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 cooccur
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 geegee" 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