Kompleksa pieeja daudznozīmīga verba semantiskās struktūras analīzē
Complex approach to semantic structure analysis of polysemous verb

Summary/Abstract: One of the hardest-to-solve problems in lexicology and semantics is distinguishing the meanings of polysemous words and establishing their number. The lack of criteria for the distinguishing of the word meanings is also observed in the Latvian language explanatory dictionaries where a consistent approach has not been used to create polysemous word systems, e.g. the verb grūst ‘to push’ in “Latviešu literārās valodas vārdnīca” (“The Dictionary of Standard Latvian”) has nine meanings, “Latviešu valodas vārdnīca” (“The Latvian Language Dictionary”) lists six meanings, while “Mūsdienu latviešu valodas vārdnīca” (“The Modern Latvian Language Dictionary”) provides five meanings. Although explanatory dictionaries in one language differ in terms of volume, it cannot be treated as a criterion for limiting the number of word meanings presented therein.In the article, taking into account the lack of criteria for determination of the meanings in the Latvian language explanatory dictionaries, the system of meanings of polysemous verb of movement grūst ‘to push’ has been analysed by using a complex approach. In order to demonstrate approaches to semantic structure analysis of polysemous verb the following theories and the methods arising therefrom have been employed: the method of componential analysis, the distributional analysis, prototype theory and the mental spaces theory, as well as explanations of basic terms of these theories have been provided. In discussing the system of meanings of the verb grūst ‘to push’ by using different methods, it was established that four meanings might be determined for the verb grūst ‘to push’ by all methods used. In turn, when comparing the system of meanings of the verb grūst ‘to push’ created by the author of the article with the meanings provided in the Latvian language explanatory dictionaries (the meanings are summarised in Table No. 2 “Reflection of the system of meanings of the verb grūst ‘to push’ in the Latvian explanatory dictionaries”) it can be concluded that they differ in the number of meanings and their definitions. Thus in determining the meanings by using the complex approach, the system of meanings can be established more objectively, as well as explanations of the meanings can be made more precise.

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