Componential Analysis and the Study of Meaning
Linguistic Society of America
Componential Analysis and the Study of Meaning Author(s): Ward H. Goodenough Reviewed work(s): Source: Language, Vol. 32, No. 1 (Jan. - Mar., 1956), pp. 195-216 Published by: Linguistic Society of America Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/410665 . Accessed: 11/12/2011 13:36
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COMPONENTIAL ANALYSIS AND THE STUDY OF MEANING
WARD H. GOODENOUGH
University of Pennsylvania THE PROBLEM 1. Introduction. That the methods of componential analysis as they have been developed for analyzing linguistic forms are applicable in principle for analyzing other types of cultural forms is a proposition toward whose demonstration I have for some time sought to orient my ethnographic researches. The results of some exploratory work toward this end have already been published.' Included among them is an analysis of Truk kinship terminology, in which it proved possible to apply some of the principles of linguistic analysis to the problem of deriving the significata2 of kinship terms and of determining which terms went together in what I called semantic systems. I am taking up this material again in order to present a fuller discussion of the method and of its implications for developing an empirical science of meaning.3 The aspect of meaning to be dealt with is signification as distinct from connotation. What is meant by these
Componential Analysis and the Study of Meaning Author(s): Ward H. Goodenough Reviewed work(s): Source: Language, Vol. 32, No. 1 (Jan. - Mar., 1956), pp. 195-216 Published by: Linguistic Society of America Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/410665 . Accessed: 11/12/2011 13:36
Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.
Linguistic Society of America is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Language.
http://www.jstor.org
COMPONENTIAL ANALYSIS AND THE STUDY OF MEANING
WARD H. GOODENOUGH
University of Pennsylvania THE PROBLEM 1. Introduction. That the methods of componential analysis as they have been developed for analyzing linguistic forms are applicable in principle for analyzing other types of cultural forms is a proposition toward whose demonstration I have for some time sought to orient my ethnographic researches. The results of some exploratory work toward this end have already been published.' Included among them is an analysis of Truk kinship terminology, in which it proved possible to apply some of the principles of linguistic analysis to the problem of deriving the significata2 of kinship terms and of determining which terms went together in what I called semantic systems. I am taking up this material again in order to present a fuller discussion of the method and of its implications for developing an empirical science of meaning.3 The aspect of meaning to be dealt with is signification as distinct from connotation. What is meant by these