Uddrag fra Semantics. Scope, Definitions, Methods, [Nice1951] 046-0620

7. A meaning of a significant is just what it has in common with the meaning of one or more other significants of the same lan- guage, plus in what it differs from them. So the definition of a meaning of a word necessarily is done by means of words or word groups having the same or opposite meanings. The only alternative is an ostensive definition, i .e. an illustrative collection of sentences (or parts of sentences) with indication of the situations in which they may be used correctly and effectively. The oppostion of a meaning to another may be simple, i.e. that they have just one element different, e.g. bov and girl. or night and dav. It may be complex, e .g'. clock and thermometer. Two meanings may have no common feature, e.g. Charles and between. The features of a meaning always, or often, are more or less central or peripheric in relation to each other. In girl the feature of human being is more central than that of young and of female. Analogously the marks of a significant are arranged in a similar hierarchic way. The phonemes of a word and their order are more central than the number of syl- lables, which, in its turn, is more central than absence or presence, cr the place of word accent. Analogously, the distinctive features of a mark of a significant always, or very often, are arranged hier - archically. Evidently the pitch formants of a vov/el in Latin are more central than length. Features of meanings, of forms of significants, and of marks of significants, in combinations are of different rank. The structure of a system in language is a collection of relations between the members of the system. These relations are not only op- positions, but also a matter of rank. The opposition between the mean- iig of the words boy and girl is the same as that between the word groups young humap male and young human female. i.e. the identical and the different features are the same. The rank, however, within the same meanings, is different. Methods and criteria to establish ranks of features of meanings should be found and applied. In case of the word groups mentioned word order is a mark of rank. There is no such mark or criterion in case of the words boy and girl • In this case other criteria should be found, or it should be proved that in the and similar cases there is no linguistic, and, if any, only a logical rank. The usual cri- terion, especially in case of nucleus and determiner in a subordinate