I will be exploring more on the topic of componential analysis.  I plan on talking about the componential analysis and the limits that it has. Componential analysis uses features to help distinguish one word from another. It works in most cases but, sometimes there are words that can’t use the componential analysis. This is because those words are too similar too each other to be able to come up with features to tell them apart. For example lion and tiger. They are different from each other but, they’re both cats. Since, they’re both cats they will share a lot of the same characteristics. For words like those it’s difficult to find features where it applies to only one of them. Words can’t share all of the same features. It would defeat the purpose of having a componential analysis. I will be going more into the words that work and why it works. Using the componential analysis helps us come up with features that distinguish one word from another word. Depending on the word the feature will either have a -, +, or unspecified. An “-“ meaning that it doesn’t apply to the feature. The sign “+” would mean that it corresponds to the feature. The unspecified sign would mean that there isn’t enough information given to decide if it has it or not. When put into a chart one can see which feature corresponds to each word. For example the words woman and man. These two words can easily have features where it tells them apart. The features can be male, woman, and adult. Woman and man are different from each other. They could share features but won’t have all the same features. I will be using the textbook used in this class and other sources to help me do this literature review. Using the sources I have it will help me to see what they think on the topic. The author of the textbook goes more into the words that can’t use the componential analysis.

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