A semantic field is a group of words whose meanings are related to each other. For example, the semantic field of sports might be: soccer, tennis, basketball, swimming .
Elements within the same semantic field have common semantic features, that is, they share a core of meaning.
Each word belongs to several semantic fields at the same time. For example, cow is part of the semantic field farm, along with hen, barn, and windmill . At the same time , it can be part of the semantic field vertebrate, quadruped, or ruminant .
- It may be useful to you: Slang
Types of semantic field
- Closed. No additional elements can be added because it is a complete field in itself. For example: months of the year, members of the Beatles, or primary colors.
- Open. New elements can always be added. For example: furniture in a house (chair, table, nightstand, dresser) .
- Associative. It is composed of elements that are close to the reality to which they refer. Its composition is subjective. For example: music, piano, rock, Mozart, violin, sheet music.
- Antonyms. These are words that have opposite relationships to each other: full / empty; love / hate; peace / war; night / day; dry / wet .
- Gradual. The elements that make up this field form a scale with different nuances. For example: cold, warm, cool, hot .
- Linear. Each element maintains a relationship with the one before and after it, forming a series. For example: days of the week ( Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday).
Examples of semantic fields
- Days of the week: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. (Closed and linear)
- Farm animals. Horse, cow, rooster, hen, chicks, pig. (Open)
- Furniture from a house. Lamp, nightstand, coffee table, bookcase, armchair. (Open)
- Times of day.Morning, noon, afternoon, evening, midnight. (Linear)
- Argentine rock bands. The Paranoid Mice, Almendra, Sui Generis, The Piojos, Babasónicos, Soda Stereo, Serú Girán. (Open)
- Members of the Beatles.Ringo Starr, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison. (Closed)
- Clothing. Jacket, hat, tie, pants, shirt, belt, T-shirt, vest, jacket. (Open)
- Capitals. Buenos Aires, Lima, Santiago de Chile, Washington, Budapest, Paris, Madrid, Vienna, Prague. (Open)
- Dry / wet. (Antonym)
- Cereals. Sorghum, corn, wheat, oats, rye. (Open)
- Art. Painting, landscape, Renoir, painter, brush, stretcher, frame, acrylic, stool, surrealism, palette, Miró. (Associative)
- Months. January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December. (Linear)
- Footwear. Shoes, sneakers, sandals, flip-flops, boots, clogs, flip-flops. (Open)
- Seasons of the year.Autumn, winter, spring, summer. (Closed)
- Fruits. Banana, apple, strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, pear, lime, lemon, plum, papaya. (Open)
- Cold / heat. (Antonyms)
- School. Planisphere, blackboard, classroom, benches, chairs, notebooks, teacher, chalk, students, exam, lesson, globe, laboratory, smocks. (Associative)
- Humidity. Dry, damp, wet, soaking. (Gradual)
- Peace / war. (Antonyms)
- Literature. Julio Cortázar, Franz Kafka, Joseph Conrad, Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald. (Open)
- Fish. Fish food, fish tank, net, algae, fish, water, lamp, pebbles, pet, carp, Nemo. (Associative)
- Stages of life. Fetus, baby, child, adolescent, adult, elderly. (Linear)
- Car parts.Wheel, engine, door, horn, brakes, clutch, gearshift, seats, seatbelt, trunk. (Open)
- Circus. Tent, clown, juggling, magician, tricks, audience, juggling. (Associative)
- Love / hate.(Antonyms)
- Wind instruments.Transverse flute, harmonica, recorder, saxophone, trumpet, clarinet. (Open)
- Continents. Antarctica, Asia, America, Europe, Africa, Oceania. (Closed)
- Kitchen. Fork, flour, eggs, bowl, milk, sugar, whisk, cake, dessert, counter, sweet, chocolate, dulce de leche. (Associative)
- Greek Gods.Zeus, Aphrodite, Hephaestus, Apollo, Ares, Hera, Athena. (Open)
- Vegetables . Potato, sweet potato, squash, onion, cucumber, chard, spinach, corn, carrot. (Open)
- Dairy products.Milk, butter, ice cream, cream, yogurt, cheese. (Open)
- Countries:Argentina, Spain, Egypt, Norway, China, Afghanistan, Australia, Chile, Nepal, Paraguay, New Zealand. (Closed)
- Letters of the alphabet.A, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, ñ, o, pq, r, s, t, u, v, w, x, y, z. (Linear, closed)
- Park. Grass, bench, handrail, merry-go-round, butterflies, trees, shade, picnic, ball, children, skates. (Associative)
- Kitchen utensils.Knife, fork, spoon, teaspoon, whisk, can opener, potato peeler. (Open)
- Cakes. Pancake, cheesecake, chocolate volcano, flan, ice cream, lemon mousse, strawberry tart, bread pudding, lemon pie. (Open)
- European cities.Toulouse, Barcelona, Venice, Prague, Warsaw, Girona, St. Petersburg, Krakow, Frankfurt. (Closed)
- Argentine writers.Julio Cortázar, Jorge Luis Borges, Adolfo Bioy Casares, Roberto Arlt, Ricardo Piglia, Abelardo Castillo. (Open)
- Hollywood actors.Brad Pitt, Tom Hanks, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Sandra Bullock, Leonardo DiCaprio, Michael Douglas. (Open)
- Argentine films.The Secret in Their Eyes, Waiting for the Hearse, The Distinguished Citizen, Nine Queens, The Truce, The Official Story. (Open)
- Team sports.Soccer, basketball, volleyball, handball, baseball. (Open)
- Colors of the rainbow.Red, yellow, orange, cyan, violet, blue, green. (Closed)
- Big / Small. (Antonym)
- Popcorn, cinema, movie, seats, Tarantino, band, horror, actor, tickets, Oscar, thriller. (Associative)
- Relatives: uncles, cousin, grandmother, grandson, father, brother, son, father, nephew, aunt, great-granddaughter. (Open)
- Pretty / Ugly. (Antonym)
- Rock bands.U2, The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Doors. (Open)
- Raw / Cooked.(Antonyms)
- Spanish authors:Arturo Pérez Reverte, Almudena Grandes, Fernando Aramburu, Miguel de Cervantes, Francisco de Quevedo, Lope de Vega.
- Friends stars:Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Joey, Chandler, Ross. (Closed).
- Italian cities:Rome, Venice, Florence, Naples, Milan, Verona. (Closed)
- The Lion King, Back to the Future, Cinema Paradiso, In the Name of the Father, Nine Queens, Home Alone, Dumbo. (Open)
- Female names.Florencia, Flavia, Rosaura, Daniela, Ana, Paula, Marcela. (Open)
- Music. Nirvana, guitar, grunge, Pearl Jam, bass, rock, Kurt Cobain, Nevermind, drums, concert. (Associative)
- Wet / dry. (Antonyms)
- Vertebrates. Cow, zebra, horse, rhinoceros, donkey, lion, dog, tiger, elephant, human. (Open)
- Open / closed.(Antonyms)
- Subjects: Geography, history, language, mathematics, biology, computer science, English, French. (Open)
- Languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, German, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic. (Open)
- Cinema. Director, film, sound, lighting, script, lead actor, editing, screenwriter, camera, cast. (Associative)
