[Lexicog] negative word for amazed

[Ron Moe]

As I "define" a domain, I have two choices: (1) define a single English
word, which then becomes the head word, or (2) look at the semantics of a
large group of words and determine if there is a common component. In the
case of the English word 'shock' I would agree that it can be used in a
positive situation: "I was shocked to learn that I had won the lottery." But
I found that there were a group of English words that fit a scenario in
which something bad had happened, and combined the components of surprise
and some kind of bad feeling such as anger or horror. I believe I was
following the domain 'shock' in the Longman Language Activator. So although
the English word 'shock' is a bit broader in meaning, I believe it is
legitimate to define the central idea of the domain a bit narrower. But
Chaz's observation below raises another feature of domains--each member of
the domain may have secondary senses or a range of meaning that extends
beyond the narrow definition, or (seen differently) adds components to the
component(s) shared by all members of the domain. In the case of 'shock' the
situation can extend to positive situations that produce psychological
paralysis. The word 'speechless' focuses on the paralysis of the ability to
speak. The word 'horrified' is used in situations in which someone is badly
injured or killed, and focuses less on the paralysis and more on the bad
feelings produced. Since it is helpful to define all the words in a domain
at one time, these considerations are important to keep in mind as we do our
semantic analysis and word our definitions.

Ron Moe

-----Original Message-----
From: Chaz and Helga Mortensen [mailto:chaz_mortensen at sil.org]
Sent: Thursday, August 19, 2004 8:02 AM
To: lexicographylist at yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Lexicog] negative word for amazed


Ron,

In my experience with the word "shock", I would have to include positive
reactions to unexpected situations as well. Sometime in my younger years
everyone was saying "I was shocked" even to say "I was a bit surprised" in
the good sense. I wonder if anyone else had the same experience.

-Chaz





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