A word field is a group of words which have a similar meaning and belong to the same word type. The word field is to be distinguished from the word family. This includes words grouped around a same or similar word stem and having a common word root; however, the words of a word family do not have to have a similar meaning, but this applies to words from word fields.
Accordingly, the words forming such a field can be interchanged in principle without changing the essential meaning of a sentence. The components of the field are thus a group of related words. Let’s look at the word field together.
call, answer, ask, respond, tell, report, reply, assert, ask, command, explain, mine, arrange, speak, talk, tell, suspect, communicate, chat, chat
This little words collection makes a possible word field for the verb “telling”. This means that all listed terms are related to each other and are very similar. They also all belong to the same type of words: they are verbs.
To prove this, we can take a handful of words from the collection and put them in an exemplary sentence. The basic statement of the sentence is retained in each case, even if under certain circumstances the sentence structure would have to be adapted.
I would love to chat with you.
I would love to chat with you.
I’d like to talk to you.
I would love to talk with them.
Of course, not all of the words from the above collection are easy to use. The sentence I would like to arrange with you does not mean the same as the above examples. The meanings, however, are nevertheless closely related, for whoever arranges something speaks normally and says something. So we have a similar idea of both verbs. Thus, they form a common word field.
Open and closed word fields
As described, words which have a very similar meaning form a common field. However, a clear field boundary can not be drawn unequivocally since the words of the field are of course very subjectively selected. Nevertheless, there are closed word fields, which can not be expanded as desired and form a fixed unit.
Open word fields: are a set of words that have a very similar meaning and also no fixed number of members. This field includes, for example, colors, as these can be extended to infinity, which proves anew every new fashion season.
Closed Word Fields: Are also sets of words that have a commonality. However, they are not extensible. As examples the month names or weekdays, which consist of twelve or seven words and can not be expanded.
Word field and word family
In the German language of elementary school, the terms word field and word family are very often mixed together. However, they consider very different features of the language. Wordfamilies may have a similar meaning, but they do not.
As word families, terms which have a common origin and therefore are due to the same word are designated. This common word is basically preserved for the members of the family as the root of the word, although the meaning may shift.
For example, the verbs go and go back to the Germanic far. The word originally meant any form of movement. Both words are very similar to the word stem. They also belong to the same word field because they mean something similar.
Note: However, the words are also dangerous or dangerous from the germanic far, although they mean something quite different nowadays. Nevertheless, they are members of the word family and connected at this level to driving, but form no word field with this (→ word family).
Other exemplary word fields
The contribution showed what the term word field is all about. To further substantiate what has been written, we would like to introduce you to other words. These, however, remain uncommented and should open up for themselves.
Word field
to hurry, to hurry, to hurry, to hurry, to hurry, to hunt, to run, to march, to hurry, to hurry, to hurry, to hurry, to jog, to jog, to jog, to jog
Word field
look, look, peek, perceive, recognize, observe, eye, observe, notice, sightseer, stare, gape, winking, peek, squint, wink, lense, decipher, stare, eyes
Word field
speak to work to work to make to serve to deal with to prepare to accomplish to accomplish to accomplish to accomplish to accomplish to accomplish to work to work to make to make to prepare speak
Word field eating
to eat, to eat, to eat, to eat, to feed, to eat, to eat, to eat, to eat, to eat, to eat, to eat, to eat, to eat