Antoyms

[Ever Student]

Hello,

Antonyms divide into the parts below;

• Complinmentary pairs; the meaning of the word may be partially defined by saying what it is not like dead means not alive.
• Gradable pairs; the negative of one word is not synomous with the other. For example, someone is not happy is not neccessary sad. Another characteristic of many pairs of gradable antonyms is that one marked and the other unmarked. The unmarked member is the one used in questions of degree. We ask "how high is it?"
• Relational opposites; they desplay symmetry in their meaning, like give/recieve, teacher/pupil, employer/employee.
• Redundency rules; like [+single]=[-married]

Now, here are my questions;

1-Can you please give me an example of "the marked antonyms"?
2-To which category does "likely/unlikely "belong?

 

[Raymott]

Hello,

Antonyms divide into the parts below;

• Complinmentary pairs; the meaning of the word may be partially defined by saying what it is not like dead means not alive.
• Gradable pairs; the negative of one word is not synomous with the other. For example, someone is not happy is not neccessary sad. Another characteristic of many pairs of gradable antonyms is that one marked and the other unmarked. The unmarked member is the one used in questions of degree. We ask "how high is it?"
• Relational opposites; they desplay symmetry in their meaning, like give/recieve, teacher/pupil, employer/employee.
• Redundency rules; like [+single]=[-married]

Now, here are my questions;

1-Can you please give me an example of "the marked antonyms"?
2-To which category does "likely/unlikely "belong?

1. You've already given an example of an unmarked antonym - "high". The corresponding 'marked antonym' would be 'low'.
It's called 'marked' because it is less commonly used (as you've pointed out), and therefore is not the default end of the spectrum for asking questions, etc.
Another example is 'old/young', where 'young' is the 'marked' term, because we don't say "How young are you" or "He's 2 years young".

 

[Ever Student]

1. You've already given an example of an unmarked antonym - "high". The corresponding 'marked antonym' would be 'low'.
It's called 'marked' because it is less commonly used (as you've pointed out), and therefore is not the default end of the spectrum for asking questions, etc.
Another example is 'old/young', where 'young' is the 'marked' term, because we don't say "How young are you" or "He's 2 years young".

Hi,
Thank you very much for helping me.
Can you please answer the second question?

 

[Raymott]

Hi,
Thank you very much for helping me.
Can you please answer the second question?

Why don't you give me your opinion first?

 

[Ever Student]

Why don't you give me your opinion first?

Hi,
I don't know, they might belong to "gradable pairs". Sth is not Likely is not necessary unlikely and someone doesn't disagree does not necessary agree.

 

[Raymott]

Hi,
I don't know, they might belong to "gradable pairs". Sth is not Likely is not necessary unlikely and someone doesn't disagree does not necessary agree.

I agree.

 

[Ever Student]

Thanks.