complementary (adj.)

A term used primarily in PHONOLOGY in the phrase complementary distribution, referring to the mutual exclusiveness of a pair of sounds in a certain PHONETIC ENVIRONMENT. In English, for example, the voiceless ALLophone of the /l/ phoneme occurs after initial /p-/, as in plan, and the VOICED allophone is excluded; conversely, [l] is used initially when no /p-/ precedes. [$] and [l] are thus said to be ‘in complementary DISTRIBUTION’ in this environment. The term is also used analogously in MORPHOLOGY, with reference to the distribution of pairs of FORMS in GRAMMATICAL environments (e.g. the selection of alternative forms of plural MORPHEME in English).

In SEMANTICS, the term is often used to refer to a category of SENSE relation between LEXICAL ITEMS. Complementary terms (or complementaries) display a type of oppositeness of MEANING, illustrated by such pairs as single/ married and boy/girl. Single is said to be ‘the complementary of’ married, and vice versa. In such a relationship, the assertion of one of the items implies the denial of the other: an entity cannot be both at once. The relationship of complementarity is characterized by the lack of any gradability between the items (there is no continuum of gradation between boy and girl, such that one can be *less boy, *very boy, and so on). In this respect, the term contrasts with the technical sense of ANTONYMY, where gradations between the opposites are possible (cf. big, bigger, very big, etc. v. small, smaller, etc.), and also with CONVERSENESS, where the opposites presuppose each other (e.g. husband/wife). The term CONTRADICTORY is an alternative preferred by some analysts.

اخر الاخبار

اخبار العتبة العباسية المقدسة

قسم صناعة الشبابيك يشرع بإدامة شباكين قديمين لمرقد الإمامين العسكريين (عليهما السلام)

فرقة العباس (عليه السلام) تختتم خدماتها المقدمة للزائرين في سامراء

موكب العتبتين المقدستين يحيي ذكرى استشهاد الإمام الهادي (عليه السلام) في سامراء

العتبة العسكرية المقدسة تكرّم وفد العتبة العباسية المقدسة لمشاركته في تقديم الخدمات للزائرين

المزيد

الآخبار الصحية

كنز غذائي على طبقك.. ماذا تفعل السبانخ بجسمك؟

ما لا يتوقعه أحد.. "سر غذائي" في الجبن الدسم

لتحسين الهضم والنوم.. هذا أفضل وقت لتناول العشاء

10 طرق بسيطة وغير مألوفة لحرق المزيد من السعرات يوميا

المزيد

الآخبار التكنلوجية

سابقة بعالم الطيران.. طائرة تقرر الهبوط بنفسها بعد ظرف طارئ

"الإنفلونزا الخارقة" تكتسح دول العالم.. وتثير قلقا كبيرا

مرحلة ما قبل الأعراض.. دواء جديد يستهدف "شرارة" الزهايمر

إزالة ثاني أكسيد الكربون من الغلاف الجوي.. ما دور المحيطات والبحار؟

المزيد

مواضيع ذات صلة

Spelling and Pronunciation SUMMARY

American English vs. British English

Morphological Basis of English Spelling

Phoneme–Grapheme Correspondences in English Vowels

Phoneme–Grapheme Correspondences in English Consonants

Spelling and Pronunciation Irregularity of English Spelling

Structural Factors in Second Language Phonology SUMMARY

Perception

Optimality Theory (OT)

Ontogeny Phylogeny Model (OPM)

Markedness

Hypercontrast