In
linguistics,
semantics,
general semantics, and
ontologies, hyponymy () shows the relationship between a generic term (hypernym) and a specific instance of it (hyponym). A hyponym is a word or phrase whose semantic field is more specific than its hypernym. The semantic field of a hypernym, also known as a superordinate, is broader than that of a hyponym. An approach to the relationship between hyponyms and hypernyms is to view a hypernym as consisting of hyponyms. This, however, becomes more difficult with abstract words such as
imagine,
understand and
knowledge. While hyponyms are typically used to refer to nouns, it can also be used on other parts of speech. Like nouns, hypernyms in verbs are words that refer to a broad category of actions. For example, verbs such as
stare,
gaze,
view and
peer can also be considered hyponyms of the verb
look, which is their hypernym. The meaning relation between hyponyms and hypernyms applies to lexical items of the same
word class (that is, part of speech), and holds between
senses rather than words. For instance, the word
screwdriver as most immediately understood refers to the
screwdriver tool, and not to the
screwdriver drink. Hypernymy and hyponymy are
converse relations. If X is a kind of Y, then X is a hyponym of Y and Y is a hypernym of X. Hyponymy is a
transitive relation: if X is a hyponym of Y, and Y is a hyponym of Z, then X is a hyponym of Z. For example,
violet is a hyponym of
purple and
purple is a hyponym of
color; therefore
violet is a hyponym of
color. A word can be both a hypernym and a hyponym: for example
purple is a hyponym of color but itself is a hypernym of the broad spectrum of shades of purple between the range of
crimson and
violet. The hierarchical structure of semantic fields can be seen in hyponymy. These can be conceptualized as a vertical arrangement, where the higher level is more general and the lower level is more specific. A taxonomic lexical hierarchy is structured by, in addition to the above inclusion relations, its corresponding relations of exclusion: "A Z is not a Y", or
incompatibility; and "A Z is a different kind/type of Y than X", or
co-taxonymy. This shows that compatibility may be relevant.
Autohyponyms A word is an autohyponym if it is used for both a hypernym and its hyponym: it has a stricter
sense that is entirely a subset of a broader sense. For example, the word
dog describes both the species
Canis familiaris and male individuals of
Canis familiaris, so it is possible to say "That dog isn't a dog, it's a bitch" ("That hypernym Z isn't a hyponym Z, it's a hyponym Y"). The term "autohyponym" was coined by linguist
Laurence R. Horn, in his 1984 paper "Ambiguity, negation, and the London School of Parsimony". Linguist
Ruth Kempson had already observed that if there are hyponyms for one part of a set but not another, the hypernym can complement the existing hyponym by being used for the remaining part. For example, fingers describe all digits on a hand, but the existence of the word
thumb for the first finger means that fingers can also be used for "non-thumb digits on a hand". Autohyponymy is also called "vertical
polysemy". Horn called this "licensed
polysemy", but found that autohyponyms also formed even when there is no other hyponym.
Yankee is autohyponymous because it is a hyponym (native of New England) and its hypernym (native of the United States), even though there is no other hyponym of Yankee (as native of the United States) that means "not a native of New England". Similarly, the
verb to drink (a beverage) is a hypernym for to drink (an alcoholic beverage). In some cases, autohyponyms duplicate existing, distinct hyponyms. The hypernym "smell" (to emit any smell) has a hyponym "stink" (to emit a bad smell), but is autohyponymous because "smell" can also mean "to emit a bad smell", even though there is no "to emit a smell that isn't bad" hyponym. == Etymology ==