Word and Pattern Meaning: A Complex Linguistic Gestalt
Word and Pattern Meaning: A Complex Linguistic Gestalt
This chapter examines conventional patterns of word meaning and word use in relation to linguistic gestalt and how such gestalts are exploited in a variety of ways. It first considers semantic and syntagmatic complexity and presents examples of words of minimal semantic and syntagmatic complexity, including rhododendron and exasperate. The chapter also discusses the syntagmatic norms for each of these five verbs, which represent medium complexity: drink, eat, chew, bite, and swallow. In addition, it discusses words of maximal complexity, such as prepositions and light verbs (take, make, and come). The chapter also explores how exploitations become secondary norms by presenting an account of the linguistic gestalt of the word scratch, and, finally, analyzes how Latin and Greek secondary norms can be primary norms in English.
Keywords: word meaning, word use, linguistic gestalt, syntagmatic complexity, norms, verbs, prepositions, exploitations, Latin, Greek
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