LEXICAL SEMANTICS AS A BRANCH OF LINGUISTIC SEMANTICS THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS AND ANALYTICAL APPROACHES

Аннотация

This article explores lexical semantics, a key branch of linguistic semantics that focuses on the meaning of words and the relationships between them. Lexical semantics examines how words encode meaning, how they relate to each other in semantic fields, and how they function in larger linguistic structures. The article begins with an overview of linguistic semantics and its branches, then delves into the scope, methods, and theoretical frameworks of lexical semantics, such as componential analysis, prototype theory, and cognitive semantics. Through analysis and examples from English and other languages, the article demonstrates the role of lexical semantics in understanding language meaning, language change, and cross-linguistic variation. Keywords: Lexical semantics, linguistic semantics, word meaning, semantic fields, polysemy, hyponymy, prototype theory, cognitive linguistics. Introduction. Semantics, as a core branch of linguistics, studies meaning in language. It addresses how signs—especially words, phrases, and sentences—convey meaning and how meaning is structured and interpreted by speakers and listeners. Within semantics, several subfields have emerged, including formal semantics, lexical semantics, compositional semantics, cognitive semantics, and pragmatic semantics. Among these, lexical semantics stands out for its focus on the meaning of words and their systematic organization in the mental lexicon. Lexical semantics aims to answer fundamental questions: What does a word mean? How are word meanings related? How do we recognize metaphor and polysemy? These questions not only underpin linguistic theory but also inform practical applications in lexicography, translation, artificial intelligence, and language teaching. Defining Lexical Semantics. Lexical semantics is the study of word meanings and the relationships among words. It concerns itself with the internal meaning structure of lexemes and how those meanings interact with context and structure. Words are not isolated in meaning; rather, they form complex networks of semantic relationships. Lexical semantics seeks to uncover these networks by studying phenomena such as: Synonymy (words with similar meanings) Antonymy (opposites) Polysemy (one word with multiple meanings) Homonymy (words with same form, different meanings) Hyponymy and Hypernymy (hierarchical word relations) Meronymy (part-whole relationships) These relationships help linguists map out how concepts are stored in the mental lexicon and how they function in discourse. Theoretical Frameworks in Lexical Semantics. Several theoretical approaches have shaped modern lexical semantics. Each contributes to a deeper understanding of how lexical meaning is constructed, processed, and represented. 545 ResearchBib IF - 11.01, ISSN: 3030-3753, Volume 2 Issue 5 Componential Analysis. This approach, also called semantic decomposition, assumes that word meanings can be broken into smaller semantic features or components. For instance, the word bachelor might be analyzed as [+human], [+male], [−married]. This approach was useful for identifying shared features among related words and provided the groundwork for early semantic field theory. However, it often struggled with abstract or metaphorical concepts. Prototype Theory. Proposed by Eleanor Rosch and later applied to semantics by George Lakoff, this theory suggests that categories are not defined by necessary and sufficient features but by best examples or prototypes. For example, a robin is more prototypical of the category "bird" than a penguin. This model helps explain fuzziness in categories, gradience in meaning, and variation across cultures and languages. Cognitive Semantics. Rooted in cognitive linguistics, cognitive semantics emphasizes the role of human cognition in shaping meaning. It posits that meaning is embodied, experiential, and contextually grounded. Metaphor, metonymy, and image schemas play a central role in meaning construction. A classic example is the conceptual metaphor TIME IS MONEY (e.g., “spend time,” “save time”), illustrating how abstract concepts are understood via concrete, embodied experiences. Core Phenomena Studied in Lexical Semantics Polysemy and Homonymy. Polysemy refers to a single word having multiple related meanings (e.g., paper as a material and as an academic article). Homonymy occurs when a single form has multiple unrelated meanings (e.g., bat the animal vs. bat used in sports). Lexical semantics investigates how speakers disambiguate meaning using context, syntactic structure, and pragmatic inference. Lexical Fields and Semantic Networks. Words are organized into lexical fields—groups of related words like colors, emotions, or kinship terms. Lexical semantics maps these fields to understand how languages structure the conceptual world. Semantic networks (often implemented in computational linguistics) model these fields with nodes and links, representing words and their relations. Derivation and