Componential analysis (feature analysis or contrast analysis) is the analysis of words through structured sets of
semantic features A semantic feature is a component of the concept associated with a lexical item ('female' + 'performer' = 'actress'). More generally, it can also be a component of the concept associated with any grammatical unit, whether composed or not ('female' + ...
, which are given as "present", "absent" or "indifferent with reference to feature". The method thus departs from the
principle of compositionality. Componential analysis is a method typical of
structural semantics
Structural semantics (also structuralist semantics) is a linguistic school and paradigm that emerged in Europe from the 1930s, inspired by the structuralist linguistic movement started by Ferdinand de Saussure's 1916 work "''Cours De Linguisti ...
which analyzes the components of a word's meaning. Thus, it reveals the culturally important features by which speakers of the language distinguish different words in a
semantic field
In linguistics, a semantic field is a lexical set of words grouped semantically (by meaning) that refers to a specific subject.Howard Jackson, Etienne Zé Amvela, ''Words, Meaning, and Vocabulary'', Continuum, 2000, p14. The term is also used in ...
or domain (Ottenheimer, 2006, p. 20).
Examples
''man'' =
MALE MATUREor ''woman'' =
�� MALE MATUREor ''boy'' =
MALE �� MATUREor ''girl'' =
�� MALE �� MATUREor ''child'' =
/– MALE �� MATURE In other words, the word ''girl'' can have three basic factors (or
semantic properties
Semantic properties or meaning properties are those aspects of a linguistic unit, such as a morpheme, word
A word is a basic element of language that carries an objective or practical meaning, can be used on its own, and is uninterruptible. ...
):
human
Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...
,
young, and
female
Female (symbol: ♀) is the sex of an organism that produces the large non-motile ova (egg cells), the type of gamete (sex cell) that fuses with the male gamete during sexual reproduction.
A female has larger gametes than a male. Females a ...
. Another example, being
edible is an important factor by which plants may be distinguished from one another (Ottenheimer, 2006, p. 20). To summarize, one word can have basic underlying meanings that are well established depending on the cultural context. It is crucial to understand these underlying meanings in order to fully understand any language and culture.
Historical background
Structural semantics
Structural semantics (also structuralist semantics) is a linguistic school and paradigm that emerged in Europe from the 1930s, inspired by the structuralist linguistic movement started by Ferdinand de Saussure's 1916 work "''Cours De Linguisti ...
and the componential analysis were patterned on the phonological methods of the
Prague School, which described sounds by determining the absence and presence of features. On one hand, componential analysis gave birth to various models in
generative semantics
Generative semantics was a research program in theoretical linguistics which held that syntactic structures are computed on the basis of meanings rather than the other way around. Generative semantics developed out of transformational generati ...
,
lexical field theory
Lexical field theory, or ''word-field theory'', was introduced on March 12, 1931 by the German linguist Jost Trier. He argued that words acquired their meaning through their relationships to other words within the same word-field. An extension of ...
and
transformational grammar
In linguistics, transformational grammar (TG) or transformational-generative grammar (TGG) is part of the theory of generative grammar, especially of natural languages. It considers grammar to be a system of rules that generate exactly those combin ...
. On the other hand, its shortcoming were also visible:
* The discovery procedures for semantic features are not clearly objectifiable.
* Only part of the vocabulary can be described through more or less structured sets of features.
* Metalinguistic features are expressed through language again.
* Features used may not have clear definitions.
* Limited in focus and mechanical in style.
As a consequence, entirely different ways to describe meaning were developed, such as
prototype semantics.
See also
*
Ethnoscience
*
Structural linguistics
Structural linguistics, or structuralism, in linguistics, denotes schools or theories in which language is conceived as a self-contained, self-regulating semiotic system whose elements are defined by their relationship to other elements within t ...
*
Word-sense disambiguation
Word-sense disambiguation (WSD) is the process of identifying which sense of a word is meant in a sentence or other segment of context. In human language processing and cognition, it is usually subconscious/automatic but can often come to cons ...
References
* Bussmann, Hadumod (1996), ''Routledge Dictionary of Language and Linguistics'', London: Routledge, s.v. componential analysis.
* Ottenheimer, H. J. (2006). ''The Anthropology of Language''. Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth.
Semantics
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