Field Theory of meaning:

In the 1930s, the structuralist notion of paradigmatic sense relations was applied to an approach
called lexical field theory. Based on research in historical semantics, Jost Trier (1931) introduced the
term lexical field (or semantic field) that he defined as a set of semantically related words whose
meanings delimit each other. Thus, the meaning of a word can only be fully determined in terms of
contrasts in which it stands with other words in the field. From a diachronic perspective, this means
that any change in the meaning of one word affects the meaning of other words to which it is
related. According to Trier, the members of a field cover a whole conceptual or objective domain
without any gaps or overlaps, i.e. the boundaries of a lexical field can be clearly delimited. Criticism
of this conception of lexical fields brought about differentiations and modifications of lexical field
theory and led in the development of componential analysis.

Lexical field theory, or word field theory, was introduced on March12, 1931 by the German linguist Jost
Trier. Trier argued that words acquired their meaning through their relationships to other words
within the same word field.

Lexical field or semantic field is the way of organizing related words and expressions into a system
which shows their relationship to one another. For example, father, mother, uncle, and aunt, and so
on, belong to one lexical field.

An extension of the sense of one word narrows the meaning of neighboring words, with the words in
a field fitting neatly together like a mosaic. If a single word undergoes a semantic change, then the
whole structure of the lexical field changes.

Trier's theory assumes that lexical fields are easily definable closed sets, with no overlapping
meanings or gaps. These assumptions have been questioned and the theory has been modified since
its original formulation.

What is the difference between semantic field and lexical field, if any?

In really simple words, the semantic field is the study of the meanings of words. When we put words
in a web by semantic value, what we are doing is relating the words by what they mean. This is a
method often used in concept webs to convey a clearer meaning of something. This is why it is a
"semantic" field. The word "semantics" and its Greek smantik has, as a root word, the lexeme
"seme" which means "sign".

The lexical field studies the morphology of words, or their shape, form, and construction. When we put
together a lexical web, we are relating words that are similar in formation probably because they are also
similar in linguistic origins. Hence, when these kinds of lexemes are put together they should have the same
structure, and form. The lexical field theory (1931) argued that words are grouped in similar manner by
construction do to their cultural and geographical origins. Therefore, the lexical field is not only a study but
also a theory in itself.

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Hence, they are not the same. Semantics is the study of the meaning of words whereas morphology is the
study of the construction of words. One is meaning, and the other one is form.

If the words have similar meanings it's a semantic field. Semantics is the study of meaning. A semantic field is
when several words in a passage are linked through one idea, e.g. a semantic field of love would have words in
a passage like: "kiss", "romance", "valentine", "admire" etc.

CONCLUSION

In short, anything to do with semantics deals with meaning. So, if we ask what is the semantic range of a
word? , we are asking how that word can be used. In other words, we are talking about the boundaries of that
word from a meaning perspective. Also semantics studies synonyms to see what other words have a similar or
overlapping meanings.

Lexical fields differ in some way, even if there is overlap. Lexical fields study how words affect other words in a
sentence. For example the presence of a certain word can change the whole meaning of another word in a
radical sense. The best example that I have come across is the word, "roller coaster." It might seem that the
word "roller coaster" has a very limited semantic range, namely what you see in an amusement park. However
within the context of a sentence, that word can have a different meaning altogether, because the lexical range
changes it.

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