Friends and family
Semantic fields and language relations
Introduction
The lexicon (the total vocabulary) of the English language is vast, and one way of
thinking about it is to consider it as a number of semantic fields. A semantic field is
simply a group of words that are related by their shared range of meaning. So, for
example, we could put in a group all the words that go with the idea of war, or of
gardening, or of quantum physics. This can be a very useful way of thinking about the
way writers use language in a text or speech.
Word play
To play: Cut up the set of cards and shuffle them. Turn over the top card. You each
have one minute to write down as many words as you can think of that belong to this
semantic field. You can play individually, or with small groups competing against each
other.
To score: several possibilities, including a point for each correctly placed word, or a point
for each word that no-one else has got, and bonus points for really good words if you
want to go a bit Shooting Stars with the scoring.
On reflection
These categories form the basis of the semantic classification framework used by the
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English: see the “English lexicon” diagram.
What do you think of this system of classifying the lexicon? Is it comprehensive? Are
there categories omitted that you think should be included, played down or omitted
altogether? How could you improve it?
Semantic fields and style
Stylistically, if a writer draws heavily on words from a particular semantic field (or, more
usually, from a number of semantic fields), an intense or very focused effect is often
created because the word patterns and connections make us focus on the key themes or
issues. It can create an air of authority, as the speaker or writer demonstrates his/her
mastery of the field by using the ‘right words’ from the semantic field.
Go to http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/Ihaveadream.htm for the text of
Martin Luther King’s ‘I have a dream’ speech. Using coloured highlighters (inky variety
or on-screen variety), colour code this text to show the dominant semantic fields used.
Feel free to adapt the Longman classification in any way you see fit and that works for
this text.
Now consider carefully what effects Martin Luther King created by his deployment of
these semantic fields. Make sure that in doing this you think about the context of the
speech: his purpose, who he was addressing, in what context it was received, when, etc.
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Friends and family
Semantic fields and language relations
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Semantic fields and language relations
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Friends and family
Semantic fields and language relations
The English
lexicon
Arts
Business
Colours & sounds
Daily life
Hard science
Medicine
Politics
Religion & thought
Society
Technology
Architecture
Basics
Colours
Clothes & fashion
Astronomy
Alternative medicine
Politics
Folklore
Anthropology
Agriculture
Literature
Employment
Shapes & patterns
Food
Biology
Birth
Economics
Mythology
Archaeology
Building
Media
Finance
Odours
Games
Chemistry
Death
Government
Occult
Crime & law
Communication
Performing Arts
Occupations
Textures & sounds
Earth Science
Drugs & medicines
Military
Philosophy
Education
Computers
Shapes
Maths
Hospitals
Religion
Geography
Engineering
Physics
Illness & disability
History
Industry
Nurses & doctors
Linguistics
Measurement
Psychology & psychiatry
Sociology
Power
Visual Arts
Tools
Transport
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