Lexical Items Denoting the Field of Existence in the Corpse of King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology

(A Semantic Study)

Abstract

This study examines the phenomenon of semantic opposition with the aim of identifying its presence in contemporary language use through a computerized linguistic corpus, namely the King Abdullah City for Science and Technology Arabic Corpus. A sample of semantically opposite lexical items was selected to investigate usage frequency, classify them according to semantic field theory, and analyze them based on componential analysis theory. The study adopts a descriptive analytical approach supported by analytical tools to trace and examine the selected semantic oppositions. The findings reveal several key results. Statistical analysis of the selected semantic oppositions within the field of entities demonstrates variation in usage frequency across corpus contexts. It was found that the opposition (male–female) is the most frequently occurring in language use compared to other oppositional pairs included in the study.

The study recommends further investigation of semantic opposition among synonymous lexical items that are semantically opposed, using computerized linguistic corpora to identify differences in usage and clarify their meanings.