Schmitt: Knowing a word 1.

Different aspects of knowing a word (referent-concept = A word is mostly related to a certain concept, mismatch etween ideal concept and indi!id"al classification# prototype theory (try and map core concepts and how is it that chairs are !ery different, "t we still see them as chairs $ typical thing has a com ination of certain feat"res%# fixed !s fuzzy (when does walk t"rn into r"nning% etc. &. Core (general meaning% !s encyclopedic (indi!id"al'geographical% meanings (. )hat can conte*t do for "s+ ,t gi!es the ackgro"nd and how a word is "sed ' it-s more important to teach more fre."ent and easy words, so that there won-t e any space for different meaning% /. Denotation $ the most ne"tral and general meaning yo" find in a dictionary# ne"tral way of saying it# 0"st one thing 1. 2onnotation $ what different attit"de the word has# has certain sides and is in relation with the conte*t (positi!e'negati!e% 3or e*ample: skinny = thin (denotation% Skinny = "nhealthily thin (connotation% 4. 2hoi-s areas of register !ariation (4% $ different "sage of words in etween different social classes $ social variation, for e*ample "pper class saying lady instead of woman ("nintelligent'st"pid%# in different regional'geographical locations (5ritish'American = ta*i'ca %# social role variation (addressing s"periors (a"tomatic process% $ sir !s yo" there6%# field of discourse variation (0argon applying to a certain area = style, synta*, word choice%# mode of discourse variation (written !s oral% also idioms# temporal variation (whether a certain word is deemed old-fashioned or not# also changes in slang, dialects = gay (cheerf"l%% 7. )hat is a register+ = knowing when yo" can "se a specific word or not. 8ldfashioned !s emerging meanings of the words

9,dioms $ generally f"nction as a single semantic "nit, where one half cannot e separate from the other

:ro lems for learners: register# ."antity# "se of (fi*ed $ meaning is not e!ident% idioms# addition of new e*pressions# creati!ity# sho"ld e ta"ght as single "nits that elong together