《英语词汇学》（英文版）Chapter 9 Collocative meaning

Collocative meaning

Collocative meaning

Collocative meaning consists of the associations a word acquires on account of the meanings of words which tend to occur in its environment

Collocative meaning consists of the associations a word acquires on account of the meanings of words which tend to occur in its environment

Pretty and handsome share common ground in the meaning " good-looking but may be distinguished by the range of nouns with which they are likely to co- occur

Pretty and handsome share common ground in the meaning "good-looking", but may be distinguished by the range of nouns with which they are likely to co￾occur

Girl loy boy man woman car flower vesse pretty garden handsome overcoat colour airliner village typewriter etc etc

Girl boy boy man woman car flower vessel pretty garden handsome overcoat colour airliner village typewriter etc. etc

The ranges may well, of course, overlap handsome woman and pretty woman are both acceptable, although they suggest a different kind of attractiveness because of the collocative associations of the two adjectives

The ranges may well, of course, overlap: handsome woman and pretty woman are both acceptable, although they suggest a different kind of attractiveness because of the collocative associations of the two adjectives

Further examples are quasi-synonymous verbs such as wander and stroll(cows may wander, but may not stroll)or tremble and quiver (one trembles with fear, but quivers with excitement

Further examples are quasi-synonymous verbs such as wander and stroll (cows may wander, but may not stroll ) or tremble and quiver (one trembles with fear, but quivers with excitement)

Not all differences in potential co-occurrence need to be explained as collocative meaning: some may be due to stylistic differences. others to conceptual differences

Not all differences in potential co-occurrence need to be explained as collocative meaning: some may be due to stylistic differences, others to conceptual differences

It is the incongruity f combining unlike styles that makes He mounted his gee geor He got on his steed"an improbable combination

I t is t he inc ong r u it y o f combining unlike styles that makes " He mounted his gee￾gee" or " He got on his steed "an impr ob ab le c omb inat ion

On the other hand the acceptability of" The donkey ate hay", as opposed to The donkey ate silence", is a matter of compatibility on the level of conceptual semantics

On the other hand, the acceptability of “The donkey ate hay", as opposed to “The donkey ate silence", is a matter of compatibility on the level of conceptual semantics

Only when explanation in terms of other categories of meaning does not apply do we need to invoke the special category of collocative meaning Collocative meaning is simply an idiosyncratic property of individual words

Only when explanation in terms of other categories of meaning does not apply do we need to invoke the special category of collocative meaning. Collocative meaning is simply an idiosyncratic property of individual words