Glossary of Linguistic Terms

Generic-Specific Lexical Relation

Definition: 

A generic-specific lexical relation is a hierarchical association between a lexical unit with a broader, more general meaning and other lexical units with a narrower, more precise meaning.

Discussion: 

Another name for the generic-specific lexical relation is hyponymy. Hyponymy involves the association between a:

  • hyponym—a more semantically complex, specific lexical unit (X)
  • superordinate—a less semantically complex, general lexical unit (Y)

X is a hyponym of Y if:

  • the sentence "X is necessarily Y" is normal, but
  • the sentence "Y is necessarily X" is not normal.

Example: "Parrot" is a hyponym of "bird" since:

  • the sentence "A parrot is necessarily a bird" is normal, but
  • the sentence *"A bird is necessarily a parrot" is not normal.
Examples: 

(English)

Natural (taxonomic)

Nominal

For animate things:

  • Appaloosa
  • Arabian
  • Tennessee walker
  • gelding
  • mare
  • stallion
  • For artifacts:

  • Baldwin
  • Steinway
  • Yamaha
  • grand
  • upright
  • For actions:

  • crawl
  • run
  • walk
  • dance
  • drive
  • travel
  • For attributes:

  • blue
  • red
  • yellow
  • crimson
  • pink
  • scarlet
  • Source: 
    24, 88, 109, 140–141
    152, 324, 328, 349, 416, 1026, 1123, 1174, 1198, 1423, 1501, 1548