Chapter 18 Lexical Functions: Description of Lexical Relations in a ...

—Chapter 18. Lexical Functions— 30
Thus, the LF Syn does not represent a purely semantic relation: it stands for a LEXICAL relation, in
the same vein as Anti and Conv.
2. Anti [Lat. antonymum] = antonym
This LF corresponds to the second important relation dealt with in MTT: roughly speaking,
that between X and not X, i.e., between an expression and its negation. Anti applies to any LU L
whose meaning (L) contains inside a functor which accepts the negation, i.e., (L) admits a nega-
tion; Anti returns for L an LU L´ such that the meanings (L) and (L´) differ only by a negation in
one of them. Anti does not have its own part of speech, but L can be of any part of speech, and
Anti takes on the part of speech of L.
The negation that distinguishes an LU L1 and its antonym L2 can be positioned at different
depth within the meaning (= semantic decomposition) of (L2), and this leads to four major types
of antonyms—especially since they behave differently under paraphrasing (Apresjan 1974: 288-
302, Apresjan & Cinman 2002: 112-116 and Milićević 2003a: 195ff): contradictory Anti - ,
contrary Anti neg, inverse Anti > and opposed Anti opp.
1) Anti - is a contradictory antonym (of L1)—with an ‘internal’ negation, that is, a
negation that bears on a semantic component WITHIN (L1):
if L2 = Anti - (L1), then (L2) = (L´1 ... not L´´1).
This type of antonym corresponds to the mathematical minus in negative numbers; hence the
notation.
Examples
openV Y = (cause that Y becomes open),
and Anti - (openV) = closeV ≡ (cause that Y becomes not open)
allow Y to Z = (say that Y may do Z),
and Anti - (allow) = forbid ≡ (say that Y may not do Z)
Contradictory antonyms Anti - often form triplets in which an Anti - (L) contrasts with a
negation of L:
L Anti - (L) negation of L
X likes Y ~ X dislikes/hates Y ~ X does not like Y
X builds Y ~ X destroys Y ~ X does not build Y
X is joyful ~ X is glum/gloomy ~ X is not joyful
Remark
Note an interesting complication: in some cases, the negative particle signals an Anti - , so
that He did not allow me to leave means that he forbade me to leave, not that he simply did not