Semantics.
We can then use this idea to describe part of the
meaning of words as either having
(+) or not having (−) that particular feature. So,
the feature that the noun boy has is “+animate”
(= denotes an animate being) and the feature that
the noun hamburger
has is “−animate” (= does not denote an animate
being).
This simple example is an illustration of a
procedure for analyzing meaning in terms of
semantic features. Features such
as“+animate,−animate,” “+human, −human,”
“+female, −female,”