distinguisher (n.)

A term used in early GENERATIVE LINGUISTICS as part of a (controversial) two-way classification of the SEMANTIC COMPONENTS of LEXICAL ITEMS. ‘Distinguishers’ were said to be those components which are needed to keep apart the different meanings of HOMONYMS, but which are unsystematic in a LANGUAGE; that is, they have no general role to play in the statement of SELECTIONAL and other restrictions. For example, in one of the items originally analyzed in this way, bachelor, one distinguisher is the component [having the academic degree conferred . . . ]. Components which do operate systematically (e.g. [old], [male], [animate]) were known as MARKERS.