Lexical-Semantic Analysis of the Adjective Poor in English: Definitions, Synonyms, and Antonyms

Abstract

The article introduces the lexical-semantic aspect of the adjective poor in English, its synonyms, and antonyms. The analysis featured five English dictionaries: Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus, Cobuild Advanced English Dictionary, The Free Dictionary, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, and Merriam-Webster Dictionary. The author analyzed the lexical-semantic variants of the adjective and determined its meanings. The component analysis allocated 46 semes and sememes, which were combined into eight thematic groups: 1. People: (poor) people / a group, poverty, emaciated, not very skilful (in a particular activity), needy, humble, meek; 2. Animal: (hungry) animal; 3. Material means: having, material, possessions, mean, petty / (little) money / insufficient wealth, used of land, barren (land), unproductive (land); 4. Lack / shortage: lacking / deficient; 5. Something material: very little of the substance, (little of a particular) substance, (poor) food; 6. Resources: supply (of something specified – resources, materials), (poor) country; 7. Evaluation: bad / not good, (being of a very low) quality, (being of a very low) quantity, (being of a very low) standard, inferior / very little (in quality), inferior (in value), (less) amount, (less) rate, (less) number, little / few, (in bad) condition, not normal, less (than adequate) / scanty / inadequate, negative, small (in worth), quality; 8. Emotional attitude: exciting , pity, (deserving) sympathy, unlucky, disappointing , disagreeable, indifferent, unfavorable, no pleasure. The adjective poor appeared to have 37 synonyms and 13 antonyms.

Keywords

• synonymic series
• seme
• sememe
• differential attribute
• language picture of the world
• cultural linguistics