Routledge Dictionary of Language and Linguistics
antonymy [Grk antí- ‘against,’ ónyma (=ónoma) ‘name’]
Relation of semantic opposition. In contrast to the general relation of incompatibility. antonymy is restricted to gradable expressions that usually correlate with opposite members of a scale: e.g. good vs bad. The various positions on the scale cannot be determined absolutely, but rather depend upon the context, e.g. A large mouse is smaller than a small elephant. (
also absolute antonymy, complementarity, gradable complementaries, polarity, semantic relation).
References
Cruse, D.A. 1976. Three classes of antonyms in English. Lingua 38. 281–92.
Hale, K.
1971. A note on a Walbiri tradition of antonymy. In D.D.Steinberg and L.A.Jakobovits (eds), Semantics: an interdisciplinary reader in philosophy, linguistics, and psychology. Cambridge, 472–82.
Katz, J.J. 1964. Analyticity and contradiction in natural language. In J.A.Fodor and J.J.Katz (eds), The structure of language: readings in the philosophy of language. Englewood Cliffs, NJ. 519–43.
Lehrer, A. and K.Lehrer. 1982. Antonymy. Ling&P 5. 483–501.
lexicology
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