
  But neither can two great and powerful groups of nations take comfort from our present course...
  In the first sentence, “course” means “a way of acting or proceeding”. In the second sentence, it means “situation”. The exact meaning of the word is defined by the context of “action” and “nation”.
  After comparing the above sentences, we can have a better understanding of the effect of context on choosing the exact meaning of a word. The context often makes the meaning of a polysemous word so certain that we do not think of the fact that it has different senses. In the ordinary course of daily life, with the help of dictionaries and the recognition of the relationship between words and context, we may find the right meaning of a word in a dictionary and then apply it to the context in which the writer requires to express.
  4.2 Conveying Emotional Overtones
  Context can decide the emotive side of word meaning — connotative meaning, with the exception of those words that have effective meaning as part of word meaning. Practically, every emotionally neutral lexical item can acquire emotional overtones in certain context. When we are reading, we are required to“read between the lines”. That is to say, words have their shade of meanings, and context can help to decide the meanings behind the simple but forceful words. For example, ordinary verbs like “rise, sweat, starve, sink back” are often used in a neutral way; yet they might acquire emotional overtones, as in the following sentence: “They rise out of the earth; they sweat and starve for a few years, and then they sink back into the nameless mounds of the graveyard and nobody notices that they are gone.” This sentence can be interpreted as “They are born. Then for a few years they work, toil and starve. Finally, they die and are buried in graves without a name.” People in Marrakech live in a poor situation. They work with their hands, but they are not treated as human beings and partly invisible. Those simple verbs “rise, sweat, sink back” give a deep impression of how these people live a short and miserable life.
  4.3 Understanding the Figurative Meaning
  As we have mentioned, a word has its reflected meaning. What is communicated through association with another sense of the same expression is called reflected meaning. This is always achieved by using figures of speech, which can make our language figurative. We may have such an experience that, if we come across a figure of speech separated from the context, we are hardly able to understand what the writer is driving at. For instance, when we want to convey the idea that two nations are in a stalemate, we used “deep freeze” to make a comparison — “Their relations with the country are still in deep freeze.” Another example is that, when we want to describe one's frankness, we use “straight-arrow” — “Ford is straight-arrow all the way. When he finds Kissinger expendable, the secretary will be the first to know.” Without the context, “deep freeze” and “straight-arrow” cannot succeed in conveying the reflected meanings so vividly through such simple expressions.
  In the course of English learning, we may come across a great number of figures of speech by words. Only with the help of context can we make a full understanding of the meaning that the writer wants to express, and can we appreciate literary works more vividly and more effectively. The following examples are the best demonstrations of this impact.
  (1) The charm of conversation is that it does not really start from anywhere, and no one has any idea where it will go as it meanders or leaps and sparkles or just glow.
  The conversation was on wings.
  The above two sentences are metaphors. In the first sentence, the writer compares “conversation” to “a stream which meanders and leaps” and “fire which glows and sparkles”. Obviously, it is a more vivid description. In the second one, the“conversation” has been compared to a bird and becomes “a bird flying and soaring”.
  (2) ... men's final release from earthly struggles...
  With the help of the context, we can easily find it a euphemism. It is a pleasant saying of “death” to avoid mentioning directly for fear of hurting other people's feelings.
  So far we have discussed several types of figures of speech by words used in context. In the course of English learning, we are likely to come across many types of figures of speech. We should be always aware that the full understanding of these figures of speech only comes with the full understanding of the context, and in turn, the full understanding of the whole context depends on the full understanding of word meaning. They are interdependent.
  
  V. Conclusion
  
  The understanding of word meaning plays an important part in senior English learning. How to develop the ability to analyze and use English words is a major concern to most of the English learners. Senior English learners should try to improve their ability to link word meaning with context and apply it in their further study of English. This will help them to understand and appreciate various literary works more fully and more effectively. And it is the basic ability to learn a foreign language. It will help to develop other relevant abilities in English language learning.
  
