What is a lexical relation?

Definition
	A lexical relation is a culturally recognized pattern of association that exists between lexical units in a language.

Examples: English paradigmatic lexical relations

Here is a table showing some common paradigmatic lexical relations in English with example sets and underlying structure:

Lexical relation	Example set	Underlying structure
synonym	A "happy" synonym set: {happy, joyful, glad}	simple set
measurement	A "temperature" set: {cold, cool, lukewarm, warm, hot}	scale
opposite	A "social relation" set: {(student, teacher), (patient, doctor)}	set of pairs
generic-specific whole-part	A "whole-part" tree: house roof walls floor	tree

Underlying structure
	Each lexical relation has an underlying structure that describes the relationship that senses within a lexical relation set have with each other.
	Here are some underlying structures of lexical relations:
	simple set scale set of pairs tree

Kinds
	Here are some kinds of lexical relations:
	paradigmatic syntagmatic

Concept module: lexical relation
In overview module: Glossary (Linguistics): L
In modular book: Glossary of linguistic terms, by Eugene E. Loos (general editor), Susan Anderson (editor), Dwight H., Day, Jr. (editor), Paul C. Jordan (editor), and J. Douglas Wingate (editor)
In bookshelf: Linguistics

This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library, Version 5.0 published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 2003. [Ordering information.]

Page content last modified: 5 January 2004