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What is a generic-specific lexical relation?

 

Definition
 

A generic-specific lexical relation is a hierarchical association between a lexical unit with a broader, more general meaning and other lexical units with a narrower, more precise meaning.

Discussion
 

Another name for the generic-specific lexical relation is hyponymy. Hyponymy involves the association between a

 
  • hyponym—a more semantically complex, specific lexical unit (X), and a
  • superordinate—a less semantically complex, general lexical unit (Y).
 

X is a hyponym of Y if

 
  • the sentence "X is necessarily Y" is normal, but
  • the sentence "Y is necessarily X" is not normal.
 
Example:

"Parrot" is a hyponym of "bird" since

  • the sentence "A parrot is necessarily a bird" is normal, but
  • the sentence *"A bird is necessarily a parrot" is not normal.
Adapted from:

Cruse 1986 24, 88, 109

Kinds
  Here are the two major kinds of a generic-specific lexical relation:
 

Kind

Definition and comment

Natural (taxonomic)

Specifics can be adequately defined for identificational purposes by listing a few distinguishing features.

Example:

horse n. 'a large domesticated mammal with a long flowing tail, used for transportation and work'

Nominal

Specifics can be fully defined with conceptually distinct modifiers.

Example:

stallion n. 'an uncastrated male horse'
Examples (English): Generic-specific
 

Natural (taxonomic)

Nominal

For animate things:

  • Appaloosa
  • Arabian
  • Tennessee walker
    •
  • gelding
  • mare
  • stallion
    •

    For artifacts:

  • Baldwin
  • Steinway
  • Yamaha
    •
  • grand
  • upright
    •

    For actions:

  • crawl
  • run
  • walk
    •
  • dance
  • drive
  • travel
    •

    For attributes:

  • blue
  • red
  • yellow
    •
  • crimson
  • pink
  • scarlet
    •
     
    Sources:

    Cruse 1986 140–141

    Neufeldt 1991 152, 324, 328, 349, 416, 1026, 1123, 1174, 1198, 1423, 1501, 1548

    Underlying structure
     

    The underlying structure of a generic-specific lexical relation set is a tree.

    Frames
     

    Here are some frames for testing and eliciting a generic-specific lexical relation:

     
    • An X is a kind of Y, and Z is also a kind of Y.
    • An X is a type of Y, and a Z is another type of Y.
    • Xs and Zs are different kinds of Y.

    Context for this page:

    Go to SIL home page This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library, Version 5.0 published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 2003. [Ordering information.]

    Page content last modified: 5 January 2004

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