Semantic oppositional relations in argument construction

Authors

Keywords:

Text., Argument., Semantic relationship., Opposition., Antonymy., Complementarity., Inversion.

Abstract

In this paper, we are interested in answering the question of what contribution semantic oppositional relations make to the production of argumentative texts. In order to answer this question, we analyzed 100 randomly selected arguments. Our response to this question, which we will present in this article, is as follows: (i) to a large extent, the meaning of some lexical units and other syntactically more complex linguistic constructions is constructed within the text, resulting in new semantic oppositional relationships, mainly antonymy and complementarity; (ii) that antonymy and complementarity constitute the semantic relations of opposition most frequently used in the elaboration of argumentative texts in philosophy; (iii) that the use of oppositions indicates that one thesis is being defended in opposition to another or others; and (iv) that oppositions are used for the purpose of expressing aspects related to the conception of the nature of phenomena or entities in the real world.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Coseriu, E. “Las solidaridades léxicas”. En Principios de semántica estructural”. Madrid, Gredos, 2ª edición, 1981, p.p. 143-162.

Croft, W. y Cruse, D. A. Cognitive Linguistics. USA, Cambridge University Press, 2004.

Cruse, D. A. Meaning in Language. An Introduction to Semantics and Pragmatics, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2000.

Cruse, D. A. Lexical Semantics. Great Britain, Cambridge University Press, 1987.

Escandell Vidal, M. V. Apuntes de semántica léxica. España, UNED, 2007.

Espinal, M. T., Macià J., Mateu, J. y Quer, J. Semántica. España, Akal, 2014.

Gutiérrez Ordóñez, S. Introducción a la semántica funcional. España, Síntesis, 1992.

Koch, P. y Oesterreicher, W. Lengua hablada en la romania: español, francés, italiano. España, Gredos, 2007.

Löbner, S. Understanding semantics. Inglaterra, Routledge, 2002.

Lyons, J. Semantics. Volume 1. USA, Cambridge University Press, 1977.

Mettinger, Arthur. Aspects of semantic opposition in English. USA. Oxford University Press. 1994.

Novikov, L. A. Antinomia en la lengua rusa. Análisis semántico de los opuestos en el vocabulario. Moscú, Editorial de la Universidad de Moscú (Versión en ruso), 1973.

Palmer, F. R. Semantics: A new outline. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1976.

Sîrbu, R. (1979). L’antonymie comme manifestation des relations de système dans le lexique. Linguistica, 19(1), pp. 157–169. https://doi.org/10.4312/linguistica.19.1.157-169

Published

2025-12-31

How to Cite

Rodríguez Monsiváis, R. E., & Ramírez González, C. F. (2025). Semantic oppositional relations in argument construction. Sincronía, 30(89), 1–28. Retrieved from https://revistasincronia.cucsh.udg.mx/index.php/sincronia/article/view/747

Issue

Section

PHILOSOPHY