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2.2. Semantic representation of the concept “Happiness”
in English
In the practical part of our research work, we investigate the semantic
field of words related to happiness. In order to clarify what we are searching in our
research work, we should shortly aware about some theoretical analysis or
classifications, which were done by linguists.
Lehrer defines a semantic field as "a group of words” closely related in
meaning, often considered under a general term. Accordingly, the object of the
analysis is lexemes belong to semantic fields to collect and show the relationship
of each of them to one another and to the general term. Lehrer clarifies with
admirable clarity. She analyses a variety of semantic field such as "Cooking
terms" (cook, boil, simmer, stew, poach, braise, steam, fry), "Sound" (sound, noise,
loud, soft, quiet, silent and the related lexemes hear and 'deaf'), and "Killing"
(dead, die, kill, murder), etc.
1
It is obvious that Lehrer's view of field distributes
within with the 'word-class' part of speech') of lexemes. Thus, Lehrer includes in of
her fields lexemes belonging to different word-classes (adjectives, some nouns,
verbs, etc.) as the two fields of "Sound" and "Killing" mentioned above clearly
show. According to above-mentioned point of view, we made a research about the
semantic field of words related to happiness and the following below-mentioned
words, phrases and idioms may show the semantic field of words related to
happiness with the meaning FEELING
happiness the feeling of being happy
2
It was only later in life that she found happiness and peace of mind.
formal Will you join me in wishing the bride and groom every happiness?
blissful adjective extremely or completely happy a blissful childhood/holiday We
spent a blissful year together before things started to go wrong.
1
Lehrer, A. Semantic Fields and Lexical Structure. Amsterdam andLondon: North Holland; New York: American
Elsevier. 1974.
2
Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English/Hornby A.S., Cowie A.P. – Moscow, Oxford: Russian
language Publishers, Oxford University Press, 1982, 1036 p.
