Semantic Primitives
It is very important to realize that some of the exponents in the following list have meanings in English that are not shared with other languages, but when used as an exponent in the Natural Semantic Metalanguage, we are only concerned with the meanings that are universal.
The English exponents of semantic primitives
- substantives
- I, YOU, SOMEONE, PEOPLE, SOMETHING/THING, BODY
- relational substantives
- KIND, PART
- determiners
- THIS, THE SAME, OTHER/ELSE
- quantifiers
- ONE, TWO, MUCH/MANY, SOME, ALL
- evaluators
- GOOD, BAD
- descriptors
- BIG, SMALL
- mental predicates
- THINK, KNOW, WANT, FEEL, SEE, HEAR
- speech
- SAY, WORDS, TRUE
- actions, events, movement, contact
- DO, HAPPEN, MOVE, TOUCH
- location, existence, possession, specification
- BE (SOMEWHERE), THERE IS, HAVE, BE (SOMEONE/SOMETHING)
- life and death
- LIVE, DIE
- time
- WHEN/TIME, NOW, BEFORE, AFTER, A LONG TIME, A SHORT TIME, FOR SOME TIME, MOMENT
- space
- WHERE/PLACE, HERE, ABOVE, BELOW, FAR, NEAR, SIDE, INSIDE
- logical concepts
- NOT, MAYBE, CAN, BECAUSE, IF
- intensifier, augmentor
- VERY, MORE
- similarity
- LIKE/WAY
Read more about this topic: Natural Semantic Metalanguage
Famous quotes containing the word semantic:
“Watt’s need of semantic succour was at times so great that he would set to trying names on things, and on himself, almost as a woman hats.”
—Samuel Beckett (1906–1989)
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