  References:
  [1] 林承璋,An Introduction to English Lexicology[M],武汉大学出版社,1997
  [2] 张维友,A Course in English Lexicology[M],华中师范大学出版社,1997
  [3] 王佐良、丁往道,《英语文体学引论》[M],外语教学与研究出版社,1987
  [4] 冯翠华,English Rhetorical Options[M],外语教学与研究出版社,1995
  [5] 成令瑾、袁浩,《英语说话艺术和写作技巧》[M],北京语言学院出版社,1996
  [6] 陆国强,《现代英语词汇学》[M],上海外语教育出版社,1983
  [7] 黄伟新、Paul Livesey,An Introduction to English Stylistics and Rhetoric for Chinese Learners[M],警官教育出版社,1998
  [8] 束定芳,《现代语义学》[M],上海外语教育出版社,2000
  [9] 张汉熙,Advanced English Book I [M],外语教学与研究出版社,1995
  [10] 张汉熙,Advanced English Book II [M],外语教学与研究出版社,1995
  [11] A.S.Hornby,Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary[M],Oxford University Press,1997
其他文献
新课程改革的核心是教材,不同版本的教材都是经过专家们深思熟虑、千锤百炼而成。大象版初中地理教材就是根据《地理课程标准》的要求,对《课标》规定的内容进行整合和重组。教材内容的选择安排、问题的提出、活动的设计等,适用于不同教育水平和地区使用。它是教材编写的典范。  大象版初中地理教材由学习行动、正文、图像和阅读四个模块组成,其中教材中学习行动的内容所占的比例最大,教材通过学习行动由浅入深,由已知到未知
期刊
倡导课程向少年儿童经验和生活回归,追求课程的综合化,以培养学生科学精神、创新精神和实践能力为价值取向的新型课程得到世界各国的普遍认同。语文综合性学习正是在这样的时代背景下应运而生的一类新课型。它的设置为学生自主合作探究从最大限度上创设了问题情景和学习空间,充分体现了语文学习内容的丰富性、学习途径的多样性、学习过程的实践性、学习目标的综合性和多向性,它给我们语文教学带来了崭新的气象。但是,初中语文综
期刊
在地理教学中,有些概念、规律比较抽象,学生不易理解,要轻松地学好地理,必须学会识地图。它如同一把金钥匙。金钥匙的贵重不在于钥匙本身的价值,而在于能开启地理宝库的大门,引导人们得到取之不尽的宝藏,从而获取知识,提高观察、思维能力。  培养学生阅读地图的能力,首先,要引导学生掌握读图的基本程序,即引导学生先阅读图名、图例、注记,以及重要的地理界线,以此来确定地图的类型、地域范围等。然后,培养学生对观察
期刊
高中政治课是一门基础课程。它在引导学生形成正确的人生观、价值观、道德观方面起到了其他学科不可替代的作用,被认为是中学德育的重要阵地。它虽表面看似枯燥单调,内涵却极其丰富,因此对政治教师的教学智慧和水平都提出了更高的要求。如何调动学生的学习兴趣,创设有效的教学情境是每位政治教师十分关注的课题。下面笔者根据多年的教学探索,结合案例进行分析,与各位同行共同探讨这一问题。    一、结合生活实际,巧妙设计
期刊
现代信息技术把文字、图像、音像、动画等传播形式集于一体,并赋予教与学信息传播的交互功能,而且应用计算机网络还能跨越时空来共享教学资源,使教师和学生能很方便地获取各种物理学知识,提高教学资源的利用率。因此巧用现代信息技术开展教学,是现代教育的发展趋势,用它来辅助物理学教学,能使教者、学者轻松愉快,全面提高物理学课堂教学效率。    一、巧用现代信息技术,有效激发学生学习兴趣    在物理学科上,若能
期刊
摘要:语文课应该教什么?应该着眼于言语形式。任何一部言语作品都是言语内容和言语形式的统一,两者互为依存,不可分割。学习言语形式才能真正内化内容,才能真正提高学生理解和运用语言文字的能力。本文就言语形式的涵义、言语形式教学的策略两个方面进行阐述。  关键词:语文课 言语形式    一、什么是言语形式    去年下半年,我有幸成为浙江省农村骨干教师培训班的一名学员,聆听了浙江师范大学王尚文老师的课,并
期刊
摘要:探究式学习是新课程提倡的基本理念,逐步培养学生改变以往的先接受后记忆的学习方式,逐步培养学生学会探究的方法及过程,提出问题,进行合理预测学习设计实验,并用实验验证和对知识进行积极拓展的过程。  关键词:探究 拓展 创设情景    探究式学习是新课程提倡的基本教学理念,是在教师指导下,以学生自主学习和合作讨论为前提,以现行教材为基本内容,使学生有自由质疑,并把所学知识应用于解决实际问题的一种学
期刊
以应试为目标的传统教育,学生的学习偏重于机械记忆、浅层理解和简单运用,仅仅立足于被动地接受教师的知识传输。这种学习方式不利于创新精神和实践能力的培养,也不利于学生的个性发展和情感、态度、价值观的自我体现。研究性学习旨在改变原有的单纯接受式的学习方式,在开展有效地接受学习的同时,形成一种主动探求知识,并注重解决实际问题的学习方式。值得注意的是,从教育过程和学生的发展而言,研究性学习和接受性学习这两种
期刊
摘要:新课程标准的实施对传统的课堂教学提出了严峻的挑战,新课改的重要理念就是“以学生为本”,倡导学生主动参与、乐于探究,注重发展学生的科学素质、学科素养和创新能力,这就要求学生课堂上善于发现问题和提出问题,而学生能够发现问题和提出问题,源于强烈的问题意识。  关键词:培养 问题意识 思考    一、培养学生“问题意识”是实施新课程标准的目标    “不愤不悱,不悱不发”,古人早就认识到问题对学生的
期刊
良好的教学环境对提高学生的道德、文化、身体和心理等素质起着不可估量的作用。教学环境是指学校教学活动所需的各种客观条件的综合,它由物质环境形成硬环境,由社会环境形成软环境。其中硬环境包括教学媒体、教学设施等;软环境包括教学气氛、人际环境等。优化教学环境是提高学生能力、促进素质教育、提高教学质量的重要途径。根据教学环境构成要素及其相互间的关系,我们应从以下几个方面进行了一些探索和实践。    一、优化
期刊