多义词义项划分与排列存在的问题及对策( 三 )


咥,大笑也 。《诗》曰:“咥其笑矣 。”(朱骏声《通训定声》:当为笑声,与唏略同 。)
噱,大笑也 。
噁,笑也 。《易》曰:“笑言噁噁 。”(噁噁:朱骏声《通训定声》:“笑声也 。”)
唏,笑也 。一曰:哀痛不泣曰唏 。(《方言》卷一:“唏,痛也,哀而不泣曰唏,于方则楚言曰哀唏 。”)
其中“咳”,“咥”,“噱”等词的语义结构式是区别性义素在前修饰、说明指称义素 。而“听”则是指称义素后加特征类区别性义素 。“噁”,“唏”(表示“笑”时)则只有指称义素,在语义演变过程中,指称义素和区别性义素在沿革变化的过程中可能存在遗失的现象 。此外,《说文解字》通过“指称义素+区别性义素”释义者也不乏其例,如:碧,石之青美者 。理,治玉也 。这里的“石”和“治”是指称义素,而“青美”(青色又美丽的)和“玉”(玉石)为区别性义素 。且两种释义方式可以互换,比如:碧,青美之石 。
(二)义项划分
为了解决义项排列存在的三点问题,文章结合原型语义思想,利用上述的语义表达式“区别性义素+指称义素”来精确分立义项,然后运用原型排列法实现义项的优化排列,并从认知词典学角度做简要解读 。如何确立义项的划分是项严谨的任务,更是个难题 。一是由于容易将词义与具体内容混淆,“义素是对词义构成的分析,不是对某个具体指称对象的描写” [9] 。但在词典实际编纂过程中,怎么区分难以把握,尤其是在编写学习型词典时,在不能过度依赖描写具体内容的前提下,怎么为EFL学习者下定义,分立义项的难度可想而知 。二是如何恰如其分的分立义项没有清晰的客观标准,过严会导致义项缺失,满足不了用户的需求,而过宽则会带来弥散化的后果,增加了用户的查阅难度 。接下来文章就会就这个问题来讨论相应的对策 。传统训诂学用来释义的“区别性义素+指称义素”这一表达式在这方面大有可为 。一般来说,某个单词各个义项的指称义素不同,那么是需要分列义项的;如果区别性义素不同情况比较复杂,需要具体问题具体分析,因为区别性义素的变化主要有语义的“扩大、缩小、转移” [10]三种方式 。转移指词义从一个语义场转入另一个语义场,而这种语义范围的转变通常会带来词义的指称义素发生变化,所以需要分立义项 。扩大和缩小是在同一个语义场中进行的变化,是否需要分立义项,则需要根据特征义素或事物义素的上位词具体分析,着重考查新旧义位之间关系,词义之间的包容、替代关系,尤其是是否涉及到义场变化 。
文章将选取三本词典关于多义词“belt”的义项分立为例,来考察其义项划分是否合适 。(仅选取其名词义项,且与义项分立无关内容从略)
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (1995)
belt n
1 ?CLOTHES? a band of leather, cloth etc that you wear around your waist
2 ?AREA? a large area of land that has particular characteristics
3 ?MACHINE PART? a circular band of material such as rubber that connects or moves parts of a machine
COLLINS COBUILD ENGLISH DICTIONARY (2000)
belt
1 A belt is a strip of leather or cloth that you fasten round your waist. ● See also safety belt, seat belt.
2 A belt in a machine is a circular strip of rubber that is used to drive moving parts or to move objects along. ● See also conveyor belt, fan belt.
3 A belt of land or sea is a long, narrow area of it that has some special feature. ● See also Bible Belt, commuter belt, green belt.
5 If someone belts you, they hit you very hard. ?Also a noun.
6 If someone is or has a belt of a particular colour in judo or karate, they have reached the standard which that colour represents.
Macmillan English-Chinese Dictionary for Advanced Learners
belt1 1 a narrow piece of leather, cloth etc that you wear around your waist, for example, to keep your clothes in place or for decoration 1a. in some types of Martial ART such as JODO and KARATE, a narrow piece of a material worn around the waist to show that you have achieved a particular standard. 2 an area of land where there is a particular industry, activity etc 2a. an area where a particular type of person lives 2b. a long thin area that contains a lot of a particular thing 2c. an area containing a lot of a particular thing that surrounds something else
3 a circular band that helps to turn or move something in a machine
4 a drink of strong alcohol
分析这三本字典处理这些义项不难发现存在以下问题:《朗文现代英语词典》漏掉了两个义项 。belt作名词用意思可以表述为:an act of hitting sb/sth(指称义素)+hard(区别性义素) 。这个语义表达式和词典中其他任何一个都不重合,朗文只是通过后面短语动词“give sb a belt”来暗示这个义项的存在则是远远不够的,应该单独立项 。第二个义项释义“a large area of land that has particular characteristics”这个释义的中的指称义素是正确的,但区别性义素不够全面,还应加上“or where a particular people live” 。此外,“belt”还可用来表示狂饮(含酒精的饮料),但这个义项逐渐淡出使用,可以不列 。