Collocative meaning
Collocative meaning
Collocative meaning consists of the associations a word acquires on account of the meanings of words which tend to occur in its environment
Collocative meaning consists of the associations a word acquires on account of the meanings of words which tend to occur in its environment
Pretty and handsome share common ground in the meaning " good-looking but may be distinguished by the range of nouns with which they are likely to co- occur
Pretty and handsome share common ground in the meaning "good-looking", but may be distinguished by the range of nouns with which they are likely to cooccur
Girl loy boy man woman car flower vesse pretty garden handsome overcoat colour airliner village typewriter etc etc
Girl boy boy man woman car flower vessel pretty garden handsome overcoat colour airliner village typewriter etc. etc
The ranges may well, of course, overlap handsome woman and pretty woman are both acceptable, although they suggest a different kind of attractiveness because of the collocative associations of the two adjectives
The ranges may well, of course, overlap: handsome woman and pretty woman are both acceptable, although they suggest a different kind of attractiveness because of the collocative associations of the two adjectives